The Douglas Dispatch has been serving the border town of Douglas, Arizona, for 117 years as the only source of local news, but with tough economic times, the weekly paper is struggling.
Manuel Coppola, publisher of the paper, explains how the paper binds community members together.
“We do an annual Easter egg hunt, and we do the Best of Douglas businesses, event and special edition. So I just think it just keeps them connected to the community in a way that no other media can," Coppola said.
The paper is asking community members to pay $1 a week for news. The paper previously has been free.
If the Dispatch does not reach a goal of 225 sustaining members by Sept. 30, Coppola said management will have to re-evaluate its options, which could result in the closure of the more-than-century-old paper.
