On September 7, The Arab American News marks the 42nd anniversary of its founding at a time when print journalism is undergoing profound changes and facing mounting challenges.

Between intensifying economic pressures and the accelerating displacement of print media by social media platforms in the United States and around the world, independent journalism is confronting a genuine test of its ability to survive and remain effective.

Despite these economic and professional challenges, The Arab American News continues to publish its weekly print edition in Arabic and English, committed to the mission for which it was founded: defending the rights of Arab Americans, safeguarding their interests and responsibly and professionally giving voice to their concerns.

The newspaper has sought to provide an authentic and effective alternative to a mainstream media establishment that has too often distorted the image of Arabs, both in their countries of origin and in their adopted homeland.

Our determination to continue this journalistic journey is therefore about more than preserving a professional tradition that has become an integral part of the Arab American community in Metro Detroit. It represents an ethical, cultural and political commitment to a community that needs a platform capable of reflecting its aspirations and highlighting its achievements and prosperity — without ignoring the shortcomings that must be addressed and examined with courage and professionalism.

Our mission is more than a professional tradition — it is an ethical, cultural and political commitment to the Arab American community.

Today, however, that ethical and professional commitment faces an unprecedented financial test threatening the survival of independent media as a whole.

The 42nd anniversary of establishing The Arab American News arrives as many print newspapers move toward involuntary closure under the weight of continuously rising paper, printing and distribution costs.

The cost of producing our weekly newspaper has risen by more than 40 percent during the last two years alone. That increase has been compounded by the latest tariffs imposed by President Trump on Canadian exports, including wood and paper products that are essential to the American newspaper industry.

The implementation of the new tariffs has driven our production expenses approximately 20 percent higher still.

Amid these fundamental changes, the infrastructure supporting the newspaper industry continues to shrink. The printing company used by The Arab American News, for example, printed 125 newspapers four decades ago. Today, it prints almost half of these weekly or daily publications.

At the same time, MLive Media Group, facing economic pressures and declining print revenue, is preparing to discontinue the printed editions of eight long-established Michigan newspapers and move them entirely online.

The cost of producing our weekly newspaper has risen by more than 40 percent in only two years  —and the latest tariffs have pushed it approximately 20 percent higher still.

The publications are the Grand Rapids Press, the Ann Arbor News, the Flint Journal, Kalamazoo Gazette, the Saginaw News, Muskegon Chronicle, Jackson Citizen Patriot and the Bay City Times.

In addition to rapidly rising printing and production expenses, transportation and distribution costs continue to climb because of higher fuel prices.

Despite those pressures, The Arab American News has refrained from increasing its advertising rates during the last eight years. We have been reluctant to impose additional financial burdens on the individuals, small businesses and local companies in our community at a time when difficult economic conditions are affecting everyone.

This consistent advertising policy has coincided with a widening reach and unwavering reader confidence in the nation’s largest and oldest Arab American newspaper.

Our distribution data show growing demand and the complete pickup of thousands of printed copies distributed every week through hundreds of locations across Metro Detroit.

That strong presence is not limited to the print edition. It has expanded substantially into the digital sphere. According to Google data, the newspaper’s website recorded more than 22 million visits over the last seven years, demonstrating that professional and responsible journalism continues to resonate deeply with its audience.

The rise of social media also requires us to pause and consider the ways in which some digital platforms have diluted the meaning and standards of journalism.

A profession that once required qualifications, research experience, careful verification and a firm commitment to ethical responsibility has become crowded with self-proclaimed “media personalities” who multiply like mushrooms.

They dominate digital screens with flashy headlines and inflated titles unsupported by training, experience, oversight or serious achievement.

The media landscape has consequently become an easy refuge for those seeking fleeting fame and online commotion at the expense of accuracy, responsibility and professional integrity.

Journalism, once reverently called “Her Majesty”, has too often been reduced to a spectacle that strips the Fourth Estate of its dignity, authority and seriousness.

Against that backdrop, the difficulties confronting journalism — the profession traditionally known in the Arab world as “the profession of troubles”— are growing more severe.

Serious journalism demands persistent struggle, extraordinary patience and exhausting work to uncover the truth and deliver it to readers faithfully and objectively.

That mission has become increasingly difficult and complicated for a responsible media institution that must bear suffocating economic burdens while simultaneously confronting the absurdity of some of the “new media personalities” — all while struggling to pay its most basic bills.

Yet despite every obstacle, hardship and challenge, we remain determined to move forward and continue our journey without hesitation.

Despite every obstacle, we remain determined to carry our community’s voice forward — with courage, responsibility and unwavering professional integrity.

At this important milestone, we extend our deepest thanks and profound gratitude to everyone who has supported our exceptional mission — our loyal readers and all our advertisers, who have been our genuine foundation and the essential pillars of our resilience throughout the last four decades.

Although the financial returns have been modest and frequently overshadowed by losses, the professional, ethical and political rewards have exceeded every expectation.

The Arab American News celebrated its first anniversary when the Arab American community in Metro Detroit was still taking its earliest baby steps.

Today, as we quietly extinguish our 42nd candle, we celebrate together as our community approaches unprecedented political achievements.

In Michigan, our community could be represented in the State Senate through Democratic candidate Abbas Alawieh. At the national level, Abdul El-Sayed is seeking to enter the U.S. Capitol as the first Arab American Muslim senator in the history of the United States.

The journey has never been easy, and the road ahead will not be without hardship. But the need for independent, principled Arab American journalism is as urgent today as it was when our doors first opened on September 7, 1984 and our first issue published on January 23, 1985.

Forty-two years later, The Arab American News remains committed to telling our community’s stories, defending its rights, celebrating its successes, confronting its shortcomings and carrying its voice forward — with courage, responsibility and unwavering professional integrity.