National Newspaper Week

While it is easy to get bogged down in the bad news, journalism remains an important tenet of democracy and a valuable public service.

When you see a reporter at a community event, your club or organization, at your child’s school or covering a public meeting, to go up to them and simply thank them for what they do.

When facts are increasingly seen as optional and bad information clogs the internet, we need journalists asking questions and offering balanced reports.

Make no mistake: Your journalism matters. It’s crucial that we continue to reinforce the importance of our role in society. And we’re not just watchdogs.

Community journalism matters, now more than ever, because roughly half the world’s population lives in small communities, and in the pages of their newspapers, they see themselves and the ones they love.

Journalism exists to keep the people informed. It exists to spread knowledge and, yes, it exists to provide viewpoints from many different perspectives.

Is your newspaper ready? The 78th annual National Newspaper Week is just days away. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate at your newspaper, plus columns, house ads, an editorial cartoon, a crossword puzzle and more content available for publication by WNA members.