I just read the most heartening article in terms of the future of local media. Wendy Johnson of the Pine Journal writes, “There’s a reason we’re here – the same reason that we hope will keep us here for many years to come.”

According to the article, a recent three-year study by the National Newspaper Association shows that some 86 percent of adults read a local community newspaper each week, up from 83 percent in 2007 and 81 percent in 2005. The author indicates that their local results mirror the national findings.

I have read articles to the contrary – well kind of to the contrary. Really I’ve read articles of a conflict between online and traditional media. I think this article tells a nice story of the marriage between online and traditional media and I think recognizing and building on that marriage is what strengthens the Pine Journal and other papers.

The article explains that you’re never going to see the news of Carlton County on CNN. (I’d add that you hope you never see local news on CNN; that’s never a sign of good news.) Yet the news of Carlton County is important; it’s important to the local community.

I think the following two paragraphs from the article explain why they are doing so well and why it’s important that the local newspaper survives and how supplementing traditional media with online helps the paper to thrive.

While the Pine Journal’s print readership continues to remain basically strong, we have also adapted to the changing times with our Web site, which brings the news of Carlton County to readers on a day-to-day (and, at times, an hour-to-hour) basis.

For example, during the days leading up to Tuesday’s general election, the number of people accessing our Web site essentially doubled, going from a daily average of 1,100 to 2,200 as readers sought our ongoing news reports of local candidates and races.