Show Our Newspapers A healthy trend in this country country coun coun- country try is the continued success of the small newspaper While the number of big dailies has declined steadily in recent years as chains and mergers swallowed up independents the number of small weeklies and dailies has continued to increase THIS TillS IS OF vital importance import import- ance to the nation for in to the editorial field newspapers ne still reign supreme even if television television television sion has captured much of the entertainment market And the themore themore themore more voices the better as far faras faras faras as democracy is concerned Some have been puzzled by bythe bythe bythe the success of the small news news- paper But that success should not be surprising People like a written record They like something they can keep that they can read when they want to to suit their convenience Also the non-national non daily and weekly do not compete in inmany inmany inmany many ways with national newspapers The Frank I 1 li i n Township Sentinel in New Jersey Jersey Jersey Jer Jer- sey explained it recently by saying that many Americans long for smallness in a country country country coun coun- try grown too big in some ways a smallness which includes in includes includes in- in warmth human sensitivity sensitivity sensitivity sen sen- self awareness a feeling feeling feeling feel feel- ing of community and other things THIS THE growth of sur- sur burbia and the fact that offset offset offset off off- set printing enables many to start newspapers today at a acost acost acost cost lower than they would have faced with the hot metal process has accounted for the steady rise in number of small newspapers a healthy and welcome trend |