Greg Little

My name is Greg Little and I am currently the co-owner (with my wife) of the oldest weekly newspaper of continuous publication in the state of California; the Mariposa Gazette, which was founded in 1854.

My “career” actually began way back in elementary school when it was brought to my attention that I was pretty good at this writing stuff. Things just went from there and I knew pretty early on in life I wanted to become a writer. It was also my dream to become a newspaper writer.

For the last 40-plus years I have done just that; covering issues ranging from justice on an Indian reservation to seeing, for the first time, a sitting American President in person in the county I now call home.

And just about everything else you can imagine.

I set out to write this book in order to comment on the state of journalism in America. Over the past decade, journalism has, at least in perception, taken some major hits, including from an unhinged president who simply didn’t know what he was talking about. That, however, has not stopped people from believing these lies and equating journalists to pond scum. Or maybe even the stuff that pond scum eats.

One of the main reasons I wanted to comment on the state of journalism is because of the wide swings I have witnessed in my career, which began as a part-time sportswriter in Indiana and now has resulted in newspaper ownership — in a time when that is a shaky business, at best.

But before I could make such comments, and suggestions, I quickly realized the only way to have any credibility was to tell my story. I felt outlining my career, which also included the many changes this industry has undergone, was the only way to establish any credibility. I also realized that being in small-town journalism all of my life, some of my stories pale in comparison to the “big city” journalists who land major interviews and break world-changing stories.

However, I also came to the realization that when you can do something like help the justice system on an Indian reservation, that is world-changing to the people who live and work there, some their entire lives. It struck me that even in small towns, “big” stories happen and as a journalist, you can make a difference when it comes to changes that must take place. It’s not about manipulating an issue, rather it is about providing as much information as possible and telling the citizens the stories so they, in turn, can put pressure on local governments to change their ways.

That has been an integral part of my career for a long time: That we, as journalists in small towns, can make a difference, almost always for the better. We can expose government corruption and we can address issues near and dear to the hearts of local residents. No matter the small town, the issues are diverse, though there are some commonalities everywhere. But covering issues in Pennsylvania is different than in Texas or California. That is why I thought it so important to outline my career and how it has led me to this point in my life — and this book.

The main point I want to make is how the corporate mentality has done such harm to local journalism. My fear is it is driving young people away from this profession. That, to me, is scary because journalism is one of the fundamental principles upon which America was founded. The Founding Fathers had such a great vision that even they knew they could become corrupt and that’s why the “Fourth Estate” was formed, which is a free press. That free press has guided America through many crises, from the Civil War to Watergate to Sept. 11, 2001. At all stops, journalists have been there to document how this country was almost torn apart, only to also document how it held together.

And therein lies the concern today: Will corporate America be willing to open not only its purse strings, but also its heart, and treat journalism as the craft it was designed to be or will they let it slip away, something that could endanger our entire democracy?

I understand this book isn’t the solution to anything, my only hope is that is can be at least a starting point for a conversation that is needed in this country. How can we save local journalism? Can we? Do we want to? Must we?

That is why I set out on the journey of a book and that has not changed. The truth is, writing the bulk of the book wasn’t that hard and didn’t take that long. Why? Ironically, I had been “laid off” by a corporate newspaper company and had all the time in the world on my hand. I was able to quickly write about my career and then it was just a matter of coming to the various conclusions you will find in this book.

But my hesitancy came when I moved to California, a prospector like the 49ers in some ways, hoping to take ownership of a newspaper. Part of me wanted to just wait before I put out my thoughts about the state of journalism. Part of it was simply time; working at a small newspaper is busy and gets busier when you are trying to find a way to buy the newspaper. That was the gap in the book. However, it is my belief that time, roughly five years, has given me even a deeper understanding about journalism, not to mention how it has come under attack in so many ways.

Those attacks are, in general, baseless, but with the onslaught of social media — and those who believe it hook, line and sinker — the danger is rising. Attacks on journalists are growing in number, even on the local level. As a small-town newspaper editor, I have been accused of “fake news” and other simply ridiculous things in the past four to five years. I attribute this to the misinformation that is not just out there, but believed by legions who, in reality, have no clue about the truth. Only their own.

With all of those factors, and many more, I decided to complete and release my book “-30- Why small-town American print journalism is anything but dead.”

I am hopeful this book is not only a comment on the state of American journalism, but a tool that can be useful for those just entering or thinking about entering this profession. If I can persuade one person to become a journalist, the effort was worth the undertaking.