15-Year-Olds Schooled Me On The Future Of Print
What a teen-run newspaper taught me about why youthful idealism and smart strategy might just save the print industry.
There’s a certain fondness we all feel when looking back at the best summer of our youth. Whether you went to camp, traveled, or simply did nothing for two months, the bottom line was this: school was out, and freedom was in. So when I read about a group of 15-year-olds launching a weekly summer newspaper—entirely on their own—I had to do a double-take.
As many of us first found out about The Ditch Weekly (TDW) situation from the New York Times two weeks ago, sharing the unlikely story of a summer paper founded by middle and high schoolers, what really fascinated me about this was the fact that these teenagers had made a conscious decision to be in the newspaper business, when everyone, including perhaps their parents, has entertained building all kinds of businesses online.
That’s right—Gen Z kids have chosen to get into the newspaper business, an industry that’s been declared numerous times to be on the brink of extinction since Facebook and Twitter users started breaking news faster than actual journalists—and they’re actually profitable??
“I hear a lot of, ‘Print is dying,’” Ellis (Rattray) said. He and Billy (Stern) started discussing potential business ideas in the summer of 2023, like selling food on the beach or writing a newsletter. A conversation with Mr. (David) Rattray (Ellis’ father) about his line of work made them consider a paper.
Billy, who joined his high school newspaper as a freshman, called a printer to get an idea of production costs and looked up ad rates on The Star’s website. “The numbers worked out,” he said.
The founders’ parents said they were not covering the paper’s expenses, which are supported by advertisements that the teenagers sell to local restaurants, real estate agents and surf shops. (A few ads have been sold to relatives of staff members.)
-Excerpt from the New York Times
What does this story show us? Many things, actually, and I’m just giggling because all this time, I’ve been racking my brain about possibly needing to dismantle the entire Fourth Estate, when really, all I may have needed was to tap into my old days as a campus paper writer.
More seriously, the purpose of this piece is to identify which areas future newspaper publishers need to focus on, on top of the aspects they shouldn’t overlook, and what they must do to make sure that print has turned over a new leaf and will be around, at least for a while.
Let’s begin with the fact that its editorial team’s age has become their main reason for turning this into a real success. As a self-proclaimed print futurist, here are my key takeaways from The Ditch Weekly story:
1. The youth perspective needs to be brought back
Numerous studies support the importance of involving youth in projects, particularly in industries that require constant creative thinking and innovation.
Taking this idea a step further, not only is age diversity crucial on the editorial and business side, but tapping into a younger readership altogether is a risk worth taking into consideration to trigger newspaper revival in the 21st century. It just may be that youth-led storytelling is the last, virtually untapped reservoir of print media growth.
It’s not a new idea. The origin of zines has been rooted in youth expression, activism, and, in more modern settings, the punk subculture. In the Philippines, for example, Inquirer’s Youngblood is a column that has been around since the mid-1990s, catering to writers under 30 who want to tackle coming-of-age issues, including relationships, identity, and even politics.
When you want to put to a vote the long-term success of an idea, ask the younger generation. Where they lack in experience, they make up for in their ability to adapt quickly, especially if it’s an opportunity for self-expression and doesn’t clash with their idealism. The best part? Once you’re able to get the young adults to pick up a newspaper on their own volition, you’re looking at a long-term bond that will only grow stronger for decades.
2. The more localized, the better
In the piece I wrote about solving the newspaper problem, one solution I cited was adjusting the content to the offline readership behavior. As with the case of TDW, you’ll see how the application of this concept is more nuanced nowadays, yet it makes total sense. It’s pretty genius, really.
TDW covers local news and culture in Montauk and nearby areas, known for having the small-town charm and an artsy beach vibe that New York socialites and celebrities like to bask in during summer.
This means three things: geographical scope is more manageable, stories are more relatable, and therefore, the exclusivity element is all the more highlighted. This is great for approaching advertisers and advertorial story opportunities, should the publication wish to pursue this revenue-generating strategy in the future.
3. Timing is everything
Daily is too time-consuming and costly, and monthly just doesn’t match well with the indie feel that the newspaper proudly exudes. If the paper swells to 80 pages, it begins to shift to a more lifestyle format, in which case, quality storytelling becomes the bigger priority over quantity of news.
That said, the seasonal run, though probably incidental, is nothing to scoff at. Releasing the paper for a limited time (ie, only in summer) gives readers something to look forward to. Should they decide to turn this into a more full-time running endeavor, perhaps during the off-season, it’s a wise idea to consider launching a different title that can be either an alter-ego or offshoot of TDW—one that’s more editorialized and niche.
4. Don’t ditch digital
One of the common concerns brands have these days is having to compete with content bros bombarding you with ads for their products and services. While niche content dominates digital, TDW’s core value is the printed medium itself—tangible, local, and slow. Therefore, they must also continue to leverage their physical aspect by not having digital offers that could cannibalize this unique edge.
