I won’t be donating to a media conglomerate

Many of us receive numerous requests for donations particularly at the end of the year.  Many of the donation requests are worthy — Sonoma Land Trust, CASA, Pet’s Lifeline, League for Historic Preservation,  ASPCA, Sebastiani Theater, The Boys and Girls Club and on and on.  The most “interesting” request in my mind, however, is the half page ads in the Press Democrat requesting we “invest in your community” and “Support Local Journalism” by donating to the Press Democrat Journalism Trust.

 I would love to support local journalism if I felt it would improve our “local” newspapers.  The Index Tribune repeats what is printed in the Press Democrat and The Press Democrat repeats the news in The Index Tribune.  The “local” newspaper takes approximately three minutes to read because it has already been printed in the Press Democrat.  The repetition even includes the Letters to the Editor.

 Many readers have cancelled one or the other “local” newspapers because of this. I wonder if the same occurs with The Petaluma Argus?  If the publishers and staff want donations to support journalism, then perhaps the newspapers need to improve their articles and coverage.

Or another suggestion would be that the other local, creative newspaper, the Sun, should take over the creation and publication of the Index Tribune. At least then there would be some original thought.

— Audrey J. Chapman, Sonoma