Duncan Stuard

April 23, 2019

While mid-tier newspapers downsize across the nation, St. Lawrence County journalism is thriving on interest in civic engagement and community events. The Canton Plain Dealer and North Country Now have managed to defy trends in the journalism industry, boasting unwavering circulation numbers, proving their papers to be essential to the Canton and Potsdam community.

Despite these weekly papers continued success, North Country Now Publisher Bill Shumway has concerns about the future of his paper, which still relies primarily on print revenue. “Our biggest challenge is eduating so that they see our point of view,” Shumway says. As a new generation becomes the principal consumer of papers, Shumway understands that convincing them on the community value of print is a priority.

North Country Now continues its preliminary mission as a weekly entertainment publication while also covering news, attempting to reach the most amount of people to inform them on events in the community. “By being free, lots more people read us, which means the ads work better, which means we sell more ads,” explains Shumway. North Country Now has expanded to employ 21, (15 full time) and is now producing more of its own content than ever before, attempting to fill in the gaps left by papers that downsized in the early 2000’s.

The Watertown Daily Times, who still relies primarily on subscription sales for revenue, has experienced significant downsizing in the past twenty years. “For news, internet and online reporting is a good thing, we’ve done really well in the sense that were able to develop stories live, people can see what we’re doing,” St. Lawrence County Editor Tom Graser states, “Unfortunately, the advertising model hasn’t followed, and then craigslist just blew us out of the water.” Metro newspapers have come on hard times recently as The New York Times and The Washington Post gradually expand their reach into other cities, both in print and online.

With the fall of metro papers, community papers can thrive. North Country Now circulates nearly 20,000 papers in a region with the population of about 45,000. On top of this, the North Country Now website receives 35,000 visits a day, 7,000 of which visit multiple times a day. The Canton Plaindealer reaches 1,200 households in a town of 6,500, remaining entirely in print.

The Plaindealer seems to have avoided the effects of the digital era, relying on the sheer loyalty of consumers to keep it afloat through the last two decades. Longtime editor Paul D. Mitchell has resisted the digital age for nearly twenty years, covering Canton sports and government for incredibly engaged devoted readers. “If I had a choice between liked and respected, I would take respected any day,” Mitchell says. The Plaindealer remains one of the last of its kind, a self sufficient, economically successful paper with a rich history.

The Plaindealer’s ability to provide news and event information is a goal that Graser shares for his paper as well. Despite the slow decline of the Watertown Times over the past twenty years, Graser is still very confident in the importance of his work. “If you stay in [journalism] for long enough, you do it because you know you’re making a difference in the communities where you live, you’re getting the information that people need to get, you’re seeking the truth when others will not,” Graser explains.

Circulation and finances of both North Country Now and the Plaindealer remain in the positive, and community engagement remains strong. “A local newspaper is as important as a library, as a school district,” Mitchell says. Shumway explains that community journalism is the backbone of small towns. St. Lawrence County cannot afford to lose them.