A 19-year-old purchased a weekly newspaper in Arkansas and said he'll take a stab at changing how people get their news from social media back to hard-copy newspapers.
According to Arkansas Online, Hayden Taylor bought the Central Delta Argus-Sun for an undisclosed sum. He admitted to not having journalism experience and said he needs to work on his management skills, but he wants to show the people of Brinkley and Monroe Counties they can get better news in his paper than on Facebook.
"I've always enjoyed reading, and I've done well in history and politics, economics and religion," Taylor told ArkansasOnline. "All those interests line up with writing.
"My friends think Facebook is where they can get 'local news,' and I just don't believe that. That 'news' isn't always news, and it's hardly ever really local."
Taylor rebranded his newspaper as the Monroe County Herald, which will make its entrance into the market this week to its roughly 1,800 subscribers.
The teenager said his plans for the paper include focusing heavily on local sports coverage, featuring columnists and local guest writers, and not having an editorial page.
"People have been spouting their views at me, especially this year, so I don't think I really want to spout mine back at them," he said.
These days, newspapers — particularly small weeklies — are a dying breed. The Internet and social media have changed how people read their news, which has made print journalism more obsolete.
Taylor's purchase could be seen as an encouraging sign for people who enjoy reading physical papers. It was recently reported that The Washington Post had a profitable 2016 and is now looking to hire more than 60 journalists this year.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.