 The Stanton Register survived one of the most difficult periods in its 147-year history. Now, it has been selected to help shape what comes next. Readers have until July 12 to fill out the survey here. The Register has been chosen to participate in the national Reviving Rural News initiative, a project bringing together rural newspapers, community members and journalism researchers to develop sustainable business models for local news across America. Over the coming weeks, Register readers, advertisers, subscribers and community members will have an opportunity to help shape the newspaper’s future through surveys, focus groups and community discussions designed to identify ways to strengthen local journalism for years to come. The initiative is led by Teri Finneman, a journalism professor at the University of Kansas and co-author of Reviving Rural News: Transforming the Business Model of Community Journalism in the U.S. and Beyond. “I’ve been interested in the Stanton Register for the past five years now after hearing about its near closure,” said Finneman, who is originally from western North Dakota. “I knew this was a community I wanted to work with.” For Publisher Carrie Pitzer, the selection carries special meaning. The Stanton Register nearly disappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic. When previous ownership announced the newspaper would close in 2020, the loss would have extended far beyond a weekly publication. Founded in 1879, the Register is Stanton County’s legal newspaper, publishing government notices, budgets, meeting minutes and public records while documenting the people, businesses, schools and events that define the community. Rather than watch it disappear, Pitzer stepped up to take over the newspaper the week it was set to close and asked the community to help save it. 
Residents answered. Subscribers renewed. Businesses continued advertising. Community members rallied behind the newspaper through initiatives such as the Register’s “Be a Hero” campaign. The newspaper survived because Stanton County decided it was worth saving. Six years later, that same community is being asked to help shape its future. “We’ve always believed the Stanton Register belongs to this community,” Pitzer said. “When people came together to save it, they weren’t just saving a newspaper. They were preserving a piece of Stanton County’s identity. This initiative gives us another opportunity to work together — this time to help shape what the Stanton Register looks like for future generations.” The Reviving Rural News initiative recognizes that while local newspapers remain essential to rural communities, the business model supporting them must continue to evolve. “The business model most newspapers still rely on was developed in 1833, when Andrew Jackson was president,” Finneman said. “It assumed news should be dirt cheap and endlessly subsidized by advertising. That model no longer works. No other business could survive on a 200-year-old structure. Newspapers have to change, and we need the community’s support to do so.” Over the next several weeks, community members will be invited to participate in focus groups and conversations designed to gather ideas from readers, advertisers, civic leaders and residents representing a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. Readers have until July 12 to fill out the survey here. The goal is not simply to improve the newspaper, but to ensure it continues serving Stanton County for decades to come. “I am really looking forward to hearing from local readers about how we can work together to really be a national example for others about the importance of local news,” Finneman said. “I talk all around the country about this work and know Stanton will be a great example to talk about.” Pitzer said one reason she was excited to accept the invitation is because the project puts the community at the center of the conversation. “One of the reasons the Stanton Register is still here is because this community refused to let it disappear,” she said. “That same partnership is what will shape its future. We don’t pretend to have every answer. We want to listen.” The Register is among only a small number of newspapers nationwide selected to participate in the initiative. Participation opportunities, including surveys, focus groups and community discussions, will be announced in the coming weeks. Pitzer said she hopes as many people as possible take part. “This isn’t about changing who we are,” she said. “It’s about making sure the Stanton Register remains a strong, independent community newspaper for another 147 years. This will be a community partnership, and I’m excited to have Stanton County readers help shape where we go next.” |
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