By james art The West Side Journal in Port Allen will close after 88 years of publication, according to a notice to readers in its Thursday, Oct. 31 edition. It was the only local newspaper devoted to West Baton Rouge Parish.
“This decision was not made lightly,” publisher and owner George Jenne said in the statement.
Jenne gave no reason for stopping publication. The newspaper’s staff, as well as West Baton Rouge residents on social media, indicated they were upset by the announcement.
A local official said they were not ready to comment at this time.
Anna Johnson, executive director of the West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, said she hates to see small businesses forced to close. The West Side Journal previously won the chamber’s Small Business of the Year Award.
“In terms of disseminating information, it will be a loss,” Johnson said. “From the chamber’s perspective, we look at this as another small business that suffers.”
Johnson added that the community will miss The West Side Journal because it is specific to their parish.
“They were good,” she said. “I think people trust our local papers because they know everybody.”
The West Side Journal is one of nearly 3,000 newspapers nationwide that have closed since 2005, according to a report last year by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. The report found that more than half of U.S. counties have no local news source or only one remaining local news outlet.
The October 31 issue is the final issue of The West Side Journal.