This year marks the 85th celebration of National Newspaper Week, October 5 to 11, sponsored by Newspaper Association Managers since 1940. The celebration recognizes the essential role newspapers play in keeping our communities informed, connected, and engaged. NENPA is proud to complement this national effort through the “Know Your News” campaign, which gives newsrooms ready-to-publish content and social media assets to help amplify the message and make it local.

Local journalism is the heartbeat of civic life. It informs citizens with the news they need to make everyday decisions, from voting to attending town meetings. It holds local institutions accountable, shines a light on neighborhood stories and people often overlooked by national outlets, and strengthens the economy by supporting small businesses through advertising and partnerships.

As often pointed out, while national news grabs all the attention and excitement, it is local news that actually has the greatest effect on the day-to-day lives of Newtown residents. The decisions of people like Jeff Capeci, David Rosen, Alison Plante, and Keith Alexander have far more impact on Newtowners’ lives than those of Ned Lamont or Donald Trump.

The Newtown Bee’s role in this community is as a living, constantly updated record of Newtown history, while being an integral part of that history over its 148 years of publication.

Each person who calls the long familiar red building at 5 Church Hill Road their work home has a reason for being here. Every member of our Editorial Department has followed a different path to get here, yet we have the same goal: to tell the stories, good and bad, of those who call Newtown home. Some have been telling these stories for decades, others are just starting a career in journalism. Our focus remains on the stories of Newtown — her residents of all ages, leaders, schools and students, athletes, communities of faith, and her businesses and those who lead them. Local stories are our wheelhouse, yet state and national topics that affect those who live locally also find their way into features and press releases in print and online every week. Journalism still matters. With passion, dedication, and resilience, those who call themselves journalists continue to seek and share the truth every day. Undaunted by long-standing and new challenges faced every day, reporters and editors here and in most newsrooms remain dedicated to serving the Fourth Estate.

Additionally, the Bee acts as a way to find local businesses and local events, as oversight to what’s going on in local government, and is seen as a way to communicate items of importance to residents, both through print and newtownbee.com.

As we head toward a local election year, here is one more thing to consider: newspaper readers determine elections. Almost eight out of every ten newspaper readers vote in national or state elections (the survey did not ask about local elections).

In this space fifty years ago, Bee Publisher Paul S. Smith said, “it seems, in a way, like blowing one’s own horn for a newspaper to remind its readers of its own worth. Yet perhaps it can be pardoned once a year, and National Newspaper Week presents that opportunity.”

We feel similarly today. Our promise to every reader and advertiser is still the same one made by Bee Publishing Company Founder John Pearce 148 years ago. We promise the best in local news and advertising.