Sun reaches giant milestone
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
The Sun published its first issue April 10, 2015. In order to celebrate its 10th year of business, the Sun staff took some time to sit back and reflect.
It’s a business milestone for the Gallup Sun! While most reporters don’t like to be the news — for a newspaper to survive today in a world of questionable news sources, social media influencers, and now, artificial intelligence, the Sun has survived it all and continues its mission to deliver quality local and regional news.
The small editorial staff – consisting of a managing editor, contributing editor, and currently one freelance writer – have managed to churn a paper out every Friday since 2015. And not to forget, there are two great photographers that help shape the layout landscape each week. On the business side of things, the executive director and the marketing assistant keep everything running smoothly.
The publisher and owner, Babette Herrmann, began working in the Gallup area in 2010. First for the weekly newspaper The Gallup Herald, and next for the Gallup Independent.
In 2013, she decided to venture out on her own. She started the Gallup Post, but when that business model went under about six months after it started, she decided to stick to specialty publications.
She spent time working on those speciality publications until a local business owner approached her in 2014 about starting a new paper for the Gallup community.
Herrmann admits she felt a little “gun shy” at first, unsure if she wanted to take the plunge into starting a new paper again. But after a little encouragement, and her fiancé experiencing a health scare, she took the leap.
Now, she looks back on that first issue fondly. She laughs when she remembers how anxious she was about getting the pages to the printer on time. For a while there, she did everything herself — the reporting, the editing, the page design, and the ad sales.
PRESENT DAY AT THE SUN
Over 10 years later, the Sun only continues to grow. It currently has a circulation that varies from 5,000 to 7,600, depending on advertising sales. Its new website, gallupsunweekly.com attracts people from all over the Southwest to read about what’s going on in Gallup and the surrounding region.
Herrmann said her goal when starting the paper was to simply publish the local news and serve as an alternative news source to the daily newspaper, which has referred to the Sun disparagingly as a “tabloid” in their editorials. The Sun started as a tabloid-sized paper, but converted to broadsheet in January 2024.
“The goal was to create something beautiful, colorful, and something for the community to enjoy and take pride in and also participate in,” Herrmann said. “I want to hear from the readers about what they think of the state of Gallup, whichever situation it’s in, whether that be politically or socially.”
She also wanted to help crack down on public safety issues. In a December 2017 article, the Sun reported that drivers who operate a motor vehicle under the influence in McKinley County have a 43% chance that their criminal charge will be dropped or pleaded out by the district attorney. Herrmann said she wanted to make a statement about that fact.
“I guess [publishing DWI reports] is our way of publicly shaming or calling out those who drink and drive,” Herrmann said. “I feel like it’s necessary because the penalty for getting a DWI in New Mexico is rather relaxed.”
Cody Begaye has served as the paper’s contributing editor since 2020. Before he had his college degree, he spent the summer of 2016 working as a deliveryman for the paper. When he finished school and moved back to Window Rock, Ariz., he began looking for opportunities to use his literature and communication skills. He began working for the Sun as a reporter in 2018.
He said working for the Sun has given him the opportunity to learn more about his community.
“Even though I’ve lived in the Window Rock/Gallup area just about my whole life now, I was never really able to attend local events,” he said. “But [the Sun] allowed me to meet new people and learn about all these events. One of my first big assignments for the Sun was talking to Larry Peterson about WildThing.”
Now, Begaye is the contributing editor for the Sun. He said his entire tenure at the paper has taught him some valuable lessons.
“It’s one thing to hear rumors and hearsay over on social media or from people around you,” he said. “People are willing to take so many things at face value now, and being in this role has allowed me to play into my own inherent curiosity to learn about things on my own and form my own judgement from there.”
THE FUTURE OF THE SUN
After 10 years in business, Herrmann says she only sees growth for the Sun.
Herrmann said it’s all an effort to stay on top of trends. As the publisher, she has to keep an eye on newspaper industry trends. She noted that social media and video have a much greater influence on the industry than they did 10 years ago.
With that in mind, she said it’s even harder for consumers nowadays to keep track of what’s fact and what’s fiction.
“The lines are getting blurred between influencers and real journalists,” she said. “There is a difference in both of those things. So it’s more important than ever for newspapers to stick to their guns and practice good journalism, even on social media. It’s important to remain unbiased and not let your opinions flip into news stories, and I see more of that today than I did 10 years ago.”
The Sun strives to remain unbiased in their reporting and attempts to speak with both sides when telling a controversial story. Herrmann made a decision when starting the paper not to run any editorials. As a small paper, the Sun lacks an editorial board. So, she invites the community to submit columns or letters to the editor.
“I want readers to know that what goes on those [opinion] pages isn’t news nor does it reflect any opinions of the editorial staff,” she said. “It’s a space to place commentary whether it’s syndicated, a politician’s viewpoint, or a local resident’s perspective. I encourage readers to share their viewpoints; it’s essentially their space.”
And it’s indeed fortunate that Gallup is a two newspaper town in a challenging and seemingly volatile environment for small local newspapers.
According to the Medill State of Local News Report, 127 newspapers across the country shuttered their doors in 2024, leaving 55 million Americans with limited to no access to local news.
Herrmann acknowledged the challenges of the newspaper industry, but she also said it’s the Gallup community’s support that keeps the Sun’s doors open.
“This profession is not static,” she said. “Every day it’s evolving and changing, and I’m learning new things every day, every week, and that’s what I love about running a newspaper. It’s interesting, it’s neat, despite the topsy-turvy nature. I love the community too, people are really supportive of each other in Gallup.”
As for the next 10 years, Herrmann said she hopes to be retired herself, but that doesn’t mean an end for the Sun.
“One of these days I’ll retire, but I hope to see the Gallup Sun carry on,” she said. “I think we mean something to the community, and I feel like we have a great product. I hope to see it carry on forever.”
