By Michael Glenn
The day of publication of this paper is an especially important milestone in the history of The Hutchinson Tribune and local news in the Reno County area.
Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, marks the start of a new chapter of The Hutchinson Tribune and a permanent entrance in Hutchinson as a print newspaper serving the interests of its community.
When Gina and I began The Tribune, we had no idea the impact or size the publication could attain. With our part-time schedules most of the year, we worked evenings and weekends, working to put news together for anyone interested in reading it.
Through the months and years we were developing it, we were able to expand, working with additional reporters, contractors and others to add to the amount of local news we were able to put out.
Ultimately, the goal of our work was to inform the public about important decisions, hold local governments accountable and be a pillar of information in our community.
With a new print product available for all readers to enjoy, this step will allow the Tribune to continue to provide quality local news at an increased and convenient rate.
There’s something special about a print newspaper that I believe most of us can relate to. While I’m not of the generation or age old enough to wake up with a coffee and newspaper thrown at my door every day, I’ve enjoyed picking up physical newspapers and reading them when I can.
This addition will allow some readers to pick up an old habit of reading the paper in the morning and allow new readers to pick up that same habit.
While on my computer working on an assignment for my Intro to U.S. Politics class, I got distracted and wound up on my phone, scrolling through Instagram.
I had read that a new report came out showing we Americans are reading less, especially in the mornings. In fact, we have decreased reading by about 40% in the past 20 years.
In that same time span, newspapers across the country have rapidly been bought out and dried for corporate profits, putting quantity over quality. While the study didn’t prove a direct correlation, many people enjoyed reading a physical newspaper to start their day.
Now, they can continue that tradition with local news, published in print once a week.
Reading anything transports us into the minds of other people. Whether it be fiction or non-fiction, reading forces us to follow someone’s story, learn about their perspectives and draw an emotional response from the content.
These personal connections through reading the newspaper could be thought of during the day by the readers, causing them to see humanity in their conversations and interactions with others.
Reading humanizes us and allows us to connect with other people’s experiences. Newspapers play an especially important part in this by informing an active community.
Newspapers have also played an important role as watchdogs, standing up for transparency and informing the public about important decisions that happen.
I’ve had the great opportunity to work in local journalism and run the Tribune with Gina for two years. But I’m optimistic about the future of the newspaper. In print.
Every community deserves quality, local journalism. I’ve been very grateful to all of those who have supported the Tribune in its time, and would encourage all community members to watch the content we continue to produce.
With an increased newsroom and reporting staff, the quality of journalism will continue to grow for years to come.