Papers did more than just publish news - They spontaneously created networks

THEY CREATED A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND BELONGING

THEY GUARDED AGAINST FAKE NEWS - NEWS WAS VETTED BY MANY PEOPLE

THEY SPONSORED AND HELPED ORGANISE COMMUNITY EVENTS

THEY PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

MONEY WAS KEPT IN THE LOCAL COMUNITY NOT SENT OVERSEAS

THEY HELPED GUARD DEMOCRACY AGAINST BIG GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP

THEY PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL AREA BUSINESS OWNERS

YOU COULD ALWAYS POP IN TO SAY HI TO THE OWNER OR EVEN COMPLAIN

THEY PROVIDED A TRAINING GROUND FOR YOUNG AUTHORS AND POLITICIANS

NEWSPAPERS ARE MORE TRUSTED THAN SOCIAL MEDIA OR ONLINE NEWS

WE CAN'T BRING BACK TRADITIONAL PAPERS, BUT WE CAN USE HARD COPY
AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO HELP ACHIEVE THE SAME RESULTS

WHEN NEWS LIMITED CLOSED OVER 100 LOCAL PAPERS THE COMMUNITY LOST ITS VOICE
​(AND WE STARTED TO SEE A DECLINE IN SOCIAL COHESIAN)