Sure, they still need to be on the main social media platforms for more awareness, as their staff member also emphasized, to show that they’re “fun,” not “boring.” But they shouldn’t forget that at the end of the day, their on-the-ground, face-to-face promotions and networking are the tactics that have truly worked for a product such as theirs.
5. Sell merch tastefully
While we’re on the topic of online marketing efforts, it wouldn’t hurt to promote TDW merchandise eventually on their website and socials. If they could create their own mascot or original comic strip, this could be an ongoing theme that they can run on both their offline and online assets, not to mention, be on future TDW t-shirts, caps, canvas tote bags, and mugs.
They can turn to iconic titles such as The New Yorker, Monocle, MAD Magazine, and McSweeney’s for inspiration. Just please, don’t start selling overpriced snacks, candles, scrunchies, or any of that.
6. Human stories are still a currency
Especially in the time of unregulated machine-generated narratives, now more than ever, we see communities rallying around original, human-centric work. Bonus points if they’re not spat out in AI slop form and are tangible.
I expect no less from the Montauk-based publication, which is not naive when it comes to the fake and fickle side of fame and fortune. They’re going all-in on putting a spotlight on the lesser-known side of their tight-knit community.
They would rather assign stories about the version of Montauk and its surroundings that they know best. In interviews between copy-edits, they described quiet winters attending East Hampton High School and summers spent surfing and biking around Montauk Shores, the community of high-end trailer homes that overlooks Ditch Plains Beach.
“Everyone thinks of it as just a rich, touristy place, but there’s so much of the past that nobody really knows about,” said Ellis, 15, who wrote an article last year about the history of Montauk’s skate park. Working on the paper, he added, “I learned so much about the town I live in.”
-Excerpt from the NYT
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But Wait, There’s More…
To close this article, I reached out to The Ditch Weekly’s editor-in-chief, Billy Stern. I asked what he thought about the future of their newspaper and print media in general. He was kind enough to respond to my email just in time for Thursday publication. Here’s how the interview went down:
What does the future of TDW look like to you, especially in terms of print vs. digital?
We’ve had thoughts about dropping a Substack, but we love that the paper is just print. It’s something you don’t see today. We actually are working on releasing a magazine next summer.
What's the team's brainstorming process like?
People on our staff come to me with new ideas, or I assign my own ideas to them. Often times non-Ditch team members will give me a great idea and I’ll use it.
What kind of research do you and your team do to learn more about the newspaper trade?
Whenever I go to a new place that has a print newspaper, I always grab it and look through it to compare it to ours. I also speak to a lot of experienced people in this field for advice on how to operate more efficiently.
In a media landscape that favors quick consumption, what’s your case for slow, long-form print journalism? Do you see the younger generation's preference for print over digital?
The younger generation DEFINITELY does NOT prefer print, but we won’t gear them towards it. The true goal is to just get everyone off their phone and build something the community can read and take pride in.
On a personal note, how has long-form writing and running a newspaper business changed you? Do you see yourself wanting to be less on social media?
It has made me a much more skilled writer. I find myself in school writing much more fluently. Honestly, I think I might be on social media even more now. I run our Instagram, so I find myself constantly replying to messages and posting stories. However, I don’t have TikTok, and I don’t just scroll all day. I use it to grow my business.
Are there sections or themes you’re hoping to expand or experiment with more in future issues?
Just more community topics, I want to talk about sports a lot. There’s a lot of interesting sports topics in Montauk that don’t get covered.
What kind of story are you still hoping someone pitches, but no one has yet?
If I knew, it would already be in the paper!
What advice would you give someone starting a print magazine in 2025?
Stay organized! The second you lose track of things, that is when your business will die.
Do you see TDW branching out into books, events, or podcasts, or do you prefer going deeper rather than wider?
I definitely want to grow it. I think events is a good idea, but like I said, I definitely want to start the magazine next summer.
What’s something readers or contributors don’t often see, but is essential to how TDW comes together?
Just writing and editing from a kid’s point of view. Everything in print today is written by people aged 50+. You never get to see a story about kids, written by kids!
I will be eager to find out how the future issues unfold for the folks at TDW. Here’s to hoping they stick to their guns and build on what has worked in the first place.
If today’s 15-year-olds can see the value of a paper and build it from scratch, the rest of us have no excuse not to imagine print’s future more boldly, and invest in it.∎
If you liked this article, I wrote a piece on how to save the print industry in the Philippines, which could also apply to the newspaper business elsewhere around the world:
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Our Newspapers?
On May 2, 2025, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, one of the country’s top broadsheets, announced a major shift: a merger of its print and digital operations. The official line was financial sustainability. But inside the media industry, the mood was somber. For many, it felt like another nail in the coffin of the “Fourth Estate,” a pillar of any functioni…
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This gave me hope. If Gen Z is choosing print—not for nostalgia, but for connection—then maybe the future of media isn’t dead. It’s just recalibrating.
This is a great read and very insightful. I like the insight and gems. You’re giving us here, around timing, keeping things local and revenue generation.