Our Continuing Mission

With this edition, The East Hampton Star celebrates its 130th anniversary. Much has changed about the communities The Star covers since its first 500 copies were published on Dec. 26, 1885, but much remains the same.

From the early days, East Hampton has always been an interesting place to live, and, as we say in the newsroom — just report on it and you can’t help but have an interesting newspaper. This isn’t entirely fair, of course. The Star’s success has always depended on the dedication and effort of its staff and contributors, as well as a healthy dose of what we like to call institutional knowledge.

When The Star was established, East Hampton was largely a farming and fishing town, though a rising tide of summer visitors was beginning to put it on the map. Then, as now, obituaries were a key part of the newspaper’s identity. Over time, attention has grown to include police news, balanced by accounts of the good works of townspeople, and by the opinions expressed in letters to the editor. Friction between new and old, and between the environment and the demands people put on it, have become a su/btext to almost every story that makes the front page.

Today, like so many other news organizations, The Star faces continually shifting challenges. Still, the mission of holding up an honest mirror to East Hampton and the surrounding hamlets and villages remains intact, whether its readers get their news from the print edition or in one of The Star’s digital forms. Throughout its history, The Star’s role has been to help the community know itself — and it will continue to be so. We thank you for reading.