Newspaper owners strive to keep news alive in rural communities

Reprinted with permission

LuAnn Schindler has been a journalist in Nebraska for over 30 years. She's been a reporter and editor in the northeastern part of the state most of her career.

Her office at the Summerland Advocate-Messenger is covered in stories, old newspapers and plenty of awards she's won over the years.

Schindler said she's written over 6,000 stories. She's covered court trials, rodeos and the annual turtle race at a community celebration.

"It's really gone by fast when I think about it, but I can't imagine not doing it," Schindler said. "At some point, I'm gonna have to retire. I always say that'll be when our granddaughter graduates from high school. She's 4."

It all led to her starting her own weekly newspaper in 2019 - the Summerland Advocate-Messenger.

There used to be at least four papers in the area. Two of them merged in the 1950s. The rest consolidated in the past ten years, leaving one weekly paper for the area.

The Summerland Advocate-Messenger covers five communities: Ewing, Page, Orchard, Royal and Clearwater - where the newspaper office is located. The town populations range from 55 to almost 400 people.

Schindler started the newspaper at a time when print news is dwindling across the country.

According to Northwestern University's Local News Initiative, almost 2,900 newspapers have closed or merged in the United States since 2005.

In Nebraska, at least 25 papers have closed or merged in the past two decades. Over 10 counties in the state currently do not have a newspaper.

Schindler started her own paper because of misinformation spreading through the community about a school bond issue.

"I felt like somebody's got to tell the truth," she said. "And it was us."

Schindler writes and edits the majority of the articles for the paper, but she has some help from a college student and another outside editor. The paper also has a graphic designer. LuAnn's husband, Scott Schindler, helps with delivery days on Wednesdays. He said he was supportive when LuAnn decided to start her own paper.

LuAnn said she believes that newspapers are an important way to record the area's history. That sentiment is shared across the state.

About 55 miles southeast, Alana Kellen is keeping the news alive in her community - Madison, Nebraska.

She moved home from Seattle, Washington over two years ago to take ownership of the Madison Star-Mail. She has several friends and family who still live in the area.

She remembered seeing photos of herself in the paper as a kid – usually with her tongue sticking out. Kellen wanted to continue that tradition for others.

"I just kind of wanted to help preserve it," Kellen said. "I love the town that I live in. I know a lot of people don't like their small towns. But I think this is like a nice, little community."

The Madison Star-Mail is one of three newspapers in Madison County. Kellen tries to focus her coverage on the city itself, especially the kids in the community.

Lori Porter, the library director at Madison Public Library, said Kellen is constantly at events with her camera and a smile on her face.

"Whenever we have anything going on, she's here with her camera, she's taking pictures, she's advertising for us," Porter said. "She's been there. She's just shows up."

Kellen runs a one-woman show, doing all the reporting, photos and editing for the paper each week. Because she's taking on every role with the paper, Kellen said she's only able to handle a print edition.

The Madison Star-Mail has over 300 subscribers, and Kellen drops copies off at local businesses.

She said numbers are growing because people see her out covering stories and are curious about what's going on in the community - even if they don't know her name.

"At high school games, people refer to me as the camera lady," she said. "They didn't know I own the newspaper. They just go 'You're always here taking photos. You're the camera lady' and like, okay, I'll take it....and the next step to realize I'm the newspaper lady. You don't even have to know my name. Just know what I do."

Kellen said she hopes she's inspiring the next generation of kids to see the value of news in their community.