How America’s newspapers lost their voice

Despite the steady decline in daily newspaper editorials, a longtime editor suggests ways for news organizations to restore the spirit of editorials that can hold public officials accountable.

By: Ken Paulson, Middle Tennessee State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 20, 2026

Words: 1,475

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Ken Paulson, Middle Tennessee State University

Hazel Brannon Smith was almost certainly the most unpopular woman in Mississippi when she wrote an editorial in 1963 lambasting the racist White Citizens Councils in the Lexington Advertiser, a newspaper she owned.

“The hierarchy of rulers in this totalitarian-like organization permit no deviation from its official line – and those who believe in and stand for the traditional American concepts of human liberty, dignity, and decency, …

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