High Country News recently reported on the expanding “news deserts” in the West. The research listed many counties throughout the country — including many in Utah — that had little or no access to news. But though Southern Utah is small, we do not consider ourselves a news desert.
The Byway will not deny that incomplete news coverage across the country is a very real problem, one that our communities may fall into in one way or another. But the report failed to recognize any of the efforts of our persevering papers, listing Wayne, Piute and Garfield counties among these news deserts in the U.S.! And that seemed just a bit unfair.
It’s not that we think we’re perfect. To the contrary, we are often overwhelmed with the problems facing The Byway. For example, we know that we cover a large area and are not able to cover each of our communities as fully as we would like. We know that we don’t have many journalists, and that we sometimes choose under-covered topics that require too much research. We know what we are, but we are still here.
The Byway, boasting a monthly print paper and regularly updated website, covers five high schools in three counties over an area roughly the size of New Jersey.
We have a staff of about eight people, with the addition of a few consistent writers from the community. Three of our staff are editors, five of us are junior journalists,* and about two or three are volunteer writers from the community.
Our print paper comes out monthly. Not daily. Not even weekly … Monthly.
We are here in the way that rain is here in Southern Utah: we are in and out — you might even call us random — and if we come at just the right time, we may just rain on your parade. But it could be that some parades would hardly be possible without The Byway. In those moments you know we are here.
When we find that a topic we believe in has been under-covered, we report on it. We share the farmers’ perspective on farming, public lands and the environment. We report when Piute Reservoir is empty and Smithfield pulls out of Beaver County. And we celebrate with you when a young person gets their mission call or gets an award in sports. In those moments you know we are here.
The claim that Wayne, Piute, and Garfield counties are living in a complete news desert is just not true. However, it is still up to us to find ways to stay informed — and keep it that way!
So maybe give a little support for The Byway and the causes we stand up for when no one else will. Don’t let us become the news desert they think we are!
– The Byway
*Editor’s note: Our junior journalists are all 18 years old or younger; they are the ones who fill the “Written by Youth” tab. We at The Byway have made it one of our missions to provide youth an opportunity to write and be read.
Feature image caption: Above is a map of the counties in the U.S. which have newspapers nearby. Dark blue means more than one; white means none. There are many gaps in Utah, including in Wayne, Garfield and Piute Counties. But don’t forget us! We’re still here. Courtesy Local News Initiative Database.
Read more on why we write in Write, or be Written About: A Case for Literacy.