PONDSIDE—The Newsome Park Times, written and published by 9-year-old Alexa Wang, is the definition of hyperlocal: the newspaper is targeted to the fewer than 10 houses that comprise Newsome Park.
The two-month-old paper includes the street’s news and weather and anything else Wang wants to write about.
“I started doing the newspaper in my house and decided to expand to the street,” Wang said. “I don’t think I’ll ever run out of stories…It’s become a great success.”
“We have a new resident, born about three weeks ago. That was big news,” said Alicia Powell, Wang’s mother. “Once she collects a few things she’d like to share, she gets going on it.”
Either hand- or typewritten—on a typewriter—the issues are photocopied, stapled and handed out once they’re ready for distribution. The all-analog Newsome Park Times even has subscribers, Powell added.
“One subscriber is a college student who used to live on the street,” Powell said.
Wang gets journalistic tips from former Gazette reporter John Swan, who lives nearby.
“I just want to support any young person who is interested in the news business. We need a lot more diversity in the industry,” Swan said. “Perhaps Alexa will get the bug and someday I’ll see her byline in the New York Times. She’s a very talented girl, with very supportive parents.”