It seems like there is a day to recognize or celebrate almost everything. Some certainly stand out more than others, and some get a wider following.
Some days like National Donut Day, the first Friday in June, gets people excited to have an excuse to pick up their favorite donut. Like many traditions that become widespread, its origins may be a surprise. Started by the Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the “Donut Lassies” of World War I who brought donuts to the troops in 1917 to boost morale, its roots go much deeper than enjoying a good pastry.
Some other days are celebrated for different reasons. Take Pi Day on March 14. This fundamental mathematical constant is defined as the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. As an irrational number, its digits go on forever without a repeating pattern. Pi Day is held on 3/14 as these are the first three digits of the constant. Many schools have fun competitions with students learning to memorize as many digits of pi as possible. A day to celebrate learning, and math sounds like a pretty good way to get kids excited, especially if they get to “pie” a teacher.
Or on another front, a national day may represent a phenomenon that has wide reaching impact, such as Star Wars Day on May 4. “May the fourth be with you” is a play on the Jedi phrase “May the force be with you.” This term is used across the series and has a deep spiritual meaning to the characters and mythology.
Well, another day is coming and lines up with our publication day this week, one that is very near to our hearts. Local News Day will take place on April 9. It is a national day of action to celebrate and strengthen trusted local news and information.
Local news is essential for fostering community connection, accountability, and provides crucial information on budgets, tax dollars, and local happenings.
It is no surprise that newsrooms across the country are struggling. Disruptions from the digital world, loss of local advertisers, and cultural changes are having a significant impact. While still reeling from theft of information and advertising from large social media and digital powerhouses, the emergence of artificial intelligence will continue to have an impact on newsrooms and their business models.
Rumors have always spread fast and that has only accelerated by social media. With AI “news” popping up and flooding the internet, it is easier than ever to spread misinformation or to distort the truth. Sorting through the fodder and working to report on community facts is where local media is necessary.
That is one of the reasons local news – more specifically community news – is a vital resource. Local news is focused on finding the stories of the area. This may include hard news like municipal meetings or emergencies. It should also include the softer side, a focus on the people, events, and organizations that make a community thrive.
Consider the hard news the bread of a sandwich – necessary to provide structure. A sandwich must have this component, but it is not usually what people get excited about. The ingredients that fill a sandwich are where most of the flavor is born and provides the kick. This is the where the features, press releases, and community of a newspaper come in to complete the whole product.
Local News Day is about enjoying community news and taking steps to ensure it can thrive into the future. Please consider supporting local news, whether you can subscribe, donate, or tell an advertiser that you really appreciate their support of local news. But please get involved.
If you cannot assist financially, please drop a line to let your local news organization know why they are important to you. Support comes in all shapes and sizes, please take a minute to express yours.
For our local newspaper, we can always be reached by phone at 563-3171, by email at info@lcnme.com, or through the mail at P.O. Box 36, Damariscotta, ME 04543.
