Judith Davidoff
In anticipation of the print relaunch, Dylan Brogan helped return Isthmus' newspaper boxes to downtown Madison.
This week Isthmus gets back into print. That represents a remarkable accomplishment. Rumors of the paper's demise were, it turns out, premature.
The paper you will see back in those newspaper boxes around town is the tangible result of a year and a half of hard work by a handful of local journalists, led by Judy Davidoff and Dylan Brogan. When Isthmus shut down overnight in March 2020 as the result of an advertising crash due to COVID-19, it was unlikely that it would survive in any form, much less on actual paper.
So, when you pick up a copy of the paper this week, reflect on that. It didn’t have to be in your hands. It happened because a few people worked really hard to make it happen. And, hey, while you’re at it why don’t you kick in a few bucks for the cause right here?
But, here’s a question. Why bother? I don’t mean why bother to fight for Isthmus to survive. That should be obvious. For decades, this little weekly has been an important voice in the community. Isthmus has always provided more information on cultural happenings than anybody else and it has always covered news that would otherwise be ignored and from a different perspective than the other outlets. Isthmus gets into the nooks and crannies of our town and reports back on what it sees there. We’d be a poorer community without it no less than if Overture or the Orpheum or the Union Theater went under.
No, what I mean is why bother to get back into print? After all, Isthmus can deliver the same stuff perfectly well online. And also, let’s face it, print is a hassle. Print comes with actual deadlines dictated by when the presses need to fire up. It costs something to print a paper. And then there’s distribution. Somebody has to fill all those boxes. Fossil fuels are expended in this effort, I’m sorry to report.
I struggle to answer this question except to say, like any toddler, “because I want it!” For me, somehow the news is more real when it’s on paper. It is, literally, more tangible. And, at the risk of getting carried away, the paper is an object worth appreciating. You hold it in your hands. You turn the pages. You go back and forth. You underline stuff. You fold it. You tear stuff out. You burn it to start an evening fire in your fireplace. It fits in bird cages. Try any of that with your iPad.
And, as a strictly practical matter, paper is more accessible. You don’t need to find your laptop or your phone. You don’t have to worry about how many bars you have or if you forgot to juice your device up and, hey, where the hell is my power cord anyway?
It’s not lost on me that this just might be a Boomer thing. I grew up with newspapers, so maybe I just like them the way I like Jello. There’s no reason for Jello (nobody’s even sure just exactly what it is), but my Mom made it and so I have gentle feelings for it.
But I’m not so sure about that generational thing. When I taught at the UW, well into the digital age, lecture halls would be strewn with paper copies of the Badger Herald and the Daily Cardinal. Even generations raised on the Internet saw some value in picking up the paper…and leaving it behind.
Anyway, let’s not overthink this, people. The paper is back. It’s a good thing. Rejoice.
