The Pembroke Express wins readers with the inaugural issue

By Mary Polleys

The Pembroke community can welcome a new paper to circulation. The Pembroke Express sent out its inaugural issue last Friday April 11. Free for the first two weeks, the Express is a weekly newspaper that, like the Mariner, lands in your mailbox every Friday afternoon.
Unlike the Mariner however, the Express offers a look inside Pembroke High School and its academic activities, featuring a spread about Mr. Battista’s economics class and their silent auction in the first issue. It also covers sports with many large pictures and chooses an athlete of the month. The Express has chosen to include many graphics, large pictures, and feature stories as well as covering politics, and all news pertaining to the community. Making themselves more of a magazine, as opposed to just trying to cover straight news, makes them more of a value as a weekly paper, not unlike the Sentinel, our monthly publication.
Another piece that is of interest is the police log, which after three semesters of journalism, I’d never seen before, and many of my classmates had not either, but apparently is one of the most popular places for residents to look to see what’s been going on around town.
The Express is also offering up opportunities to young newshounds who want to write and take photos. With the journalism program growing in size and the Sentinel improving each month, it’s good for students to have other outlets especially after they’ve already taken editorial journalism.
So far, the Express has been quick to cover events, and take tips they get from students, teachers, and other community members about events taking place.
Also, the competition between the Mariner/Reporter and the Express will keep both papers on their toes, covering as much as they can, especially involving students, to keep selling subscriptions.
The Express strives to be the towns “community newspaper” and after their first issue are off to a good start. With the inaugural issue, however, it gives you the impression that it’s free every week, but it’s only for the first two weeks, then either you’ll stop receiving it or if you’ve filled out the subscription card, will continue receiving it for a price. The Express is run by a company called the Clipper Press, and is out to make a profit, like any other business.