Local opinion: A subscriber’s hope for the Arizona Daily Star

I read with genuine interest the Arizona Daily Star’s recent story about David Hoffmann’s investment in Lee Enterprises and his vision for local newspapers.

As a longtime subscriber, I hope he succeeds.

Mr. Hoffmann spoke about newspapers being the fabric of a community, celebrating local life, supporting local businesses, covering local sports, and helping people take pride in where they live. That is exactly what a hometown newspaper should do.

If I could offer one suggestion from a loyal reader, it would be this.

Please give us more news and less filler.

The first responsibility of a newspaper is to tell us what happened today, not what happened two days ago.

Unfortunately, because the printed Arizona Daily Star is now produced in Las Vegas, much of what arrives in our driveway has already become history. Yesterday’s ballgame. Yesterday’s city council meeting. Yesterday’s breaking story. By the time I unfold the paper over breakfast, I have often already seen the news elsewhere.

The digital edition helps bridge that gap, and I appreciate having it. Even so, I often find too many syndicated lifestyle features, celebrity stories and lightweight pieces that entertain but do little to inform. I would gladly exchange several pages of that for another reporter covering Oro Valley, Marana, Pima County, local schools, businesses or high school athletics.

Ironically, newspapers may be more important today than they have been in many years.

More and more Americans now receive their information through social media. Open almost any social media app, and you are greeted with an endless stream of content selected by algorithms whose primary goal is to keep you scrolling. Too often, that means outrage, gossip, rumor, political echo chambers, or whatever is most likely to capture your attention for another few seconds.

More than 60 years ago, Newton Minow described television as “a vast wasteland.” At times, today’s social media seems even more deserving of that description.

A good newspaper offers something different.

It slows us down. It separates what is important from what is merely interesting. It reminds us that life is happening not only in Washington or New York, but at City Hall, on Main Street, in our schools, churches, neighborhoods and local businesses.

For many of us, there is also something comforting about the printed newspaper itself. We enjoy holding it in our hands over breakfast, folding the pages as we read, perhaps leaving behind a coffee ring or a bit of strawberry jam. That is not simply nostalgia. It is a daily ritual that connects us with the community we call home.

Mr. Hoffmann said he believes newspapers should help people know and love the places where they live. I believe that, too.

Tell us about the new business opening across town. Cover the school board meeting so we understand the decisions being made. Celebrate the student who earned a scholarship, the volunteer who quietly serves others, the local entrepreneur who took a chance and the high school athlete who had a memorable season. When government fails, investigate it thoroughly. When the community succeeds, celebrate that as well.

In short, give us the newspaper that only a local newspaper can produce.

I welcome Mr. Hoffmann’s investment and his optimism. Local journalism is worth saving because strong communities depend on trustworthy local reporting.

My hope is simple. Make the Arizona Daily Star indispensable again. Fill its pages with timely, reliable, meaningful local news that readers cannot find anywhere else.

If that happens, I believe many former subscribers will come back, and many current subscribers will be proud to stay.