Twenty-five years isn't long in the overall picture, but it's a small triumph over the perilous shoals of competition and fickle public reading tastes. This is no small feat in an information-saturated world where even in a relatively small, isolated community like the Wood River Valley, competition for consumer attention and advertiser dollars is brisk, often fierce, from radio, television and other print media. Survival itself is remarkable. But the curiosity for answers makes survival possible, even necessary. Life raises questions.
Newspapers are forums for discussion.
And there has been a simple formula for the 1,300 weekly forums that the Express has published since 1974. People want information to improve their own lives and surroundings. Besides its principled stands on the issues and hard work by a changing staff that has produced over 220 journalism awards for excellence, the Idaho Mountain Express is remarkable for three things. The first is its fiery origin. Second is its stable ownership.