Small newspapers out-performing big dailies

This article on the Wall Street Journal warms this small-town newspaper publisher's heart. It seems weeklies like the Reporter are faring better than the big dailies, or McPapers as Mark Steyn calls them. It rings true to me: We had our best year ever last year, even as the Macon Telegraph and Atlanta Journal-Constitution are in full retreat.
Why? Well, much of the content of a daily paper is canned stuff from the Associated Press or other news services. And most of it parrots the political talking points from the White House and Congress. People read papers because they want the facts, not the state-approved spin as from Soviet-era Pravda. Small town papers are usually more human, more friendly, more conservative. We're closer to our audience. Also, there are scores of websites where people can get state and national news for free. But hometown news? You just don't find it anywhere else.