The Byway is now a three-year-old, what one could say is an important phase in a paper’s lifetime. At this point, The Byway could either die, or continue to promote the things it was born for. We’ll let you decide for yourself what you think. Here is a list of some of the news The Byway has seen throughout its time since its birthday:
- 16 graduations, including the first one at Lake Powell School.
- 3 school years.
- 10 or more state champions.
- Several state and local elections.
- The COVID Pandemic.
- Roe v. Wade overturned.
- War in Ukraine.
- Ongoing resource planning in the Grand Staircase.
- 1 particularly heart-wrenching court case in Piute County.
- Utah’s new flag.
- 2 or more school Washington, DC, trips.
- 2 local fires.
- 1 traveling tabernacle in Southern Utah.
- St. George LDS Temple reopening (closed for all of The Byway’s lifetime).
- A couple of new school buildings.
- An Escalante dollar store on Scenic Byway 12.
That’s a lot of news.
An Important Time
But though it has been through a lot of important news, The Byway could do so much more. The real question is after three years, why does The Byway even exist?
It is a reality of today that people do not depend on newspapers like they used to. In fact, in a 2011 survey by Pew Research Center, 69% of participants responded that the death of their local newspaper would have little or no impact on their ability to keep up with news and information about their local community.
What was interesting about the survey, though, was that these same respondents said they relied on newspapers most, or they tied for most, on the topics of crime, taxes, local government activities, schools, local politics, local jobs, community or neighborhood events, arts events, zoning information, local social services, and real estate or housing.
Those responses are a bit contradictory, telling us maybe we need newspapers more than we think we do.
Now consider this. The importance of The Byway right now is that it could either choose to die, or keep reporting local news. What would happen if it died? History tells us we should keep it up.
Freedom of Press throughout History
For example, the concept of the freedom of the press was first articulated in 1644 by John Milton not long after Oliver Cromwell overthrew King Charles I and people turned to local news for coverage. “Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image,” wrote Milton, critical of parliament’s involvement in facilitating government-controlled papers; “but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye.”
Milton’s remarks brought a lot of discussion into what it means to have freedom of press. Then eventually in 1791, the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution set in stone the freedom of speech and press.
Since the late 1600s, local newspapers have played an important role in chronicling events such as the American Revolution, the writing of the U.S. Constitution, the American Civil War, the treatment of the LDS saints in Nauvoo and Missouri, women’s suffrage, the rise of homelessness, school funding, government meetings, important court cases such as Brown v. Board of Education or Roe v. Wade, and say, the appearance of a dollar store in Escalante.
The Byway sees itself as a part of this big story of freedom of press that cannot change in this country, nor can it change in tiny Southern Utah towns.
So, is The Byway disappearing any time soon? Wait another couple birthdays, then we’ll talk.
– by Abbie Call
Feature image caption: September marks three years since The Byway began, making this year its 3rd birthday. Is The Byway disappearing anytime soon? Read the article to find out.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].