Our View: Celebrate newspapers

Happy National Newspaper Week! 

October 1 - 7 has been designated National Newspaper Week, and this year is the 83rd celebration of the week, with the recognition having officially started in 1940. October 7 is also Newspaper Carrier Day. 

The Green River Star is proud to be a trusted source of information, news, entertainment, and community highlights for Green River and Sweetwater County. We are also honored to continue to be a print newspaper, as we have been for over 100 years, being one of only two physical newspapers in the county. And we are grateful to be the only newspaper in the county to still employ local newspaper carriers who deliver the print edition directly to the doorsteps of our Green River subscribers.  

In an increasingly digital age, some have begun to question the importance of newspapers. But with the rapid growth of technology and the instantly-accessible nature of information from the internet, concerns about “fake news” have only spread. Newspapers are crucial for maintaining ethical journalism and providing reliable information.

Nearly 220 million American adults turn to their local newspapers regularly in order to stay informed and involved, according to a recent national study by independent research firm Coda Ventures for the America’s Newspapers organization.

In Wyoming, 402,000 adults regularly look to their local print or digital newspapers for news and information, according to the Wyoming Market Study conducted by Coda Ventures in 2022. That’s 87% of Wyoming adults. The study also found that 86% of Wyoming adults cite local newspapers or newspaper websites as their “most trusted” source for public notices.

Especially in small towns like Green River and communities like Sweetwater County, local newspapers take on extra importance as not only a reputable source of information but also a platform for what is going on and what matters most to people.

Being in a close-knit community, the newspaper has greater access to our government leaders in order to understand, explain, and be involved with the issues that affect everyone. We also get to be up-close and personal with the day-to-day life of the community, sharing the stories and happenings of friends, families and neighbors. 

As a newspaper, we are the history-keepers and memory-holders. From triumphs to tragedies, laughter to tears, births to deaths, and everything in between, we hold space for these stories and immortalize them through words printed in paper and ink. And that is worth celebrating.