Interviews with ten reporters and editors for community newspapers, all winners of Pulitzer Prizes for articles that dealt with nonelite groups, formed the basis for the information presented in this paper. Among the topics discussed are problems caused by the close proximity of the community press to its readers; the economic and physical perils faced by Southern journalists who have taken unpopular racial positions during times of civil rights strife; problems faced by community press reporters due to insufficient resources for adequately covering the news; social and economic pressure on the community press to uphold the status quo, and the consequent tendency of the community press to refrain from reporting on controversial subjects--such as the social conditions of nonelite groups--until such time as they result in a confrontation situation; and the potential power of the community newspaper in reducing violence and curbing tensions when conflicts do occur. It is concluded that the community press only occasionally speaks up courageously in coverage of nonelite groups. (GT)