On the cover of the monthly Four Corners Free Press’ final January – February 2024 issue, the photo caption underneath the image of the sunset behind Denny Lake in Cortez was fitting. “The sun is also setting on the Four Corners Free Press after 20 years of publication.”
Twenty years of archived history lived in the Four Corners and seen through the lens of the Free Press’ staff members and contributors.
No matter the news of the month in the Southwest, continual threads ran through the Free Press in its 20 years – love and respect for the community it served.
Dedicated readers know the Free Press had a wide reach, whether covering the environment and land issues, or silly stuff in police reports, or hosting the range of columnists, in issue after issue.
In the final edition, an issue when Gail Binkly – editor, writer and much more – could understandably cruise, she swung for the fences in reporting about Montezuma County commissioners shrinking budgets, and how this will impact the Sheriff’s Office.
Binkly’s detailed narrative filled three and half pages. She wasn’t going to let this one get by. Community members had voiced concerns about more incursions by drug cartels, and ever-increasing thefts, assaults and incidence of domestic violence.
Her gumshoe journalism style (retro term, for readers in the know) nicely complemented lighter features within the Free Press’ pages, making this small publication robust and well-rounded.
Watching any local newspaper go away stirs up a lot for us. From the inside looking out, we know about fine points missed that tell much about the characters we cover and their stories. These days, details come much later.
On the Front Range, consider the example of state Rep. Mike Lynch, strong-armed to resign from his House minority leadership position because of an impaired driving charge from September 2022.
Back in the day, a reporter would have been assigned to the police beat, or Cop Shop, combing through law enforcement’s blotters. A basic task under day checks. Chances are, this would have been caught.
Yet, the news just came after Lynch threw his hat into the 4th Congressional District race. The incident doesn’t reflect his work record, but shows a side of him, trying to persuade the patrolman to call a lobbyist on Lynch’s behalf.
Much is lost any time a local paper shuts its doors.
Also, a monthly paper can cover stories with the breadth we don’t always have on tighter deadlines at The Journal and The Durango Herald. Readers always benefit from multiple news sources.
Something we appreciated in the Free Press – it always had something to say with personality, sharp insights and wit. In our business, we talk about serving our readers. No doubt, the Free Press served well those who poured over its pages.
Binkly said she’s proud of certain regional, in-depth “stories that made a difference,” including:
* The legacy of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation, including in Arizona and New Mexico.
* The ATV ride led by San Juan County, Utah, Commissioner Phil Lyman onto a closed Bureau of Land Management road in 2014 and his subsequent trial in Salt Lake City in 2016.
* The proposed Desert Rock Power Plant, southwest of Farmington, ultimately never built after ongoing opposition by environmentalists and the Navajo community.
“One of the things we did well as a newspaper was to provide a venue for a lot of columnists and some photographers,” she said. “I appreciated that we had people writing political, personal, humorous columns.”
That range of perspectives added to the Free Press’ appeal.
For writers/editors called to journalism, we understand it’s tough to turn down temperature – the news-hounding and passion – and separate that part of ourselves from the work. Binkly said she’s not sure yet what her writing life will look like. Maybe some freelancing or another book. Her mind will be more free without a monthly deadline and the pesky details of running a business.
We’ve said it before – we will miss the Free Press and all it’s contributed to the Southwest in 20 years.
