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When Frank Lovette founded the Elizabethton STAR in 1926, he created what would be the county’s longest-running newspaper. During its formative years, the Star was owned and managed by several different companies, but in 1955 Frank Robinson became publisher and eventually, the owner in 1977.

However, there were newspapers in Elizabethton long before then. According to Frank Merritt’s Later History of Carter County, the first issue of the Carter County Banner was published in Elizabethton in 1914, and was formerly the Mountaineer. Brothers W.H. and Charles Fitzsimmons sold the Mountaineer more than 10 years before that. W.R. Fitzsimmons founded the Mountaineer in 1878.

Newspapers identify with the community, and just as it was with the Mountaineer and the newspapers to follow, there are as many reasons to read a newspaper as there are readers. 

Some are looking to see how their favorite high school sports team is doing. Others want to know what’s happening in their local schools.

Many are looking to learn more about the people and events that shape their community, town and area.

And yes, some always will turn to the obituaries first.

Some are looking to learn more about events happening at area churches and with local clubs and organizations.

Some enjoy reading feature stories about their friends and neighbors.

Opinion pieces are important to some readers – and that includes those who look for letters to the editor and local columns.

Some want to know what members of their city council or county commissioners are doing and how their decisions will affect their lives.

And when elections roll around, many want to know more about the candidates for office and issues that will appear on their ballots, as well as information about how to register to vote, when early voting in their state begins and when polls will be open on election day.

While each individual has his or her own reasons for reading the newspaper, they all have one thing in common – they are interested in the things that are happening in their community and the surrounding region, and as a newspaper, it is our goal to inform you of the happenings in our community.

All of that is important to remember as we mark National Newspaper Week. Marking its 84th celebration, the annual event is sponsored by the Newspaper Association Managers to promote the newspaper industry in the United States and Canada.

Much has changed in the world of newspapers. For starters, the term newspaper has been expanded. It no longer applies to just the printed edition – it also stands for the websites, e-editions, social media posts, e-mail alerts and daily and weekly newsletters.

That technology has changed the way information is presented, but nobody does it better than newspapers, as numbers compiled by the America’s Newspapers Local Newspaper Study conducted by Coda Ventures remind us:

• Almost 220 million adults read their local newspapers on a regular basis.
• Eighty percent of Americans read print or digitally accessed newspaper content every month.
• Eighty-seven percent of newspaper readers feel they have a responsibility to help shape the future of their communities.
• Seventy-four percent of Americans believe it is important to have a local newspaper. Newspapers, they feel, help to define the culture of the community.
• Forty-three percent said newspapers and their websites are the most accurate source of news and information.
• Almost 80 percent of newspaper readers vote in national and state elections.

A lot has changed with newspapers because there are so many other ways to get the news – internet, cell phones, computers, television. News is a competitive business.

Just as a lot has changed with how the news is delivered, things have changed at the STAR, too. We no longer have paper carriers. We no longer are a daily newspaper. We only print two editions a week. Our staff is much smaller, but the one thing we have always strived to do is to present the news in an unbiased and timely manner.

We’re a community newspaper, and we try to deliver news that’s important to you – a mission we have been fulfilling for more than a century. We’ve reported countless stories in that time, stories that offered insights into your friends and neighbors, stories that have made readers think and stories that have helped hold local and regional government officials accountable.

It’s all possible because of the dedicated men and women who have worked each day to keep our readers informed and are committed to keeping our communities strong – and the continued support of each of our readers, whether you access our work through your phone, tablet, desktop computer or the good, old-fashioned printed page.

The theme of the week is Telling Our Stories – your story, your neighbor’s story, and all the stories of this community. We’re serious when it comes to our task of delivering the news to you. It’s not an easy task, but it’s a challenge that we at the STAR accept and enjoy. It’s a task that is important to us and that is stained with ink.