Tri-City Record Marks Local News Day With Call for Community Support

Ten Tri-City Record staffers photographed together at the paper's Farmington office anchored the publication's Local News Day appeal this week, a direct message to San Juan County readers that local journalism depends on the community that reads it.

The Record published its appeal on April 7, two days ahead of Local News Day on April 9. The piece framed the observance as "a moment to reflect on the role local journalism plays in communities like ours and why that work continues to matter." The staffers pictured in the Farmington office are Steven Bortstein, Alx Lee, Sonya Sandoval, Shelly Corwin, Trent Stephens, Kaitlyn Lowley, Danial Peshlakai, John Blais, David Edward Albright and Debra Mayeux.

At its core, the paper's message was one of accountability and purpose. The Record described local reporting not as a product but as "the daily work of covering this region with care, accuracy and accountability." That work, the paper argued, means showing up to document decisions that shape Farmington and the broader Tri-Cities region, spotlighting the residents who define the community, and delivering information that keeps people engaged in what is happening around them.

The paper stated plainly: "Local journalism serves a clear purpose. It helps communities stay connected. It provides transparency where it is needed. It creates a shared understanding of what is happening around us."

The sustainability argument was equally direct. The Record acknowledged the range of platforms through which readers now access news, whether print, online or social media, but held that "the goal remains the same: Deliver relevant, timely and trustworthy information to the communities we serve." Achieving that goal, the paper said, requires active support, not just passive readership.

For San Juan County, that distinction carries practical weight. Local outlets like the Record routinely cover municipal meetings, school board decisions, court dockets and public safety updates that larger regional outlets do not track. The Record connected those functions directly to reader participation, describing subscribing, reading and engaging as actions that "directly contribute to the strength and future of this community."

The closing message was both grateful and open. For current subscribers, the paper offered a simple acknowledgment: "If you are already a subscriber, thank you." For everyone else, the invitation stood on its own terms.