Opinion | A century-old publication goes dark in West Virginia

The Associated Press this week published a poignant story about how residents of a coal county in West Virginia are coping after the closing of their last remaining news outlet — The Welch News. AP reporter Leah Willingham spoke with Missy Nester, the newspaper’s owner and publisher, and other people in the community who voiced what this loss means.

“In March, the McDowell County weekly became another one of the thousands of U.S. newspapers that have shuttered since 2005, a crisis Nester called ‘terrifying for democracy’ and one that disproportionately impacts rural Americans like her,” Willingham wrote. “Residents suddenly have no way of knowing what’s going on at public meetings, which are not televised, nor are minutes or recordings posted online. Even basic tasks, like finding out about church happenings, have become challenging. The paper printed pages of religious events and directories every week and that hasn’t been replaced.”

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