THE Southern Star is joining with other local newspapers around the country to mark Local Newspaper Week. We are asking the public to support trusted, local journalism by taking out a subscription online, or buying a copy of the paper to show their backing for an industry that is facing huge challenges.
Now emerging from the economic challenges of Covid, during which we kept publishing, we are facing the perfect storm of the loss of advertising to the tech giants, the post-Covid economic slowdown, cost of living and energy crises, along with a 150% increase in the cost of our basic raw material – newsprint – over the last 18 months.
Executive director of Local Ireland – our regional newspaper association – Bob Hughes has described local newspapers as a mirror to our cities, towns, villages and parishes. Where else would you find coverage of news, sports, entertainment and local issues in such detail? And we have never had so many readers, thanks to our digital audiences. But digital is a very different space to print, and newspapers need your support, as well as your eyeballs! Thank you for your support to date.
