Remember, we do it for you

The last year and a half has been rough for businesses across the globe as the COVID-19 pandemic closed doors, sent people home and caused chaos for many. As businesses began to shutter, risking closing, mass layoffs and an uncertain future, the public rallied behind those businesses, coming to their aid in any way possible and doing what they could to help
their neighbors. 
Throughout this time, papers like the News Letter Journal have continued to provide a service, keeping people as up to date as possible on the latest happenings in their community and doing what we could to support the businesses around us. Through this time we have done everything we can to lessen the impact of the pandemic on our community while still providing the best source of news and information possible. We offered special ‘pandemic rates’ to help local businesses rally, all the while continuing to keep this business afloat too.
As we continue to see life come back to our communities, we are thankful to know that we did our part to help and inform, but at times it is hard not to feel that we are still facing pressure from the pandemic that other businesses have begun to find
relief from. 
NLJ is always happy to support local businesses and events, often offering discounts and donations. But, this is a business — employees need a paycheck, the lights need to stay on, the bills need to be paid. Although we have our loyal supporters — and we sincerely thank you and value you — our own discounts were few. The fear that one day your small-town newspaper may not be able to survive has been in our hearts and minds throughout the last year and a half.
While we are still here, every week, bustling around town gathering information, sharing the community’s stories and capturing the memories that the people hold close to their hearts, it is hard to not feel a bit of defeat when recognizing that the paper we love to produce for the public is not always as valued as we feel it should be.
No, the News Letter Journal is not on the brink of closing and we plan to be here, telling Newcastle and Weston County’s stories until the end of time, but we must remind the community that we are a business as well. 
The staff at our office, pictured to the right, are people, who need to make a living and provide for our families. We have bills to pay, upkeep to maintain and tons of hours that go into this 135-year-old newspaper
every week. 
So next time you grab your weekly paper and sit down to read all the stories, check out the ads and enjoy the photos. Visit our advertisers — they pay our wages. Remember we are a business, we love serving this
community and we do it for you.