Oxford Community Discusses Lack Of News Coverage

BY RACHEL TRACY
Miami University Journalism Student

A community once covered by both its hometown Oxford Press and the Hamilton Journal is now struggling to keep its 2,800 fulltime residents informed.

The League of Women Voters in Oxford is sponsoring a town hall meeting, open to the public, this Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church to discuss possible solutions for the lack of local news. Sandra Woy-Hazleton, co-president of the Oxford League, says they aren’t pushing solutions, they’re looking for them.

"I think the community recognizes the concern. And what we are hoping is that we generate, with a discussion of people who are there, generate possible solutions,” Woy-Hazleton said. “And there may not just be one solution, there might be several.”

The Oxford Press

The Oxford Press no longer has a physical presence in its hometown. Instead, every Sunday the Hamilton Journal has a four-page insert dedicated to Oxford news. Talawanda School District Director of Communications and Public Engagements Holli Morrish said when she was growing up in Oxford, everyone read the Oxford Press every Friday morning.

“And that had all of the local stuff: the local advertisements, the local obituaries, news about events that were happening not only with the Chamber of Commerce, Oxford Businesses, Miami University, Talawanda School District. I mean, all of that local flavor could be found in the Oxford Press,” said Morrish. “And people really looked forward to it, I can tell you that. If you weren't getting it delivered to your house you were going to one of the gas stations. People were going to get their Oxford Press on Friday morning. And people talked about it, people talked about the things they read in the Oxford Press; it sparked conversation.”

Some believe the Oxford Press can be recreated, while others look to The Miami Student for their Oxford news, said Woy-Hazleton. This town hall meeting will have a panel of community representatives to discuss the issue at hand.

Representatives from Miami University -- Annie-Laurie Blair, who teaches in the journalism program, and James Steinbauer, editor of The Miami Student -- will provide information about Miami's new Patch site at the meeting. Students in a Miami public affairs reporting class are covering the city and the university in a pilot program with Patch.

Photo: The Oxford Gazette -- like this four-page edition of Sept. 12, 1860 -- once covered the city of Oxford, Ohio. -- Contributed by www.rarenewspapers.com.