For 99 years, the residents of Caroline County, Virginia were served by a lively weekly paper, Caroline Progress, family owned and operated for most of its existence. The newspaper was how this quiet rural county talked to itself. And in this pandemic, I find myself wondering how it would serve its readers if it were still around.
On the pages of Caroline Progress, in normal times, people read about births, deaths and weddings; church notices, coming events, sports victories and defeats; government meetings, political intrigue, highway accidents, and fires. Readers also found thoughtful editorials on local and national issues, op-ed pieces, and a multitude of letters to the editor, particularly in election years.
In the nearby town of Ashland and neighboring Hanover County, Herald-Progress served a similar function, until it, too, shut down in 2018, after 131 years of service. By the end, they were essentially one newspaper put out by a single editor, one full-time and one part-time reporter, and a few freelancers. They died on the same day.
Historically, employees of both papers were, for the most part, longtime county residents, emotionally and economically invested in their communities. In 2007, Lakeway Publishing of Morristown, Tennessee acquired Caroline Progress and three other Virginia newspapers, adding two local papers, including Herald-Progress, to the chain the next year. All six papers were slowly gutted over the next decade, and in 2016, the office in Bowling Green was closed, with operations consolidated in Hanover County.
On the afternoon of March 26, 2018, the group publisher walked into Herald-Progress/Caroline Progress office and instructed the remaining staff to change the lead story: the March 28 issue would be the last for both papers, a concise notice from Lakeway Publishers above the fold on Page 1 read. Employees were told they would be paid for that week and the following week. That was the severance package. The editor did not have time to toss together a proper sendoff in the final editions. Both newspapers left a huge news vacuum in their wake, one that still exists. One that is particularly noticeable now.
The global pandemic that changed the lives of almost everyone in the world made it even more apparent that the residents of Caroline County need a vibrant local newspaper. What if Caroline Progress was still a functioning newspaper in 2020, much as it had been in 2015? How would it serve its readers? How would the stories and editorials differ from what is being served up by 24-hour TV news, distant newspapers and social media?
Church is a huge part of life in Caroline County. It is, in actuality, the glue that binds much of the community together, for better or worse, and seeing how they dealt with serving the needs of the community is important. It is also one of the largest soybean producers in the region and farmers were hit hard by the economic meltdown associated with the pandemic. Seeing how they handled planting decisions, getting credit and workers and generally keeping afloat would be important issues.
Since the closest hospitals are in Fredericksburg or Richmond, the paper would have focused on how residents were accessing medical services and how they handled decision-making about testing. Another issue that would have been addressed was how students and workers forced to stay home were managing with limited broadband throughout the county. And, also, how were county leaders handling the possibility of revenue declines?
The paper would have made every effort to cut through the noise of the 24/7 news cycle, where everything was frequently dialed up to eleven, which results in understandable skepticism from people.
Local news media could have helped distinguish between the valid warnings and the fear mongering. Local health experts could help people cope with isolation. Local businesses could better address the issue of how they coped and how they served the community, if they were in a position to do so. People would have been kept more up to date on what was open, what was closed and what was operating in a temporarily different fashion. Local news outlets can zero in on local entities much better than other news outlets.
Local news outlets are also better able to focus on some of the good things happening during the pandemic - good deeds, neighbors looking out for neighbors, that sort of thing. The lack of sports and public events would free up considerable space for such coverage and there would have been plenty to cover on that subject.
During my time covering news in various small towns, I put together a variety of local news pages, opinion pages and editorial pages for the papers in which I worked, attempting to inform, educate and entertain readers in a responsible manner.
I would have praised governors and mayors for how they handled the crisis from the beginning. That includes Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, who's administration got off to a rocky start during his first year in office over his awkward handling of a racist photo that appeared on his medical college yearbook page. More recently he has taken his licks from the pro-gun lobby. His handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, however, has redeemed him in the eyes of many residents of Virginia. A pediatric brain surgeon, Northam quickly realized the magnitude of the problem and the need to act, getting ahead of the federal government in closing schools, bars, restaurants and many government offices, limiting public gatherings to no more than 10 and promoting social distancing. Much like the governor of Colorado did early on in the crisis. During his press conferences, Northam spoke with authority and decisiveness, deftly avoiding the mixed signals that came out of Washington.
The local media, if it still existed in Caroline County, would focus on the case of the single virus patient in the county, a 43-year-old nurse who works at a Richmond-area hospital and was quarantined at home. Local news could focus more on those on the front lines risking their own health, as well as those volunteers who distributed lunches and breakfasts to local students, as well as restaurant and store employees who deserve to be on the front page and in the headlines.
Finally, it should be noted that local media could also focus on how the pandemic has encouraged many people to put aside their petty social and political differences and work together to help their neighbors get through the crisis - by getting them groceries, prescriptions and other necessities, or simply cheering them up during difficult times.
In 2015, Caroline Progress was published by a barebones five-person staff: editor, part-time reporter, advertising representative, graphic artist and receptionist. The paper was job-printed by a daily newspaper in Hopewell (which also has since gone out of business) and it was distributed by one contract employee who filled the vending boxes and store racks and delivered subscribers' papers to the post office for mail delivery.
Papers like that, and like the one I used to own, could provide a place to post closings and modified hours for businesses and government offices. Readers who benefitted from the many acts of random kindness would have a place to express their gratitude. Others could make suggestions or appeal for help through letters to the editor. The many official government notices and legitimate health tips that have been generated during this crisis would be printed on the news pages or posted to the Website, accessible without forcing people to wade through countless government Websites and Facebook posts of cute animals or what people ate for breakfast. In short, a functioning local weekly newspaper would be of real value to the people of Caroline County, or any other county once served by now shuttered newspapers that died during the loss of ad revenue, in times like these.
Caroline Progress is missed.
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