By Mary O’KEEFE

For this month’s continuation of the CVW News Desert series we look at what actually inspired us to write about this subject.

“Storm Lake – A Newspaper. A Family. A Community” is a 2021 documentary that we at CVW viewed earlier this year. The story of the Cullen family business, an independent newspaper – the Storm Lake Times – is a story that every independent newspaper can relate to – especially here at CVW.

Since the documentary aired the Storm Lake Times Company bought the Pilot-Tribune and the Cherokee Chronicle. The Pilot Tribune and Storm Lake Times is now Storm Lake Times Pilot.

Art Cullen is a veteran journalist and a Pulitzer Prize recipient. The documentary highlights, in a-matter-of-fact way, how independent news works. Cullen is seen at his desk typing an article, editing others’ articles, asking reporter Tom Cullen, his son, when he was going to get the latest article in while listening as feature reporter Dolores Cullen, Art’s wife, describes her latest human interest story and photograph. He does this all at the same time as he finishes the last touches on his article or editorial. It is that multi-tasking ability that has been handed down from those like Ben Bradlee (legendary editor of the Washington Post) to Art and to all independent news staff. For those of us in it, it is simply part of life and a piece of history that continues to fight to survive.

Storm Lake Times Pilot is in Storm Lake, Iowa. It is in Buena Vista County with a 2010 population of 10,600. Besides being home to this fiercely independent newspaper it is one of Iowa’s top ice fishing lakes. Its diversity may surprise some outside of the Midwest; 39.5% of people in Storm Lake identify as Hispanic, according to Data USA.

Art came to Storm Lake News in September 1990 to help his brother John.

“He was the publisher and then I came in as editor,” Art said in an interview with CVW.

John had tried to buy from the chain that owned what was then the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune.

“They kind of insulted him,” Art said. “He got p**sed off and decided to start his own weekly newspaper. They didn’t know who they were dealing with; he’s a really sharp guy, a very good editor and they had no idea … They shouldn’t have p**sed him off.”

The brothers were costing the Pilot paper “hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years,” according to Art.

Storm Lake Times had about 3,000 subscribers, the Pilot had 700 but the Pilot had The Shopper so it was still getting advertisers. A couple of years ago the Cullens bought the Pilot and are now the Storm Lake Times Pilot.

After buying the Pilot Art and John were able to afford to put more journalists on the street – and on stories. They currently have nine reporters; instead of laying off reporters when they purchased the Pilot they offered them jobs … another example of the difference between the big media conglomerates and independent community journalism.

Those in the independent news business must have a mix of hopeful optimism, brutal reality, stubbornness and a small bit of blissful ignorance. If they don’t have these characteristics they would believe all who continually say “print is dead” and “fact-based journalism is archaic in this world of social media.”

For most small businesses, like independent newspapers, the pandemic was a challenge.

“During the pandemic we started something called the Western Iowa Journalism Foundation. It’s a non-profit to accept tax-deductible gifts and those gifts can be directed to newspapers in rural Western Iowa,” Art said.

The Foundation has helped Storm Lake Times Pilot and other newspapers keep their head above water when advertising dollars dwindled.

“The [Foundation] was key to our survival,” he added.

Most independent newspapers get their advertisers from local small businesses but those “mom and pop” stores struggled during the pandemic … and many are still struggling.

Art pointed out that, in Iowa, the larger chain-type stores have dominated the retail economy and car dealers and real estate people are not advertising in those newspapers anymore.

“It’s been difficult,” he said. “It’s very difficult with the advertising climate.”

Art said they are focusing on building their paid circulation and are moving into digital media, and that has been a successful business plan.

The value of the independent newspaper is still felt by many in communities. Art said he is concerned about how people, especially young people, are getting their news.

“I’m alarmed actually,” he said. “The Washington Post is having a hard time. It’s one of the greatest journalist institutions in the world. If you really want to know what’s going on in Washington you’ve got to read The Washington Post … and they can’t sell it.”

He feels The Washington Post will find its core business eventually but he continues to be concerned where people are getting their news information.

“Facebook and TikTok – none of [those stories] are vetted. It’s a real threat to democracy,” he said.

Art was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. He received it for “editorials fueled by tenacious reporting, impressive expertise and engaging writing that successfully challenged powerful corporate agricultural interests in Iowa,” according to pulitzer.org.

At the beginning of each year, Art writes an editorial that is an “accounting of our stewardship to our readers since our fate is built on trust with you that we are doing what the founders of our nation had in mind when they drafted the First Amendment to our Constitution: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the right to peaceably assembly and the right to petition the government when we think our leaders overstep their authority. We are a private business with a public purpose.”

This is what independent news can offer its community: thoughtfulness and respect for readers. This is what those living in a news desert are missing.

The PBS documentary “Storm Lake” can be viewed on Amazon Prime Video. Art Cullen has a book out as well – “Storm Lake: A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope from a Heartland Newspaper.”