Jack Telfer has been editor of the Midland (Mich.) Daily News the past 16 years and been in the newspaper business for 29 years. He can be reached at jtelferii@mdn.net

WHILE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ARE PART of the sea change that is occurring in this industry, they continue to be an important source - in many cases the most important source - of information for advertisers and readers. Yet far too often the only story being told by our industry is that of falling circulation, lost relevance and declining revenues.

Not all the news is bad, at least on the community newspaper front. For example, the Midland (Mich.) Daily News' Sunday circulation has been above last year throughout 2007. Daily circulation has been slightly below last year, but most of that is attributable to a drop in Newspaper in Education numbers, not paid subscribers. Meanwhile, our Web audience at OurMidland.com continues to grow. With the two audiences combined, the Daily News' reach has never been greater. I am certain other community newspapers are experiencing similar numbers. Why aren't we reading and hearing about them?

Over the past decade, newspapers have tried to reinvent themselves by going after younger readers, going after baby boomers, creating more dramatic designs, providing the newspaper online and creating unique content online such as video and other multimedia offerings. We have focused on over-the-top customer service, intensely local people stories, news-you-can-use stories, branding and more (I am sure I have missed several). Our newspapers look better than they ever have and our Web sites are more interesting than ever before, and yet many are sounding the death knell for newspapers.

While this is a tumultuous time for the newspaper industry, and community newspapers have been hurt by the onslaught of negativity coming from analysts and industry experts, this is not the time to be waving the white flag. It is a time not only to embrace the changes occurring and encourage creativity and experimentation in our newsrooms, but also to remember why so many people still count on us for news.

As we look for new ways to develop online content that doesn't duplicate what is published in our print editions, we also must focus on owning our local story franchise. When a major story breaks in our communities, we need to tell the stories that no other media will report. We need to be first online with the story and first in terms of depth of coverage, both in print and online.

But it is not just the major stories that are important to our readers. It's the intensely local stories that no other media will report because they don't have time for them. Stories such as the one we published about an angel that was stolen from a local church. The angel had been given in memory of a Midland woman and the family was heartbroken it had been taken. Because of that story, the thief returned the angel to the church and the family that donated it had the Midland Daily News to thank for its return.

I am certain that every community editor throughout the nation could share a similar story (or more) about the impact his or her newspaper has had on readers and/or advertisers. We need to share these stories not only with our readers, but also with those who think the products we produce are becoming obsolete.

Yes, we are changing, and our products might appear differently in the future, but we are far from obsolete. Our communities still count on us to keep them informed about stories big and small. Let's not let them down.