Nov 27, 2025
Submitted photo: Mike Hlas, shown here working from a corner bench in a hotel lobby area, was let go this week by The Gazette in Cedar Rapids.
This Thanksgiving holiday isn’t just the usual perfect time to appreciate your loved ones and blessings.
It’s also an opportunity to pause for perspective.
About a week ago, word quickly spread that The Gazette in Cedar Rapids had been purchased by a multi-media group from Minnesota. Within 24 hours of the announcement, the newspaper’s long-time sports editor, J.R. Ogden, and veteran lead sports columnist, Mike Hlas, were let go.
I cannot comment on the specifics of the decision. I’m sure there were balance-sheet reasons and cost-cutting measures being applied here, as is often the case in situations like these. Both Ogden and Hlas had been with the Gazette for decades, and in their current roles since the 1990s.
Similar moves have slowly but surely whittled down our state’s journalism scene on all fronts. The list of quality reporters, columnists and editors who have been unceremoniously forced to leave the industry is long and, at this point, frankly depressing.
I’m sure this column will come across as biased, given I’m currently speaking from the trenches — a space that gets lonelier by the day. The last 20 years in particular have been a potent combination of self-inflicted wounds, shifting demographics and expectations, and leadership often not seeing the forest through the trees. There is plenty of blame to go around for the struggles endured during this media “transformation,” which often looks more like a constant firesale than an answer to the demands of the market.
The real losers in this equation aren’t necessarily the journalists, who often find better-paying jobs with less stress in the aftermath of their respective departures. And it isn’t the companies or corporations in charge who pay the price, though one could argue these cuts are almost always penny wise and pound foolish. The moves serve a practical purpose: to reduce costs and better control payroll in the moment.
Communities almost always suffer the actual consequences. They become less informed. Important or heartfelt stories go by the wayside. Citizens aren’t consistently reminded of what has happened, what is happening, or what is about to happen anymore. Suddenly, no one is there to keep track or hold anyone accountable.
Ogden and Hlas, for instance, can of course be replaced on paper. The value of their knowledge, connections and experience cannot. They showed up. They kept tabs. They knew facts and figures and history up close and personal. For better or worse. For decades.
Dare to put a price on that?
Our society has been readily flushing these relationships recently, sending a very narrow-minded message that the long-term investment these local journalists made never really mattered or counted for anything. It does. They do.
Newspapers have always kept a finger on the pulse of their coverage areas. For well over a century in our country, they have proudly represented a community’s heartbeat and been a reflection of its soul. Yet they’re drying up at a rapid-fire pace. Disappearing.
Being replaced by what? Facebook? Bloggers? “Media personalities” who come and go at a moment’s notice?
This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the loyal readers and unwavering advertisers who are still by our side. We haven’t done enough to appreciate you through the years in this industry. Period. If you’re still with us, you deserve our utmost respect.
Subscriptions and ad contracts aren’t just transactions. They represent a tangible investment in our communities.
I’m also thankful for the staff members who remain across both our state and nation, against almost all odds. We hear the whispers and the criticism and feel the pressures associated with keeping newspapers, radio stations and television stations relevant, despite the crushing weight of dwindling public perception. All while taking on the jobs of two, three or four people at a time.
Locally, in our sports department, we have Chris Johnson, Dana Becker and Britt Kudla pouring their heart and soul into making sure this region’s bases are covered. We’re far from perfect, but trust me: it’s not for lack of trying. Or caring.
I hope we never lose our voice and our ability to tell your stories. I truly believe in the importance of reliable, dependable “back yard” journalism. And journalists. We do it for the love of the game, so to speak, but also because your home is ours. That human bond means something technology just can’t replicate.
These sentiments are virtually a universal societal plea now. Shop local. Buy local. Invest in local. We still have each other, but the clock is ticking and habits are changing — not always with a bigger picture in mind.
Business can’t always be just business. Customer service matters. People matter. You matter.
Thank you for making sure we still matter, too.
Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger. Contact him via email at sports@messengernews.net, or on Twitter @ByEricPratt
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