The Sandisfield Times

Now in its Third Year

During an age of digital revolution when the reach of the internet extends even to the most remote and obscure regions, it might strike one as a curious endeavor to launch a printed newspaper for a small town. But this is the Berkshires—where individuals and their determination are every bit as extraordinary and whimsical as the beautiful and bucolic land they call home.

Two years ago, a group of Sandisfield citizens gathered for dinner and found themselves bemoaning the fact that the best resource for local news was limited to the proverbial, and understandably somewhat unreliable, grapevine. While the town, geographically speaking, may be the largest in Massachusetts, it is also the least populated. And while all those acres may be lovely to look at, they may also leave people feeling somewhat isolated from their neighbors. The dinner guests considered what they saw as a real need for a vehicle to help bring the community together. And before the evening was over an idea was hatched to start a local newspaper.

Launching a printed newspaper in an electronic era when the future of all aspects of publishing is in question? Well, it’s not surprising that the idea may have been met with its share of skepticism. Still the group proceeded undaunted. It set forth a mission, “To connect the community, through reliable, regular and relevant information.”

And for the most part, the newspaper has been embraced from the beginning with great enthusiasm. “People are proud of it. Copies are snapped up,” said founding editor and contributor Simon Winchester.

While only in its third year of publication, as April marked the monthly’s second anniversary, it already has a strong foundation. Begun as a non-profit, with only a shoe-string budget based on donations, as well as a $750 grant from the Sandisfield Cultural Council that barely covered the printing costs of its first edition, the publication is already operating in the black.

The staff is composed entirely of volunteers. Their functions can change from month to month, depending on outside (i.e., paying) work commitments. In addition, the paper solicits contributions and involvement from all citizens. “Everyone is invited to write articles or letters, to take or make pictures, or in other unimagined ways to help assemble the monthly mosaic portrait that each issue will turn out to be,” Winchester wrote.

Although its founders include literary luminaries (e.g., Simon Winchester, New York Times best-selling author and Setsuko Winchester, a former producer for National Public radio), the paper has been a tremendous opportunity for other full-time and part-time Sandisfield residents interested in writing. Larry Dwyer, who was interested in learning to write, is now a regular contributor among others.

Despite its flexible staffing, varied contributors, and the fact that it has no physical headquarter office, the paper is produced each month according to a fairly regular schedule. Editorial meetings usually take place at the beginning of each month at Winchester’s house. Stories begin trickling in by mid-month. And the process of editing, proofing, and layout is completed by the end of the month.

Advertisements have become a part of this process as well. Early on, its founders had decided against soliciting advertisements. They simply didn’t have the resources to support a sales staff, although there was some hope that if the newspaper stood on its own merit it might attract advertisers without solicitation. Luckily, this has come to bear and paper now boasts a fairly reliable roster of regular advertisers.

It also boasts a healthy circulation base. Its first issue was mailed to every person on Sandisfield’s tax and voting rolls. Now it is distributed free of charge to locations around town including the post office, town hall, and the library. In addition to a readership in Sandisfield, the paper is also stocked in nearby Great Barrington, Farmington and Otis, where it is known to run out of copies when unusual news items attract broader attention. Furthermore, readers can now access current and archived issues online.

Its popularity is, no doubt, in large part due to its thorough reporting on local goings-on. According to Winchester, “A local newspaper should be a mirror.” And a guiding factor for this newspaper, as Winchester stated in a recent editorial, “We are the voice that questions Authority, and tries to make certain, as best we can, that all the truth is told and all the right is done.”

Still, not all Sandisfield residents are thrilled with this approach. Recent reporting about accusations about the shooting of a cat was criticized, quite vehemently in some cases. But the aim of the paper is to be more than “tribal notice board.” And while it takes no political stand, it does not agree with some who would suggest that it print “only good news.” The Times’ Latin motto, Tribunis Peblis, translates to: we stand for the people. According to Winchester, “If that means that some of the news we print here is sometimes not so good—then I have to retort: so be it.”

Positive or negative. Good news or bad news—available copies of the paper are exhausted on a regular basis. And all hand wringing about the future of publishing aside, its founders are committed to sticking to an editorial model that is thriving. That’s not to say they’re not open to other opportunities, electronic or otherwise, which might avail themselves in the future. Who knows? Perhaps its readers should be on the lookout for ‘The Sandisfield Times App’ at some point in the future.