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WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton highlighted the 200th anniversary of the Arkansas Gazette on Thursday morning, noting, during Senate floor speeches, the newspaper’s role in shaping and recording Natural State history over the past two centuries.
The back-to-back tributes, which aired live on C-SPAN 2, came hours before a Little Rock dinner, featuring former President Bill Clinton, that will mark the bicentennial of the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River.
Unable to attend the Arkansas event, due to pressing legislative business, the lawmakers instead praised the paper from Capitol Hill.
During his seven-minute-long address, Cotton traced the evolution of the paper from a simple log cabin in the territorial capital, Arkansas Post, to a statewide institution, printed in Little Rock and available, via the internet, around the globe.
With few disruptions -- the results of fire in the 1850s and federal occupation in the 1860s -- the Arkansas Gazette and its successor, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette have been published regularly for two centuries, he noted.
Cotton also noted "the newspaper wars" which ended with the Hussman family buying the Gazette in 1991 and merging it with the Democrat.
The move ensured that Arkansans would have a locally-owned paper for decades to come.
"And now the Democrat-Gazette is again changing with the times, through the capable leadership of Walter Hussman, his family, and David Bailey, the managing editor. This time the paper is transforming for the digital era, moving from paper to screen—and it’s even giving away free iPads to subscribers to ease the transition," Cotton said. "So if you’re not a subscriber already, consider supporting our local journalism in Arkansas. It's got a bright future up ahead."
[RELATED: Pages from the Past + more coverage celebrating 200 years » arkansasonline.com/200]
Boozman, who spoke second, called the newspaper "a true Arkansas institution," and paid tribute to "the men and women that have made it great in the past and continue to make it great into the future."
"For generations this publication has been a primary source of reliable and comprehensive news that has shaped the way Arkansans view the world. It has constantly challenged the status quo and examined the decisions of elected leaders while pursuing transparency and accountability," he said.
Emphasizing the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's geographic reach, Boozman called it "the only statewide newspaper that Arkansans read today."
"The importance of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in today’s media landscape cannot be overstated," he said. "In some cases, it is the sole source of news for many small towns in Arkansas as local newspapers continue to cease operations, especially those serving rural areas."
Read Friday's Democrat-Gazette for full details.