Think of this as a manifesto for the future involving your local community newspaper.

Not all communities have dependable, trusted local media these days, and that's a dangerous problem across the country.

Too many people and communities are isolated, creating what are called "news deserts."

Sumter is fortunate in that regard, and we're proud to be part of an institution that has served this area since 1894.

The larger question – given the disruption of media and just about everything else in the world – is how does a local newspaper continue to serve the public, protect democracy, share history, promote advertisers and keep communities together amidst such information overload?

Like other mainstream newspapers, the Hope Star and the Times Free Press in Chattanooga hold fast to protocols that guard against the publication of fake news. Some require a minimum of three named sources for every story. Others forbid unnamed sources. Period.

With the introduction of "fake news" and "alternative facts" into the nation's lexicon, those reporting guidelines are what distinguish these newspapers from news outlets that operate without them.

From Alaska to Pennsylvania and all points in between, reputable newspapers strive to eschew fast and first to deliver only facts.

tronc, Inc. has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Wrapports Holdings, LLC, the owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and other media assets, including its minority ownership interest in digital content network business Aggrego, LLC, the alternative weekly Chicago Reader and syndicated column The Straight Dope.

The announcement comes as Wrapports, at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, publishes notice today of its plan to sell the Sun-Times to a buyer that will continue to publish the paper.

The Society of Professional Journalists has announced the recipients of the 2016 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism.

The Associated Press and ExpertFile have announced that they will work together to make ExpertFile's online directory of subject matter experts available to newsrooms.

Since so many in the media industry today are asking their staff to do more multi-tasking, the research strategies outlined in this article may help you with your marketing and advertising sales research.

Whether your research needs are for promotion and branding initiatives, sales presentations, proposals or a request for some quick stats, start by asking these questions.

Machine learning, influencer marketing and a focus on millennials are the top three trends that will drive public relations research this year, according to a new white paper from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. This is the College's first annual report on public relations research trends.

I never imagined that my first Herald-Leader commentary would involve fighting for this newspaper's free-press protections. Yet it does.

Last Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Karen K. Caldwell, issued a momentous pro-First Amendment ruling in the lawsuit the Herald-Leader was forced to file against the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

She stopped a new city-county ordinance that would have banned driveway distribution of free newspapers and other printed material from going into effect on May 1. City officials have not decided whether to appeal the decision. If they are wise stewards of precious tax dollars, they won't go down that road.

The ordinance, which includes a $200 penalty for each violation, is likely unconstitutional because it would have the effect of cutting off circulation of our free Community News.

The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader was recognized with the Ad Council's Crystal Bell award last week at the News Media Alliance's mediaXchange 2017 in New Orleans, La. Each year, this award is presented to a news organization for its extraordinary contributions to the Ad Council's public service campaigns.

SNPA has established a strategic partnership with AdCellerant that will provide FREE training and Google certifications to employees of SNPA member newspapers. AdCellerant is an ad tech/digital marketing managed solutions startup based in Denver, Colo.

SNPA's partnership with AdCellerant will allow association members to have free access to several Google trainings, including Academy for Ads. These are training modules across a variety of different Google platforms, including AdWords, Google Analytics, Mobile, Video, eCommerce, etc.