Free Press

Newspapers are just like any other business, the economy is affecting them. I grew up reading the "real" deal. We had the Casper Star-tribune delivered every morning. The Record-Times came in the mail once a week. We also did get the Rocky Mountain News on Sundays.

Due to the economy the Omaha World-Herald will not be delivering actual paper newspapers to homes past Kearney. You can subscribe by mail if you live in western parts of the state but it will be a day later paper. The Rocky Mountain News is up for sale. The Gazette will be a weekday daily - which for them and their readership is necessary. I still get my printed subscriptions to the Indianola News, Bayard Transcript and now the Falls City Journal.

I can't say any of this surprises me. I still like to hold a paper in my hands to read it. However, I have come to enjoy being able to read the on-line papers. I check the LA Times and the New York Times on-line editions regularly. Besides the Gazette, I check the Kearney-Hub, and the Omaha and Lincoln papers. I will randomly look at other papers in communities just for the giggles of it. Sometimes they are links from stories on the CNN or Fox News websites.

For a self-described news junkie, I am in on-line heaven reading those additions. Granted it isn't the same as sitting in the chair, sipping coffee, and reading the comics to start the day but I enjoy the mobility of feeding my paper habit on-line. I like reading the editorials, news and the obituaries. While the latter might seem morbid - the "big" papers like the New York Times have an obituary staff that carefully craft the obituaries printed in their paper The obituaries are of people who have made significant contributions in arts, science, education, entertainment. They may not be household names but they were people worth knowing something about. Plus the New York Times revisits the obituaries of historical or important people of the past. Some of those read like a history lesson due to the writing style of the times and they are fascinating.

Before I digress further from my point, what I will put on the end of the blog is a link to an editorial in the on-line version of the Scottsbluff Star-Herald and Gering Courier. The gist of which is to we needed newspapers to form our nation and we need them to stay a free nation. There are other points in the article that need to be considered as well. Not that I totally buy all the points but the writer is entitled to his opinion.

Our citizens and democracy needs an avenue to have varying opinions and thoughts made available to the masses. This promotes the freedom of speech and allows us to determine whom we agree or disagree with. Newspapers in all forms - printed or electronic- allow us the freedom to express our thoughts and views. They allow us to educate and be educated. They allow us to agree to disagree. Newspapers will continue to be needed in our country in whatever form they evolve into.

Please check out this link.

http://www.starherald.com/articles/2009/01/08/gering_courier/opinion/jim_headley...