Community Stalwarts   

In response to Jondi Gumz's letter in AJR's October/November issue ("Letters" ) regarding corporate ownership of newspapers, I'd like to comment that community newspapers are neither "dinosaurs" nor "milk trucks going out of style." And we're not all corporate.

As editor in chief of the largest independently owned weekly in the New Jersey metropolitan area, independents have quite a presence. The Leader Newspapers based in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, is an all-women-owned publication covering six key Bergen County municipalities. We are one of the only all-women-owned, independent newspapers, as well as one of the oldest in the state.

Our news coverage is diverse, sought-after and well-read. In the end, I think it's the community weeklies — not the corporate-owned dailies — that will prevail in the print-media news delivery/public service business.

Cindy Capitani
Editor in chief
Leader Newspapers
Lyndhurst, New Jersey