Northwestern University’s Penelope Abernathy has come out with another study on the demise of local newspapers — her specialty. More bad news, she says. Papers are disappearing at the rate […]
Editorials
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Standing Together
The news from the Middle East has been unbearable, and I have avoided writing about it here. There are days when I cannot bring myself even to read the latest […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Undesirable Attitudes
The acute labor shortage on the Outer Cape would likely become massively worse under a second Donald Trump presidency — which appears increasingly probable if you believe public opinion polls. […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Headlines Are Hard
Writing headlines is one of the hardest jobs at a newspaper. The available space is small, so the head can have only a few words, but it has to reflect […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
A Crime in Provincetown
The first time I met Provincetown Police Chief Jim Golden, back when I was an editor at the Banner, he told me his reason for refusing to answer questions about […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Delusion Dies in Daylight
Those of us who believe that New England’s peculiar town meeting form of government has unique value sometimes refer to it as the purest version of democracy. It’s not without […]
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Indie at Four
Two weeks ago, in our Oct. 5 issue, we published our annual circulation statement, required of all newspapers delivered through the U.S. Postal Service. The numbers reflect the Independent’s continued […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
A Rebuttal
Our subscriber Elizabeth Perillo in Woodstock, Ga. was offended by two photographs in the Sept. 7 edition of the Independent. Her letter to the editor last week said the pictures […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Rural Radicals
Several of us at the Independent spent a couple of days last week in Keene, N.H. at the Radically Rural Summit, which I have mentioned in this column before. We […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The Island of Truro
Five years ago, Walter Rowell, who was then 21, ran for Wellfleet Select Board. His campaign featured some unusual proposals, including his idea that Wellfleet and Provincetown should “annex” Truro, […]
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
Everyday Gay Stories
Two weeks ago, a contingent from the Independent made our first visit to the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association’s annual conference, which was held in Philadelphia the weekend after […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Local News, Local Economy
Last week a group of 22 prominent funders, led by the MacArthur Foundation, announced “a national initiative to strengthen communities and democracy by supporting local news” with grants totaling more […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Undoing the Damage
A press release from the Cape Cod National Seashore appeared in my inbox the other day promoting the value of the Park to the local economy. A new report from […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The Kansas Raids, Redux
Two weeks ago, I wrote about police raids at the weekly Marion County Record in Kansas and the home of its editor. Since then, those events have generated a remarkable […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The Silent Workers
We’ve made it to the downhill side of August, and the people who keep the tourism economy of Outer Cape Cod afloat are looking wearily at the calendar, dreaming of […]