Political Integrity Meets Lower Local Newspaper Postal Rates
Dear Reader,
We must reflect on ourselves. We have witnessed instances where politicians misled or defrauded us, thinking they could escape scrutiny. The original Postal Act of 1792 established low rates for newspapers, ensuring that the public remained informed about current events. However, the Postal System now imposes exorbitant rates on newspapers, making it increasingly challenging to disseminate news. Some might argue that alternative news sources exist. However, in many areas, this is not the case. As local newspapers shut down, more communities are becoming “news deserts,” lacking a reliable source of local news, which has detrimental consequences, including increased governmental corruption and decreased community cohesion.
Politicians, being human, may sometimes be less than honest, especially when they believe no one is paying attention. However, we must prevent future news deserts because local journalism provides important insights into politicians’ actions and reports on all laws and regulations, including their compensation, salaries, and pensions.
I ask you to support efforts to address the challenges in the Postal System and ensure accessible local news, starting with government mandated lowering of Postal rates for locally mailed newspapers rather than increasing them as they have been doing.
PATRICK J. WOOD
Publisher
I quit buying the Antigo Journal a while ago because of the high cost to buy a paper or have it mailed, the print is literally so small in print and hardly nothing to read. We now look forward to getting the Antigo Times which is just as good! Although I don’t know why the small print, it is hard for the older people to read and sometimes need a magnifying glass. But all in all, it is the better paper but need more news and less ads.
Thank you for your comment Jean. We appreciate your positive feedback about The Antigo Times. The small print allows us to include more stories, however the ads are what make the whole paper possible (to cover the costs of paid employees, free home delivery in our delivery zones & no charge off racks). We try to keep our news hyperlocal & our advertisers too. Again, thank you for your feedback & we hope to continue to improve our quality paper for the local community. Continue your support for local businesses like ours!