Still Standing
published its final print edition. The paper is also changing its opinion section and will no longer accept letters to the editor. While they will remain a robust (by 2025 standards) online operation, it was, undoubtedly, a sad day for New Jersey and readers of local news.
Call us old-fashioned if you must, but there is nothing quite like picking up a newspaper and reading the news. To flip through the pages is to contemplate the time and effort that was taken to gather information, report it as news, format it into a story that is “fit to print,” place it on a page, publish it, and get it to your mailbox. Those steps are taken with care and craft, and provide several checkpoints to make sure what gets printed is deliberately done and well-considered. Publishing a physical paper is not simply a gimmick, or a nostalgic callback to the past. It is a way to carefully frame the day’s (or week’s, in the case of the Tribune) news for readers in a digestible, thoughtfullyprepared format.
We are proud to continue to publish the West Essex Tribune in print. While many of our readers utilize our e-editions and peruse our website, we, by design, put the vast majority of our effort into making our physical printed newspaper the best that it can be. We are aware that doing so certainly makes us unique in 2025, but it is also an essential part of our business model; without our physical newspaper (and the subscription and advertising revenue it generates), we would no longer be here to serve Livingston.
At a time when critical and cultural institutions are being threatened on a daily basis, and facts seemingly have become open for interpretation, there has never been a more important time to rely on the sources of news you trust. A free and independent press is essential for a functioning democracy. Media literacy appears to grow worse with each passing year, and losing the state’s largest physical newspaper will certainly not help matters. So, while the Ledger will continue to have a digital footprint with NJ.com, it is hard not to treat this as the crushing blow that it is in the state.
We thank you all for valuing our printed publication as much as we do. We are thrilled that – 96 years into its existence – the West Essex Tribune remains standing, and continues to be a trusted provider of all of Livingston’s news. We hope to remain a vital part of this town for a long time. The Tribune has a 100th anniversary to celebrate in 2029, and we hope you will all stick with us so we can do so together.
In the coming months, we will proceed with our transition into a nonprofit newspaper, one that will continue to print a physical copy every Thursday and remain a source of news that you can trust in uncertain times.
Public Comment
During the Tuesday, January 28, meeting of the Livingston Board of Education, interim superintendent Daniel Fishbein discussed the Board’s public comment policy. Specifically, he noted that “the public comment section of the meetings are not an opportunity for a cross dialogue between Board members and the public.”
We understand that every single thing that is said by the public during meetings does not warrant comment. We also know that, legally, the Board cannot comment on certain items, like legal and personnel matters. However, the subjects discussed in public comment reach far wider than those topics, and the residents who take the time to attend a meeting and ask a direct question deserve a response. Intentional or not, a lack of response comes off as dismissive and disrespectful.
It is not required that the Board does not respond to comments in all situations; it is their choice. To wit, the Township Council has similar limitations – it cannot comment on personnel or legal matters – yet they regularly participate in a robust dialogue with residents who come to meetings and ask questions. This is how it should be among elected officials and those they represent.
During the meeting, Board president Seth Cohen said that he “would be supportive of reviewing a proposal that reflects how we react in the face of questions.” We think crafting such a proposal – so that the public can receive responses to some of their questions – would be wise. Hopefully, that proposal welcomes more conversation from district officials, not shut it down further. Doing so feels like a common sense, long-overdue decision.
