Newspapers have been the foundation of real news for more than 300 years. While the delivery of the product has transitioned from black ink on newsprint, to the Internet, to smartphone applications and social media outlets, no other industry is as firmly rooted in the foundation of our nation, or our communities, as the free press.

Newspapers in Pennsylvania play a vital role in your everyday life.

Interested in what is going on at city hall, school board and township meetings or the Capitol in Harrisburg?

Our journalists are curious watchdogs who question authority, expose wrongdoings and fight injustice. They provide you with the facts to form your own opinions.

Need to know when the new grocery store is opening, which restaurant to try out for a night out or what festivals are upcoming? Our journalists cover beautiful places, interesting people and the activities that improve our quality of life, so you can be better informed.

Curious about who is getting married or celebrating a milestone anniversary or graduating from college or looking for prom pictures from your local high school?

Our journalists report on the moments that bring purpose and meaning to life and warm your heart.

Want to learn about what happened in the big game, read about the upcoming matchups or see the local scores of the high school sports teams?

Our journalists cover the action and deliver the results so you are up to date on the details.

The works of our journalists and photographers are a part of the foundation of your own history. Framed front pages of historical events are externalized on walls of local schools, government offices, restaurants and residences.

Scrapbooks of newspaper clippings from grandchildren’s events, special days and milestones line bookshelves in homes across the commonwealth.

Many groundbreaking investigations and important pieces of legislation have been instituted because of the exposition and examination of a situation that was uncovered by a newspaper journalist.

Political candidates seek endorsements from local newspaper editorial boards as they recognize the value of gaining the support of the media that is most focused on the community.

As the purveyor of information for communities across Pennsylvania, newspapers have been an integral foundation of daily life our for citizens for hundreds of years.

We pride ourselves on delivering the facts so you can be better informed, entertained and inspired.

We pause this week to recognize the outstanding work of our local journalists, photographers and all staff members at Pennsylvania’s newspapers as we celebrate National Newspaper Week.

Their contributions are instrumental in helping newspapers remain an important and powerful brand - the true foundation of real news.

Thank you for being a reader.

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Editor’s note: Brad Simpson is president of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association in Harrisburg.