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LETTER: Newspapers play valuable role in community

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Last week, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suspended Tuesday and Saturday production of the print edition and it is currently engaged in an expensive and insulting television ad campaign which seems to be designed to malign those of us devoted subscribers who want to read a newspaper that we hold in our hands.

At an event I attended at The New York Times Editorial Department in May, the topic of its print edition was prominent. The group assembled was told by a prominent member of the department that there are no plans to eliminate the print edition, that we could expect it to continue to be offered for at least another 10 years. No promises were made about home delivery of that edition to far-flung areas and alas, effective May 2, The Times will cease delivering the Monday through Saturday edition to my South Strabane Township community.

Somehow, and without the benefit of a billionaire backer like the late Mellon Bank scion Richard Scaife, the Observer-Reporter continues to reliably produce and home deliver a fine newspaper every day of the week. I have been assured that there are no plans to interrupt this commitment to the community.

Newspapers play a key role in educating us and stimulating our minds, and unlike certain cable television and social media outlets, a variety of ideologies appear on the opinion pages. What is offered each day in the Observer-Reporter and other publications is remarkable, providing something for everyone. It is tragic that newspaper reading has been in a steady state of decline for many years.

I hope that the ownership and the staff of the Observer-Reporter know the extent to which the community depends on you, how grateful we are for your hard work, and how fervently we hope that you will continue to serve us indefinitely.

Oren Spiegler

South Strabane Township

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