We, the leaders and residents of Central Illinois, are deeply concerned about the future of the Journal Star and its role in our community.

For more than 150 years, the Journal Star has kept us informed, shaped our civic identity, created and preserved shared memories, and provided a forum for debate.

But now the Journal Star is for sale. As newspapers across the country change hands, greedy buyers are cutting staff, coverage and service and raising advertising rates. It all amounts to much less newspaper.

We say, not here!

The Journal Star is the only organization in Central Illinois capable of delivering, through its Web site and print product, the news and perspectives our region needs to prosper. No other organization here has the scope, resources and reach.

We will not tolerate an owner who insults our region with mediocre and half-hearted news coverage in the name of short-term profit. We will not tolerate an owner who refuses to recognize a responsibility for civic engagement.

To current Journal Star owner David Copley, we say:
Continue to be a steward of first-rate journalism and civic responsibility.
Sell only to a buyer who recognizes the common good that journalistic excellence represents.

To anyone who is in the market for the Journal Star, we say: Buyer beware!
Regardless of who owns this newspaper, it belongs to this community.