The Independent is your baby, too

As of today’s publication, the Glenrock Independent is back to being the stand alone newspaper generations have followed since its founding in 1932.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes in the way we do things, not only in our world, but much closer to home in our own Wyoming small town communities. Temporarily adding the Independent as a section of the Douglas Budget was a direct reflection of the economic and health crises brought on by the coronavirus as we struggled to fund our important missions of journalism while keeping our staff, including delivery drivers and office staff as well as reporters, safe.

The pandemic is one of the biggest factors to hit the newspaper industry worldwide, in that advertising had became nearly non-existent for nearly three months, and ad revenue is how community newspapers, radio and television stations fund their newsroom operations.

The newspaper print industry was turned on its head. Advertisers dropped off. Employees were laid off. Hundreds of newspapers were shut down, merged with their sister publications or turned into community nonprofits.

It’s a serious situation. While print news readership is up, it is easy to take one’s hometown newspaper for granted, not realizing everything it takes to have your weekly newspaper at your fingertips the same time, week after week.

Nor should you. That’s our job.

However, the fact is, advertising revenue pays for your newspaper. It pays the bills, it pays the employees’ salaries, it keeps the lights on.

Literally.

Newspapers in small communities – like ours – are the last window of transparency into state, county and local government. We’re also the historical document of record, carrying news and feature stories on your friends and neighbors, public notices, classified and so much more.

We’re happy to be back.

We will continue to bring you the news and stories you’ve come to depend upon and enjoy. We welcome your contributions, story ideas and feedback.

With that said, please keep in mind that as much as you rely upon us to bring you your local news, we rely on you for your support to keep YOUR community paper up and running.

We’d sincerely like to thank those entities who have continued to support the Independent with their advertising through these challenging times. You made a difference.

We really are all in this together.

––Cinthia Stimson, editor