'It was like a heartbeat': Residents at a loss after newspaper shutters in declining coal county
Months after the last newspaper closed in a declining coal community in West Virginia, residents say they are already experiencing challenges getting and sharing information
WELCH, W.Va. (AP) — Months after Missy Nester ended The Welch News’ 100-year run, she can barely stand to walk through the office doors of the newspaper her mother taught her to read with growing up in West Virginia’s southern coalfields. It’s too painful.
The Welch News owner and publisher’s desk is covered with unpaid bills and her own paychecks — a year’s worth — she never cashed. Phones that used to ring throughout the day are silent. Tables covered with typewriters, awards and a century’s worth of other long-abandoned artifacts are reminders that her beloved paper has become an artifact, too.
Wiping away tears, Nester said she wishes people understood why she fought so hard to protect her county's last remaining news outlet, and why it feels like communities left behind by the journalism industry are often the ones who need it most.
“Our people here have nothing,” said Nester, 57. “Like, can any of y’all hear us out here screaming?”
