At least once a week I meet someone and they ask what I do. I say I am the editor of the local newspaper and I usually get one of two responses: “I didn’t know there were any newspapers left” or if they are from the area: “I didn’t know we had a newspaper.” I normally brush the comment off, but today I would just like to say, “Yes, there are still newspapers left and are generally considered the ‘most reliable’ news source. Yes, we have a newspaper, in fact: we have a damn good newspaper.”
I base that in part because of the results of the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, in which we won nine awards. We knew this several weeks ago, but it was embargoed until the press association meeting last weekend. We at the Tribune and Times took second place in “General Excellence” for papers of our size. I consider that an accomplishment, especially since it’s the second-consecutive year we’ve been the runner up and the third-straight year we have finished in the top three. And I look at the other two papers we shuffle the top three spots with and I can tell you those two are also damn good papers and to be considered in their class is quite a compliment.
Since so many people hang out on social media where pretty much anybody can say anything, it makes our job especially difficult, because we are not here to just spread around gossip and idle conversations. It makes it harder for folks like us who play by the rules: we can’t just say something because it’s what we think or what some neighbors assume or taking the words of a friend of a sister of the hairdresser who substituted for my regular barber as the truth. We have to verify things and sadly, sometimes facts get in the way of a good story.
I don’t claim we are perfect, but we do our best to bring old-fashioned journalism to you every week. And I think those efforts were reflected in some judges’ comments.
I do have to say I got a couple chuckles when I read the judges comments about my columns. One, on humorous columns, said, “They are far too true to make me laugh.” Nothing makes a humor writer feel much better than hearing the writings don’t make me laugh. The other was on serious column where the judge said something about me sharing a piece of my mind. As little mind as I have, that’s kind of worrisome.
I will also acknowledge the irony of winning “best sports pages” when we are in the midst of a transition where we have not been reporting all sports as thoroughly as in the past primarily because of personnel changes and partly because of limited space. We are working to remedy the situation and I am pleased to introduce Phil Serrone, who is taking over the chores of sports editor this week. We will introduce him further in the near future.
Jimmy Gillispie, our former editor/sports editor set a pretty-high bar in some areas and I am pleased the newspaper judges recognized his efforts.
We are in a transition period, but change is not bad, in fact learning new and better things is the key to survival, especially in a field such as ours. We have set a high bar for ourselves and trust me, we want to be high jumpers, not doing the limbo.
I said I based my comments in part because of the awards. But, there are other factors that make me proud to say we have a damn good newspaper. One of those is when we tell the stories of those in the community doing incredible things or maybe just doing mundane things, but in an incredible way. Sometimes it’s breaking a story that alerts readers to a topic they may not have known. Sometimes its just giving space to folks to share the goings on around them. That is one area where I wish we got more community support: let us know what you have going on, we are always on the lookout for stories to tell.
The final way I know we have a damn good newspaper is when we get feedback. Sometimes in person, sometimes it’s a note with a subscription, but when people thank us or say they appreciate us it makes a difference. And I will be honest; there are times I think I should retire and get away from the stress. It’s at those times kind words can make a big difference. For example, I will share a note we received a couple weeks ago which I keep open on my desk and re-read frequently.
“Hello, My name is Windsor and I am 10 years old and live in Drexel. I enjoy reading the paper because I like to know what’s happening in my area. Each Thursday I ask my mom if I can get the mail so I can immediately read the paper. I have been reading it for a couple months now and I found out that a McDonald’s is coming to Peculiar, which makes me excited! The funnies are my favorite section to read. I think people should read the paper so they are informed on what’s going on in their community. I want to say thank you for making the paper and I hope it continues for a long time.
“Sincerely, Windsor”
Thank you Windsor, I hope you will continue to enjoy reading the paper for a long time.
