Telling stories, preserving connections worth celebrating

The Nebraska Press Association is celebrating its 150th birthday this week, a milestone which triggered a proclamation for the first-ever “Community Newspaper Week in Nebraska” June 26-30.
While admittedly lighting our own candles on the cake, Nebraska newspapers do indeed have reason to celebrate in an era when journalism, and journalists, have taken a hit. There is no question that Americans have less trust in what they hear on the news these days, though there is a huge difference between corporate-owned national media conglomerates and the hometown weekly newspaper like the one you are reading now, either in print or online.
With politics and social media dividing our nation in so many ways, this independently-owned local newspaper remains committed to keeping our finger on the pulse of our community, your community, providing objective news coverage from local sources. We’re all about local, local, local — a time-tested formula for what people care about most.
Fact is, readership remains high for your News-Register, though the format readers and viewers can get their ANR fix has changed dramatically in recent years. More and more people get their weekly publication online with our e-edition format, and a whole new generation of younger readers is using phones for quick and easy access to breaking news, feature stories and video highlights from their hometown and/or school.
It matters not to us whether you prefer the printed edition in your favorite chair or the digital version on your computer or phone, but it is important you know and recognize that local, relevant news is available to you here in Hamilton County.
At the risk of being criticized for tooting our own horn, think for example what our community would be missing without coverage of this week’s A’ROR’N Days or recent celebrations in Hampton and Giltner. Our staff took hundreds of pictures of various events, also documenting alumni gatherings so that Husky Nation could tune in to see who made in back to A-Town. We talked to many of those fine folks, with some of their life stories bound to fill future editions in our “Where Are They Now” series. They care deeply about their hometown, and we care deeply about preserving that connection.
That kind of weekly coverage is what history will remember about life in Hamilton County years from now because you just won’t find that kind of detail on a social media archive featuring 10-second video clips or 280-character messages. There is simply more depth, detail and meat on the bone so to speak in this and other hometown weekly newspapers.
So much has changed in the last decade or so, and yet our core mission remains the same — telling stories. Recognizing and celebrating our communities, while also calling attention to issues when needed, is what we do at the Aurora News-Register. That, I hope you’ll agree, is worth celebrating.
Thank you for your support and continued readership. 
-- Kurt Johnson