TRAVERSE CITY -- Today's newspapers might change the way they deliver information in the future, but the region always will have a need for journalists, area publishers said.
And if newspapers are to stay unique and relevant amid growing competition for readers' attention, publishers said, citizens will need to tell them what they think is important.
That message was shared with about 70 people Wednesday at a forum discussing the future of the region's newspapers.
"It's still a good career," said Mike Casuscelli, publisher of the Record-Eagle. "Things will change. I really believe that things will get better."
The panel, held at the Oleson Center at Northwestern Michigan College, included Casuscelli, Alan Campbell of the Leelanau Enterprise and Robert Downes of the Northern Express. The forum was moderated by Gregg Smith, a former owner and publisher of the Antrim County News in Bellaire.
Community newspapers often “remain closer to their readers” than larger metro dailies, Smith said, and the service they provide would be hard to replace if lost.
“If newspapers fail, who will fill the watchdog role?” Smith said. “And who will be left to sound the alarm?”
The idea for the event arose in response to trends of industry-wide layoffs and the closing or merging of newspapers, both in Michigan and elsewhere. Locally, community newspapers in Elk Rapids, Bellaire and Boyne City folded this year.
"In a lot of markets, daily newspapers were fairly unchallenged," Campbell said, adding that in many cases, a lack of direct competition contributed to control of local advertisers. "Sometimes, you do get too big."
The panelists represented a variety of media types, including a traditional daily newspaper, a paid weekly that covers one county and a free, alternative weekly that largely focuses on arts and entertainment.
Audience members grilled the publishers on everything from circulation and ad revenue to how they incorporate citizen journalists.
The Enterprise has its entire newspaper available online for paid readers, a helpful fact since "we have a tremendous number of out-of-area subscribers," Campbell said.
Casuscelli discussed the loss of Meijer as an advertiser after the paper reported its involvement in an Acme Township recall election, saying the story "needed to be told" even though "there was potential to lose a major account."
A wide range of media outlets are dealing with declining ad revenues and job reductions because of the economic recession, and the Record-Eagle is no different, Casuscelli said.
He added that the Internet has allowed newspapers to offer new content and compete with television or radio outlets that historically had an advantage because they aired first.
The Northern Express created a virtual edition of its print product, where viewers can scan through the pages by clicking on a mouse.
Today's market is prime for online news entrepreneurs, Downes said, because they don't need to invest in printing or delivery systems. But his publication doesn't offer blogs, in part because he wants his writers' best material to be published in print.
He added that bloggers, in general, aren't required to be as accountable as newspapers.
"You're going to see newspapers riding that tide," he said. "I don't believe in them."
Eartha Melzer, who writes for the online news site Michigan Messenger, challenged the view that the Web isn't a reputable source of information.
"I have three editors," Melzer said. "We consider ourselves held to the same standards."
Organizers of Wednesday's event included the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council, the League of Women Voters of the Grand Traverse Area and the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce.
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