On October 31st, Watertown’s newspaper, the Town Times, reluctantly published its last edition due to “a lack of demand from the town’s people.” As social media continues to grow, it consumes physical media. State Representative, Joe Polletta, conveyed his concerns saying, “Local newspapers have thinned in favor of social media platforms.” Polletta raises concern about the closing of the Town Times given the absence of locally distributed newspapers nationwide due to social media popularity. Unfortunately, the Town Times had been struggling to maintain its advertising revenue, which correspondingly led to a decrease in funds. For months the small family-owned company tried its very best to maintain authenticity in Watertown, but could not keep the business open. 

An abundance of disappointment regarding the loss of the beloved family-owned business exists. Many are disheartened about the lack of authentic journalistic writing now being distributed across Watertown since the Town Times has been an important source of information for decades. Correspondingly, the Town Times shined light on Watertown’s student-atheletes and student activities. Therefore, our Watertown students may be experiencing a lack of recognition in local news resources. As the Town Times succumbs to the rise of digital media there is no doubt that a multitude of other locally owned newspapers are also threatened, which critics have said to be a disappointing event.