On the cover: What it looks like without local journalism

There is no news on the front page of this week’s Ark. If you’re confused, taken aback or even annoyed at the stunt, consider that what’s on our cover — nothing at all — is what you’d get every week without local journalism.

This week, Oct. 1-7, marks the 77th annual National Newspaper Week, which this year carries the theme “Real Newspapers, Real News” and asks us to bring attention to the value of local journalism and the work of the journalists who produce it.

Our primary mission is to provide a fair and honest voice of and for the people in the communities we cover, to inform and entertain, to encourage engagement and thoughtfulness about your neighbors, your neighborhood, your schools, your environment, your government and your leaders.

We attempt to uphold a legacy of all newspapers to publish without fear or favor as we hold the powerful accountable, advocate for government transparency, give voice to the voiceless and defend the First Amendment.

We seek answers on your behalf from elected leaders and other authorities about their positions, opinions, decisions and actions; when they decline comment or withhold information, they’re not refusing to be accountable to us, they’re refusing to be accountable to you, the readers we serve.

We take seriously our duty to investigate suspected wrongdoing, to tell you about the opening of that new business, play or art exhibit and to publish your child’s accomplishments in the classroom or on an athletic field. We respect the church-and-state integrity between advertising and editorial content, never accepting advertising in exchange for coverage or positive reviews, never publishing so-called “native advertising” in which someone pays us and then self-promotes in the guise of an “expert” article, and never withholding information that could reflect poorly on or damage an advertiser when the public has the greater right to know about it. Our integrity is all we have, and journalism that bows to the bottom line isn’t journalism that can be trusted.

The Ark, like our colleages in regional coverage at the Marin Independent Journal and San Francisco Chronicle, is staffed with real reporters, real photographers and real editors who gather news, attend meetings and local events and conduct interviews with real people.

We research, report, write, fact-check and use multiple layers of editing to help ensure you can trust what you read. And when we do make mistakes, as all humans do, we try to correct them — never knowingly or intentionally publishing false reports to serve an agenda.

We’re not in sales, marketing or public relations: We’ve devoted our educations, our careers and our lives to the practice, values and causes of journalism and adhere to a code of ethics set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists. The role of “selling newspapers” belongs to other professionals in our office.

Because of this, the value of newspapers remains strong. More than half of all U.S. residents subscribe to or pay for newspapers or their websites, according to a March survey for the National Newspaper Association, and a plurality of respondents use newspapers for their primary local news source. Just 11 percent primarily use the Internet for local news; 5 percent cable-news outlets like CNN, Fox News or MSNBC; 5 percent radio; 5 percent social media; and just 1 percent primarily use magazines.

Meanwhile, 79 percent of those surveyed said they find the local paper helpful for shopping and advertising information. A separate survey by MarketingSherpa showed that 82 percent of respondents find print ads in newspapers and magazines to be the most trusted advertising channel for purchasing decisions — a “you get what you pay for” consideration for those migrating to social media to save money.

From local journalism to local advertising, newspapers remain the best way to stay informed about your community.

Yet it continues to be a tumultuous time for newspapers and, more broadly, for journalism. Many papers and their parent organizations around the nation are consolidating operations and slashing staff, budgets and operations, or they’re disappearing altogether. And at the same time that fake news is spreading like wildfire on social media, real journalism is facing attacks by people in power.

In a timely talk last week at Servino Ristorante, Robert Rosenthal — a former Tiburon resident who served as managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle before becoming executive director of the Center for Investigative Reporting — warned his Rotary Club of Tiburon-Belvedere audience about the potential for abuse of power when the media is weakened or eliminated. When those in power have the ability to communicate directly and to control the message, such as on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, they also increase the ability to abuse their power and spread false information, he said.

Journalism is what counteracts that, even at the local level.

Journalism has never been more important or more valuable.

We appreciate the handful of residents who don’t subscribe for Wednesday home delivery simply because they want to be first in the front door on Tuesday mornings to buy a warm copy off our newsstand. But we also appreciate and recognize that not everyone likes or agrees with all the stories The Ark pursues and publishes. We understand we’re being critiqued from breakfast tables to coffee shops to city halls — and we encourage you to keep doing it and letting us know when we get it wrong, as our accountability is to you, our readers.

Consider again our blank front page, then consider who will report on corruption and crime, on how your tax dollars are being spent, on the new development near your home, on the quiet but desperate struggle of your neighbor in need or even on how the local softball team did over the weekend.

Consider again the importance and value of local journalism.

Reach any member of The Ark staff at our main line, 415-435-2652. Contact Executive Editor Kevin Hessel via email at editor@thearknewspaper.com.