Case Study:

hw news. it’s in your hands.

This brand idea (tagline) case study is best communicated in the medium about which it was written.

Try reading the newspaper version, but the full article is also typed out below.

how did hw news tagline come about?

When the editors of H-W News asked me to write about how I came up with the tagline, "It’s in your hands," I knew exactly where to begin: our lunch at 15 Walnut. I met with the three founders of the newspaper over sandwiches and iced tea, to discuss their vision for a new H-W publication.

What struck me most during that lunch wasn’t just their passion for the community or their motivations behind the project, but their decision to bring back something I hadn’t expected: a physical newspaper. A real, tangible, hold-it-in-your-hands newspaper. In this age of endless links, TikToks, and infinite-scroll feeds, these guys were going old-school.

But the idea didn't feel old school. It somehow felt revolutionary to me.

Yes, revolutionary. A physical newspaper in 2025 is less a throwback and more an innovation. Think about it. Once a newspaper is printed, there’s no editing, no going back, no changing the headline or tweaking the story to fit the latest trend. A printed newspaper is a commitment. It’s accountable to its audience in a way digital simply can’t be—nor does it seem to want to be.

But a physical paper is about more than accountability. Unlike Reddit or Facebook, where algorithms tailor your experience to your clicks, a physical newspaper presents the news in a linear, curated manner. There’s no skipping around based on preferences or being fed content designed to keep you scrolling. That's what profit-driven media will get you. Instead, with a physical newspaper you start on page one, then open to the first spread, and continue from there. Everyone in the community reads the same content in the same order (pretty much), creating a shared experience. We don't have many of those.

It was funny. All of these benefits made me wonder, if newspapers were never invented, might they be today for all the reasons described above?

Regardless, the physical nature of the H-W News is the literal meaning behind "It’s in your hands." But there’s a deeper meaning, too, one that’s even more important.

Fact is, Hamilton and Wenham haven’t had a local newspaper in years. Without reliable local news, people have turned to Facebook groups for updates—and it hasn’t been pretty. These forums often devolve into arguments fueled by half-informed opinions and the "online disinhibition effect" - when engaging online, people are more likely to say things they’d never say face-to-face. Discussions that should build understanding and consensus instead create division and mistrust.

This frustration—with both the lack of reliable local news and the toxicity of online discourse—was a key motivator for the founders. They wanted to create something better: an unbiased newspaper that equips residents with the information they need to engage meaningfully with the issues facing their towns.

And that’s where the second meaning of the tagline comes in. After you’ve read H-W News, the knowledge you gain is yours. What you choose to do with it—how you engage with your neighbors, your local government, your schools—is, quite literally, in your hands.

The tagline, then, reflects both the physical nature of the paper and the responsibility it places on its readers. It’s a reminder that staying informed is the first step toward meaningful action within our community.

In this way, "It’s in your hands" isn’t just a slogan. It’s a challenge—and an opportunity—for all of us to be better neighbors and more informed citizens. Further, the H-W News being a nonprofit, it’s in our hands to make sure this newspaper stays viable. Financial contributions to its health and advertising support are not only welcome, but necessary for its survival.

It was in that spirit I was honored to help this amazing group of founders. And, as you can plainly see, H-W News is here. It's in your hands.