The ways in which our audiences receive their news is always changing. But the critically important reporting and analysis you need to make informed decisions for the betterment of your family and community is the same.
Just this past week, we investigated “forever chemicals” potentially contaminating area public water systems, an emerging student mental health crisis, Ohio’s aggressive pursuit of estates of deceased Medicaid recipients and much more. Day in and day out, we endeavor to fulfill the mission of ensuring our readers know what’s really going on in their communities.
Local news outlets, and especially newspapers, continue to disappear at an alarming rate. The country loses an average of more than two newspapers a week. Studies have shown that a decline in local journalism leads to deeper partisan divides and increases the spread of misinformation.
“I think that the secret of being around for 125 years is not being so wedded to the past that you can’t change,” said Alex Taylor, CEO of Cox Enterprises, the parent company of the Dayton Daily News, in a recent interview. “You can keep who you are and what you’re all about, but do it in a different way and be willing to take risks and experiment for new generations.”
While the realities of a constantly shifting news industry can be daunting, we are excited to take risks, to experiment, and to continue to meet the challenges of reporting on and for the communities we’ve served for well over a century.
Without you — our readers, neighbors, family and friends — we would not have made it this far. We do not do this work in a vacuum — our staff is deeply enmeshed and invested in the communities we cover. We live in these neighborhoods, send our kids to local schools, play in the parks and celebrate at the festivals on which we report. We, like you, want to see our entire region succeed and we know that is only possible by providing quality reporting to its residents.
In his will, our founder and Alex Taylor’s great-grandfather, James M. Cox, set down that his newspapers should remain devoted to the working people, since they bought and read the paper.
That devotion remains to you and to future generations of working people. Whether you find “the people’s paper” on an actual sheet of paper or not, its spirit and its power to inform will continue to live on in newsfeeds, email inboxes, desktop screens, watches and more — wherever curious and inquiring minds will need us to be.
About the Author