As our readers know, The Hoya’s slogan is “Read the Paper.” With the emergence of the internet and the development of a 24-hour news cycle, this pithy tagline has become a desperate cry from written publications across the country. 

Print and digital news circulation dropped 6% among national publications between 2019 and 2020, according to a Pew Research Center study. Accompanying this drop came a 12% decrease in newsroom investment over that same period. 

Much of this decline is due to changes in the way news is delivered to individuals. Instead of spending hours sifting through archives or waiting for a copy of a newspaper to be delivered to your doorstep each morning, people can find the answer to any question through a simple Google search.

Despite the convenience of the internet, there is still immense value in having access to a cultivated collection of information hand-picked by authors and editors selected specifically for you and your neighbors. Think about how frequently you learn about events that you never would have considered and how often you find answers to questions that you didn’t even know you had through a newspaper.

The immediacy of internet sources has certainly harmed local newspapers, but many still see the benefits of traditional local print sources. Furthermore, 28% of Americans still prefer to receive their news from local publications, such as town-specific newspapers, online discussion forums, community newsletters and local organizations, per the Pew Research Center. 

In fact, 85% of individuals say they would rather read the work of reporters, who have an intimate inside understanding of the community they cover, instead of national voices. This local engagement by an author provides a more relatable, trusted perspective on topical issues. 

In the same way that push notifications from a national publication alert you to stories you may not have learned about otherwise, local news sources point out community opinions you may not have considered and neighborhood events you may not have heard about. 

The benefits of hyper-local news are on full display at college campuses. Student newspapers like The Hoya identify and publish news, offering insights that are exclusively relevant to their readership. This, in turn, tailors the massive amounts of available information into a resource especially fit for a particular demographic.

Following the 18 months I spent as an editor for the Opinion section, I can attest to the smooth mechanism The Hoya provides for offering these unique looks into our community. 

It is a quintessential college experience to find yourself feeling lost. There is a huge pressure to make the most out of your “college experience.” Whether you’re a first-year experiencing everything for the first time or a senior experiencing everything for the last time, there are aspects of campus and college life that you inevitably have yet to explore. 

The Hoya helps to provide that orientation by consistently accounting for all things Georgetown. It is a platform for students, faculty and graduates alike to share their passions, provide advice and advocate for changes they’d like to see on campus. The Hoya offers a succinct collection of the events and perspectives that you cannot find with a single question or Google search.

If you’re experiencing the pressures of club culture, want to dive deeper into campus traditions or want to know what other Hoyas think of a new coffee shop in the area, The Hoya provides countless opportunities for students to find inspiration. It also supplies resources to help students navigate their “Georgetown experience.”  

The personalized insight offered by local newspapers is essential for those in all phases of their lives. Whether you’re an adult learning about the candidates for a town library election or a student looking for information about a speaking event, specialized publications help bring communities together. All I ask is that you continue to “Read the Paper.”

Anne Poulos is a junior in the School of Foreign Service.