I don’t have to tell you that America’s local newspapers have been in crisis. So many have closed that news of another one rarely gets noticed anymore.
Guest Column by Pat Davis
Pat Davis is a former police officer, recovering politician and news junkie. He is the founder and owner of Ctrl+P Publishing (nm.news). Pat lives in Albuquerque with his long-term partner, Christopher, and their dogs Jack and Henry.
But this week, the story of one paper closing – and the efforts to save it – are getting national headlines and I want your help to save it.
Not many local newspapers can lay claim to being a national journalism institution or launching a pop-culture phenomenon, but most communities aren’t home to a UFO crash, either.
Earlier this week, the owners of the 133-year Roswell Daily Record (yep, the “Flying Saucer Crash in Roswell” paper) announced that the paper had printed its last issue.
“My big emphasis is community newspapers, we can’t lose them. We just can’t. And what’s been so hard for us is fighting and fighting finances and it just comes to the point where you can’t do it anymore, you know? That was unfortunately where we were.”
Barbara Beck, third-generation owner of the 133-year Roswell Daily Record, speaking to the Albuquerque Journal about her decision to close the paper.
Only in New Mexico
New Mexico is a small state with an even smaller journalism community.
But New Mexico has been bucking the national trend, with local ownership groups like ours stepping in to save critical local papers, intervening to prevent their closure or being hollowed out by out-of-state conglomerates (75% of our outlets are still locally-owned).
When we heard the news about Roswell, our team – which has acquired, relaunched and started 6 community papers across the state over the past six years – reached out.
Today, the paper surprised Roswell with another issue and a front page headline announcing our deal to acquire the publication and fold them into our statewide New Mexico News network, keeping all of those journalism jobs in-state and giving our statewide network a foothold in a rural part of the state we didn’t previously cover.
A rescue plan to save an American journalism institution
Make no mistake, this is a rescue mission. But the Beck family and my team have faith because we’ve been through this before to save other papers, and we know how to get there.
So why am I sending you this email? Because I need some help. Readers and supporters have already reached out asking what they can do to help. We’ve provided a financial lifeline to keep everyone employed and the presses running until we can take over Aug. 1. That gives us just two weeks to rebuild their business plan from the ground up with sustainability principles.
I’ll have more to share in a few days, but for now, today, here’s what we need and how you can help:
- Nonprofit friends: If you have a nonprofit or fund with an aligned mission, let’s chat. We’ve set up a fund in our nonprofit arm to quickly raise money to cover journalist and staff salaries for a few extra weeks when our lifeline runs out, giving us time to put sustainable fixes in place. Our civic journalism program training and subsidizing positions for new reporters to cover local government, now in its third year, will be a key part of the sustainability strategy long-term. Learn more about these opportunities.
We’ve undertaken local paper rescue missions before and philanthropy is a huge piece of the puzzle. Depending on your ability, nonprofit funds can help pay journalists, pay off debt to give the paper a fresh start or subsidize tools we’ll need. - Technical and vendor friends: If you or your organization has capacity to lend, or free/discounted tools to offer, let’s chat. For now, The Daily Record can pay in karma, thanks and testimonials about your role in helping to save “the UFO crash paper.” But warm fuzzies are what local news is all about, right?
Things we know we need: WordPress coding (especially those with Multisite experience), Vehicles to maintain print capacity (the only printer in the state is is a 6-hour round trip), Social media scheduling software, Newsroom leadership training for growing companies, Ad sales software for multiple brands… probably lots of stuff we don’t know we don’t know, yet. Have an idea? Email me at pat@nm.news - Individuals and regular local news junkies: Donate to our rescue fund from our nonprofit partner, Citizen Media Group. 100% of individual donations are regranted to the newsroom to cover reporter and production staff salaries short-term while we work to implement the long-term rescue plan.
Bottom line: We’re able to invest in this rescue plan for Roswell because others working to save local news have invested in us. Now, we’re able to paying it forward – hopefully with new help from you.
In just the past few years, Press Forward investments helped us pay off debt from two rural papers in Sandoval and Torrance Counties, allowing us to put salaried journalists back on the beat for the first time. Coaching from LION Publishers, Blue Engine and the New Mexico Local News Fund helped me rebuild our entire business plan for “sustainability first” earning a 2025 LION Product of the Year award for our strategy to merge small papers operations for sustainability. Community donors provided bridge funding when I needed it and local business advisors helped us find an impact investor to refinance our own debt and put a down payment on our office so we could beging building equity in our business.
Looking ahead, Governor Lujan Grisham and legislators just passed a 30% journalism salary tax credit (!). That goes into effect this month and it’s part of our plan to bring underpaid journalists up to a living wage and help the Daily Record chart a smarter fiscal path forward.
Local news is in resurgence, not crisis, and with your help we’ll prove it right here in New Mexico.
Whew! That’s a long email and I have a lot of work to do over here. I’d better get to it.
Thanks for reading and #SupportYourLocalJournalist.
– – Pat
Pat Davis is the founder and publisher of the New Mexico News group. NM.News has been recognized as one of New Mexico’s Top-10 LGBTQ-owned companies by Albuquerque Business First three years running. We are 100% New Mexico owned.