

In July, we were notified by the U.S. Library of Congress that it has selected our website, pacificislandtimes.com, for inclusion in the United States News Web Archive, “which is part of a larger collection of historically and culturally significant websites that have been designated for preservation.”
The project’s goal is to preserve digital content and make it available to current and future generations of researchers “as the internet has become an increasingly important and influential part of our lives.”
The world is changing fast and we can’t keep up. Humanity is dashing toward a future we can’t predict. Change happens in a time-lapse fashion, leaving us feeling adrift and disoriented.
Today’s journalism is far different from the old reporting tradition we used to know. In the past, the platform for disseminating the news belonged exclusively to professional reporters; news consumers had to wait for the evening news or for the paper to be delivered the next morning. The old journalist’s privilege to embargo information has been eliminated by the ramp-up of smartphones and social media that gave rise to citizen journalism.
Every smartphone user gets real-time news alerts. Everyday people are not just the audience and consumers of news; they have become contributors of content. The internet has no gatekeepers. Government agencies and private entities spew out their press releases.
And today’s news writers also face a more intense competition from AI.
“Real journalists are an aging species under threat of extinction,” Branko Brkic, editor-in-chief of South Africa's Daily Maverick, writes on the World Association of News Publishers website.

“In this earthquaky world, the media should be the remaining spine, strong enough to hold values in place until the storm is over; the voice that can clearly and loudly say, this is good and this bad, and most people instinctively agree. We should be an anchor in choppy seas, a safe haven in the storm,” Brkic said.
With the slew of disinformation and misinformation and suppression of critical voices, we believe the role of journalists and the media is more crucial than ever.
This month, the Pacific Island Times is celebrating its eighth year in business, while some regional and local publications have either stopped printing and migrated to digital publication or closed their businesses altogether, unable to survive the difficult market for journalism.
Our continued existence in the predominantly digital landscape is as surprising to us as it is to print doomsayers. We may be living on a borrowed time, but our continued existence convinces us that there is still demand for print and independent journalism.
We have a network of freelance journalists and columnists on Guam, around the region and the mainland. We rely on subscriptions, advertising revenues and some independent donors. We do not have wealthy investors or shareholders setting our editorial coverage. We are free of political pressure. Our independence enables us to bring out the truth and challenge the powerful.
But why continue to print in the age of the fading Gutenberg era, the digitalists ask. The growth of our print subscriptions is the answer. “Newsprint has the power to keep me focused with the distractions of social media,” one of our subscribers told me.
On the business side, the Burlington Press highlighted the lingering value of print for advertisers.
“Studies have consistently shown that consumers perceive print materials as more trustworthy than digital ads. This trust stems from the tangible nature of print, which implies a level of investment and commitment from the advertiser,” the Burlington Press says. “By leveraging print media, businesses can enhance their credibility and establish stronger connections with their target audience.”
As long as we are around, we will continue our mission to offer well-researched stories and fill the gap in regional coverage. Thank you, Guam and the Pacific region, for your trust and continuing patronage.
We appreciate your support.
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Great piece, right in target - especially in small communities - Print Matters!