Sean Dengler.

The North Tama Telegraph and the previous iterations of the Traer Star-Clipper and Dysart Reporter are recording history. While the content and people have changed over the years, the mission of informing the public has always stayed the same. While this newspaper might not have the most subscribers in the state, the Telegraph is just as important.

Journalism highlights important stories like community events, local agriculture stories, articles from elected officials, and the Tama County wind turbine story of the last half decade. These stories reflect a moment in time. A few years ago, I wrote about the Dysart baseball team, and it could only be done based on old Dysart Reporter articles. Like the Reporter, the Star-Clipper archive still exists, but the important question is if these newspapers go away, who will tell the story?

Traer’s biggest festival is based on the Winding Stairs, which were made famous from the Traer Star-Clipper. I can still remember the image of people standing on the stairs waiting for their newspaper from my grade school trip to the Traer Historical Museum. Journalism and newspapers have their place in northern Tama County, but despite the value they bring, newspapers have been on the ropes for years.

The ongoing evolution of the internet has sapped advertisements and eyeballs from newspapers. Some may consider this the way it goes, but it still is not good for any community to lose its newspaper. Journalists are vital to the communities they serve, and the stories they tell. Not all the stories are about creating the loudest reaction. It is to highlight what is important to the community at that moment in time.

What fortunately appears to have gone to the wayside could have been a significant blow to newspapers this year. The Iowa Senate recently passed SF2434 out of committee. Part of this bill was to allow government entities to no longer post public notices (legals) in newspapers. This is a huge issue for newspapers because a significant amount of revenue comes through these notices. While an argument has been made that it is costing taxpayers more money to have the government use newspapers, I disagree. According to a 2018 study by the University of Notre Dame and the University of Illinois, the loss of local news coverage also came with higher long-term borrowing costs for cities. They also found long-run municipal borrowing costs increased by as much as 11 basis points following a newspaper closure.

By keeping newspapers in communities, they are better serving the taxpayer. They are providing a defense against unchecked government power and giving a voice to the community. Fortunately, SF2434 was amended and the section about public notices was removed. Unfortunately, this was the farthest this type of bill has made it before – and such legislation can always return next session.

I am biased towards newspapers despite my youthful age. I will not claim I read the Telegraph from front to back every week, but the role it serves in this community is vital. Reading the Telegraph and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier is one of my first memories of enjoying something to read. I love learning and newspapers are vital for this. I owe my writing career to the Traer-Star Clipper and the North Tama Telegraph. In fact, my love of writing blossomed in high school when I wrote for the Walnut Street Journal. Community newspapers mean more.

It is imperative for the North Tama Telegraph to keep kicking. If you are a subscriber, please keep subscribing – maybe even gift a subscription to someone else – and tell your legislators to protect community newspapers. It is good for everyone’s bottom line, even the taxpayers.

Sean Dengler is a writer, comedian, now-retired beginning farmer, and host of the Pandaring Talk podcast who grew up on a farm between Traer and Dysart. You can reach him at sean.h.dengler@gmail.com.