By Stella Vrapi

The timeless thump of a newspaper hits the ground, crinkling slightly as the paper repulses from the interaction, inexorably asserting its presence. Hundreds more imitate this process in small towns across the country, piling up on the lawns of houses, cascading as the illumination of knowledge at the hands of print spreads. That same sound has reverberated for decades as print news outlets have maintained themselves within their local communities.

One of these local print publications, Town Topics, is based in Princeton, New Jersey. The paper has published weekly community news stories since 1946. Localized print journalism plays a large part in informing readers about stories pertaining to their community. “I know there are six members of council and there’s the mayor,” said Anne Levin, a staff writer at Town Topics. “I know the personalities of each one of them. I know their quirks, I know what they’re going to talk about.” 

Town Topics is the most prominent independent print newspaper in Princeton. It used to compete for readership with the Princeton Packet, which was founded in 1786. Generations of New Jersey families have all experienced the timeless thump upon their unchanging lawns, worn with the tender experiences of each local community. Yet, even the Princeton Packet, one of New Jersey’s oldest newspapers, halted its local commercial printing in late 2015.

Presently, the familiar thump has manifested as a ding ding ding! Many local print newspapers have turned digital amidst the technological advances of the 21st century. Rich Rein, a lifelong journalist and Princeton resident, is deeply ingrained within the local community. Five years ago, he founded an all-digital newspaper, TAPinto Princeton, which publishes stories daily. “One of the things I’m trying to do with TAPinto Princeton is to turn it into a community-owned publication, so that it is literally owned by a group of us in the community,” Rein said. 

Regardless of the medium, local journalism serves to uplift the truths that wouldn’t be covered by larger, general outlets, creating a collective sense of agency. As Rein points out, despite print and digital publications often being compared within local journalism, the two work in unison to build a united, driven community.

Today, local news coverage is threatened by a myriad of challenges. One is accessibility. Ayinde Merrill is a grassroots community organizer who works as a Program Officer for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, a grant-making organization which funds community and news organizations. “If there’s a news desert somewhere in New Jersey, I’ll go to that place, I’ll figure out who’s there, who’s not there, how people get their information, what information is missing, and find ways to start news projects there,” Merrill said. 

Many communities in New Jersey, though, lack the presence of local journalistic outlets entirely. Salem City in South Jersey, home to immigrants and a large Black population, is a news desert. “They aren’t the wealthiest people in the world, but they still deserve local news to figure out what’s happening in their community,” said Merrill. The historical marginalization of communities of color has resulted in distrust and a lack of accountability between journalistic outlets and the people they serve.

In addition to inaccessibility, local journalism is struggling under severe funding constraints. According to Merrill, the Consortium’s budget was cut by the state for fiscal year 2027 until lawmakers restored $1 million in funding after community leaders lobbied. Dwindling print publications that fail to sustain themselves are bought out by larger companies or shuttered for good. This is what happened to The Trenton Times, where Levin previously worked. 

“There’s less interaction between the institution, the municipal institution, the civic institution, and the civic newspaper,” said Rein. Surviving small publications are often understaffed, Town Topics and TAPinto Princeton included. At TAPinto Princeton, Rain is the only full-time staff member alongside “a cadre of about five or six freelance writers.” 

Even with staffing and funding cuts, local publications have remained optimistic and dedicated to their craft, continuing a legacy of local representation led by the people. “I feel like we really do a service to the community, and that’s a nice thing to feel,” said Levin. 

Rein feels similarly. “Others of us, including myself, work for nothing, and it’s a bizarre kind of place you get to in life where you don’t want to be paid,” he said. Rein, like Levin, is motivated solely by the love for his community, attesting to the strength of these local publications to persist in the face of adversity.

In spite of these challenges, local newspapers continue to thump and ding, and will well into the future. In the words of Rich Rein, “Amazingly, we all do die, but other people go on.”