No news is not good news

Peter Osnos gave hope to those of us who want to continue to maintain their connections to all kinds of news, whether local, national or international, at the last Salisbury Forum presentation for the season on Friday evening, June 4, at The Hotchkiss School.

Osnos, who is the founder of PublicAffairs Books and former foreign correspondent and editor for The Washington Post, as well as acting as vice chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review, among many other things, has clearly made a serious study of the trends of media over the past few decades. He should know, if anyone does, the directions in which media consumers will look over the next 10 years to find out what’s happening in the world around them.

There are many different ways in which news is now delivered, Osnos said, and we all know there have been monumental changes in communication over the past 10 years. Could the next 10 years bring as many changes as the last 10? It’s probable, according to Osnos, who pointed out that Apple, Microsoft, and Google house the engineers and IT geniuses who have transformed news and information distribution — but don’t create content.

Consumers, however, need to secure the quality of content that they cherish, he said. So, while the ways in which news junkies receive information may be changing dramatically, they still want to receive it, as quickly and easily as possible. There will be many more ways of obtaining news, but the quality of content matters to all consumers of news.

This theory does give hope to those producing a small community weekly newspaper or Web site such as the one you’re reading. The news gathered at smaller outlets in smaller markets is unique, and very meaningful to those of us who choose to live and work in such places. Whether small-town news is available on paper or online, read in print or on an iPhone, it will still be useful, necessary, and hopefully even entertaining to those who consume it. After all, it helps us examine our lives more thoroughly, just as events such as the Salisbury forums do.

Osnos noted that the demand for all news has never been greater, and remains indispensable to our society. While the large news distributors and hardware providers are making money disseminating news, they know they also need quality content in order to maintain their business models. He believes there are real innovators around who are ready to absorb the changes that have to be made, and he is confident that quality books and news, however they’re delivered, have a future. At the same time, some parts of news distribution that consumers expect to be around forever may not be, and may suddenly disappear.

That, in fact, has already happened with some area media, as we saw a string of small weekly newspapers close overnight in neighboring New York state a little over a year ago.

The conversation at the forum featuring Osnos was both enlightening and fascinating, as have been all the other five Salisbury Forum presentations this season. Kudos to President Walter DeMelle and the group of community members on the board who have given their time to make this year’s, and the past five years’, forum events possible. We look forward to their sixth season of provoking thought and discussion on a range of topics that affect all of our lives.

Latest News

Housatonic softball beats Webutuck 16-3

Haley Leonard and Khyra McClennon looked on as HVRHS pulled ahead of Webutuck, May 2.

Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE — The battle for the border between Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Webutuck High School Thursday, May 2, was won by HVRHS with a score of 16-3.

The New Yorkers played their Connecticut counterparts close early on and commanded the lead in the second inning. Errors plagued the Webutuck Warriors as the game went on, while the HVRHS Mountaineers stayed disciplined and finished strong.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mountaineers fall 3-0 to Wamogo

Anthony Foley caught Chase Ciccarelli in a rundown when HVRHS played Wamogo Wednesday, May 1.

Riley Klein

LITCHFIELD — Housatonic Valley Regional High School varsity baseball dropped a 3-0 decision to Wamogo Regional High School Wednesday, May 1.

The Warriors kept errors to a minimum and held the Mountaineers scoreless through seven innings. HVRHS freshman pitcher Chris Race started the game strong with no hits through the first three innings, but hiccups in the fourth gave Wamogo a lead that could not be caught.

Keep ReadingShow less
The artist called ransome

‘Migration Collage' by ransome

Alexander Wilburn

If you claim a single sobriquet as your artistic moniker, you’re already in a club with some big names, from Zendaya to Beyoncé to the mysterious Banksy. At Geary, the contemporary art gallery in Millerton founded by New Yorkers Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, a new installation and painting exhibition titled “The Bitter and the Sweet” showcases the work of the artist known only as ransome — all lowercase, like the nom de plume of the late Black American social critic bell hooks.

Currently based in Rhinebeck, N.Y., ransome’s work looks farther South and farther back — to The Great Migration, when Jim Crow laws, racial segregation, and the public violence of lynching paved the way for over six million Black Americans to seek haven in northern cities, particularly New York urban areas, like Brooklyn and Baltimore. The Great Migration took place from the turn of the 20th century up through the 1970s, and ransome’s own life is a reflection of the final wave — born in North Carolina, he found a new home in his youth in New Jersey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Four Brothers ready for summer season

Hospitality, ease of living and just plain fun are rolled into one for those who are intrigued by the leisure-time Caravana experience at the family-owned Four Brothers Drive-in in Amenia. John Stefanopoulos, pictured above, highlights fun possibilities offered by Hotel Caravana.

Leila Hawken

The month-long process of unwrapping and preparing the various features at the Four Brothers Drive-In is nearing completion, and the imaginative recreational destination will be ready to open for the season on Friday, May 10.

The drive-in theater is already open, as is the Snack Shack, and the rest of the recreational features are activating one by one, soon to be offering maximum fun for the whole family.

Keep ReadingShow less