There once was a time when every town had a newspaper waiting on doorsteps, at the end of snowy driveways, or stacked in wire racks at the corner store. Hyper-local news wasn’t a luxury—it was expected. Investigations uncovered long-running zoning battles, sharp editorials fueled debate at the dinner table, and a well-reported article could force accountability and understanding where it was lacking.
A column might make people have a good laugh, and a deep dive into town history could offer newcomers a stronger sense of place. The paper kept people informed, kept power in check, and kept the community in conversation with itself.
Newspapers don’t just document life; they anchor it. They remind people that a town is more than a collection of houses and the roads between—it’s a shared history, an honest and reflective conversation, a forum that shines light where it’s needed, a place to pause for a think and a smile.
Now, much of that is gone.
Across America newspapers are disappearing, and with them we’re at risk of losing a record of who we are and what we value. Town budgets pass with little scrutiny. Local issues go unreported. In their place, national news cycles flood our feeds, distorting the scale of what matters and reducing community-based civic life to a polarized, often hollow spectacle.
The founders of The Overlook saw this happening in the Catskills and Hudson Valley and refused to let these towns—Hunter, Hurley, Olive, Saugerties, Shandaken, and Woodstock—become just another statistic in the rise of “news deserts.” They envisioned something different: a newsroom built from the ground up, rooted in rigorous reporting and community journalism.
So we began where all good journalism does—by asking questions and listening to the answers.
Over the past few months, we met with residents in libraries across the towns we’ll cover. Some traced their roots here for generations. Others had just arrived, drawn by the same pull-of-the-mountains that has made the Catskills a place of reinvention for centuries. Their lives were different, yet they shared a profound concern. This region needs strong, independent journalism.
People told us they wanted reporting that connects the dots—how an influx of wealth impacts whether their children can afford to stay, how development will shape the future of their town, how failing infrastructure—from unreliable cell service to crumbling roads—affects daily life. But they also wanted stories that surprise and delight—advice columns, thoughtful essays, and stunning photography that captures the beauty and character of this region.
As The Overlook’s founding editor-in-chief, I’ve been entrusted with bringing this vision to life.
My name is Noah Eckstein, and I look forward to meeting you. I am a journalist and editor with work published in The New York Times, Vogue, Semafor, Variety, The Guardian, Fast Company, and other international, national, and regional outlets. I studied at Columbia University, earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from City, University of London, and a master’s degree in U.S. history and politics from University College London.
At The Overlook, we will publish journalism that is investigative and explanatory. We’ll report on the forces shaping this region—housing crises, conservation battles, public health, immigration, economic shifts—but also document the interesting and accomplished people who make these towns what they are. The educators, the artists, the organizers, the musicians, and the small business owners—the ones who keep a community’s identity intact, even as change persists. While we intend to take our watchdog role seriously, we pledge never to take ourselves so seriously that we stop having fun and forget to shine a light on the characters and ethos that make this region so special.
We believe good journalism demands both courage and humility—the courage to ask hard questions and the humility to listen carefully, especially to voices too often overlooked. We won’t just report on problems. We’ll look for solutions. We’ll aim for understanding.
But remember—we are not just one thing.
Our name is no accident. The Overlook is a nod to the landscape that defines this place, but also to our mission: to rise above the noise, to take the long view, to see the patterns shaping our future before they harden into history.
The Catskills have always been a place of transformation. From the Indigenous stewards who first named these peaks to the artists who reimagined their possibilities, from the farmers who cultivated these valleys to the environmentalists who protected them—this region has always been home to those who believe in something bigger than themselves.
Now, as local journalism faces its greatest crisis, we’re daring to imagine a new way forward.
This is only the beginning. We invite you to be part of it. Subscribe—it’s free. Engage. Question. Contribute. Please, show your support. Because when local journalism thrives, democracy and community deepen.
Welcome to The Overlook.
Noah Eckstein
Editor-in-Chief
Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com