Just what does a newspaper mean to a community?

Interesting looking front page of the Imperial Republican this week, huh? It poses an interesting question—where would Imperial be without a community newspaper?
    Think of it this way: “The Imperial Republican—the only newspaper in the world that REALLY cares about Imperial, Nebraska!”
    Local newspapers chronicle the history of a community every week, from births and deaths to sports to school and church activities and local accomplishments, just to name a few.
    You learn about what’s going on with your city or county government or school board, thanks to the newspaper covering these meetings and providing an unbiased accounting of what goes on.  
        One of our primary journalistic responsibilities centers on keeping our local government entities accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to ensuring government remains open and transparent.
        Sometimes that means challenging a local board over going into executive session without a bona fide reason. Sometimes that means challenging efforts to squelch your voices by limiting or suppressing public input. When was the last time social media took up your cause?
    Speaking of social media, there’s no doubt about the impact it has made on our daily lives—be it good or bad. Unfortunately, there’s no one to keep social media accountable for smearing one’s reputation with falsehoods and lies or playing loose with the “facts.”
    Community newspapers exist not only to serve its readers but our business partners as well. In all reality, your community newspaper would not survive without the belief and investment advertisers put in us to help grow their businesses.
    We value the role we play in helping our local businesses grow and prosper through the use of newspaper advertising. Think of their advertising as the “news” of their businesses and how their “story” that week can meet your needs as a consumer.
    As community newspapers around the country celebrate National Newspaper Week, it gives us the opportunity to draw attention to just what a newspaper means to a community.
    We value the distinction and significance the Imperial Republican plays in the livelihood and success of Imperial and the Chase County community.