Starting this September, The Spokesman-Review — a 130-year-old daily and one of the most respected independent newspapers in the Pacific Northwest — will be printed by our team at the Hagadone Media Group’s North Idaho Production Center. This comes in the wake of Cowles Company’s decision to close Northwest Offset Printing, their commercial division.
But this is much more than a printing agreement. It’s a landmark collaboration between two formerly fierce competitors — Cowles and Hagadone — who have put aside decades of rivalry to protect and sustain independent local journalism in a region where news deserts are steadily spreading.
At a time when many family-owned media companies are being acquired or shuttered, our two organizations have chosen cooperation over consolidation. Cowles is exploring nonprofit ownership of The Spokesman-Review, and Hagadone is investing in regional journalism infrastructure — hiring skilled workers from the closing press plant, installing new equipment and reorganizing operations to ensure journalistic integrity across all partner publications.
In an era where newsroom closures and hedge fund takeovers dominate headlines, this partnership offers a different narrative: One of resilience, shared vision and commitment to civic storytelling at the hyperlocal level.
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