Pegasus News content partner Best Southwest Citizen pays tribute to Today Newspapers

by Brian Allen of Best Southwest Citizen

It’s well-known that Today Newspapers and I didn’t part on the best of terms. At first I thought the best thing to say would be nothing about them shutting their doors, but for those of you that know me -- when have I ever said nothing?

Deep down, I knew this day was coming, it was part of the reason I started this site. But it’s still hard to wrap my head around the emotions running through me. At this point, it’s almost like a relationship with an ex-girlfriend. While I knew Today and I weren’t going to get married, I still wanted to be friends and didn’t want her to die.

The passing of Today is a sad moment. Because it’s not just about Today Newspapers, it’s about the advertisers. The “mom and pops” that went away in this terrible economy. The other businesses that have survived but have had to cut back drastically -- not just on advertising but on charitable contributions or anything else but the bottom line.

There are fewer reporters covering the Best Southwest today, and no matter how you slice it, that’s bad. Government needs more watchdogs, not fewer. Sadly though, the only profitable journalism these days seems to involve Michael Jackson and other celebrities.

Today Newspapers wasn’t perfect, no news source is. But it was the best source of community news for a long time. It covered city council meetings even when there was no expectation of a fight breaking out. It covered chamber galas, air shows, and a million other things the Dallas Morning News and TV crews could never be bothered to show up for.

I know from first hand experience a lot of folks will never completely trust the Internet. There are a lot of people that have to hold the news in their hands. Today, I wish there had been more.