It's been over 30 years since I first took an internship at this newspaper, figuring it was a good steppingstone to get into a career as a writer.

I've never left. I guess part of it is that I've always liked newspapers.

I can remember as a boy spreading a newspaper on the floor and reading the box scores, my head resting on my hands. When I was done, my mother would scold me, telling me to wash my ink-stained elbows.

Along the way, I've learned that newspapers play a more vital role to society than sports scores. I've learned that the best journalism - the ones that enlighten and inform citizens - usually originate with newspapers, because they have far more feet on the street - ie., reporters, editors, photographers - than other media. And I've come to understand that a well-informed and enlightened citizenry can best make decisions that will benefit all of society.

No doubt these are not the best of times for newspapers. A sour economy always hurts newspapers, which are heavily dependent on advertising from the housing, automotive and employment sectors. Add to that the changed media landscape wrought by the Internet, and it's little surprise that newspapers have been forced to cut back. I'm optimistic, though - and so are many other editors.

Despite declines in revenue and repeated staff reductions, most U.S. newspaper editors remain optimistic that their publications will regain their footing by shifting news to online editions and by employing innovations such as video and computer-assisted reporting, a new study by Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism has found.

More than half of 259 editors surveyed rated the overall quality of their papers better now than three years ago, with a majority also saying the quality of writing and the depth of reporting had improved, according to the study called "The Changing Newsroom."

The solution to the challenges facing newspapers, editors say, can be summed up in three words: local, local, local. Sixty-two percent said they were devoting more space to community news, and about half said they had added more state and local news, while dedicating less to national and foreign news. They recognize that local news is what sets them apart.

Nine in 10 newsroom executives at larger papers also said they considered it essential to maintain investigative reporting, a feature that sets them apart from blogs and other new media sources. Those efforts have benefited from the proliferation of data bases, which allow newspapers to examine "hyperlocal" activities, such as neighborhood crime statistics and restaurant closures.

Editors said they had seen gains in other areas as well: the ability to post stories quickly and to update them frequently, particularly during big breaking stories such as fires and storms. The constant demands of the Web have pumped both added pressure and vitality into newsrooms, executives reported.

I certainly agree with the assessment of my colleagues at other newspapers. Here at The Sun Chronicle, we've always placed a heavy emphasis on local news. And we've taken great strides in making thesunchronicle.com a reliable source of breaking news, and a place of local information for people who prefer to get their news online.

I can sure see the advantage to reading online. You don't get ink on your elbows.

MIKE KIRBY is editor of The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached

at 508-236-0344 or at mkirby@thesunchronicle.com.