mark neuzil

In the News: The Gutting of Rural Newspapers

Mark Neužil, chair of the Emerging Media Department and journalism professor, is quoted in a column about the impact of losing local newspapers.

Written by the owner/publisher of the Grant County Herald and the president of the National Newspaper Association Foundation, the column argues that corporate ownership has shelved the interests of taxpayers, rural communities and an informed citizenry.

From the column: At the time of Gatehouse’s purchase of Gannett, MinnPost, a Twin Cities online news organization, interviewed Mark Neužil, chair of the journalism program at the University of St. Thomas, about the merger. He said he expected the company’s newspapers in Minnesota to ““feel the pinch” of Gannett’s efforts to increase profits.

“My advice to them would be to not speed up the death spiral. Cost-cutting turns off readers and discourages advertisers,” Neuzil says.