Editorial
The days that follow the publishing of a controversial editorial are fascinating, physiologically. Readers often run the gambit of how they are affected by what was shared, how those opinions compared to their own, possible conflicts resulting from water-cooler debates with colleagues, etc. Sometimes there’s criticism, other times not, but most of the time, the frequently repeated comment is, “I bet you don’t get many Christmas cards from — fill in the blank.”
Perfect example of how a comment is funny because it’s true.
Now turn that lens around and look at the situation from my perspective. Often, the causalities of the more finely tipped words are people that I like. Not so easy to do, especially knowing that you could destroy relationships with people you generally respect.
So, why do it? The answer: Money... but probably not like you think.
It has nothing to do with any slight uptick in sales at the newsstand, it’s more basic than that. I get to use the title of Newspaper Editor because I get paid to be the editor of the newspaper. Part of those duties is writing opinions on the news affecting the lives of our readers.
In 1906, the first editor of this publication wrote that “if the north pole was ever discovered it would be by some country newspaperman looking for a new location.” This was back when a dispute over a county proposition to relocate the Fisher County seat from Roby to North Roby was front-page news, and when Rotan was still an unnamed community of staked but otherwise vacant lots locals referred to as White Flat.
For the record. Robert Peary discovered the North Pole three years later in 1909. He wasn’t a newspaperman. In 1969, Sir Walter William Herbert became the first man fully recognized as walking to the North Pole, concluding that Peary was off by roughly 60 miles.
Herbert wasn’t a newspaper man either. He was what would be best categorized as a Renascence Man. Google him... and read more than Wikipedia. Herbert is representative of those cut from a cloth that we hope rises to the occasion in times of distress, such as those pesky revolutions nations are often prone to.
I was recently discussing with a friend how thankful we both were that our founding fathers were cut from a similar cloth, and how they were wise men because they were aware they were flawed. They knew that to succeed, their great experiment needed a way to balance itself as the people the constitution serves evolved.
Ideally, wise decisions when casting your ballot for representation would be enough for the system to work, but sometimes we elect idiots. Thus, the first amendment to the document guarantees your voice to be heard, to petition the government when you see wrong... however...
If you want to vote on the issue, get elected.
But you don’t have time in your busy schedule to even campaign for office, let alone the hours of needed education it takes to be an effective representative. National, as well as most statelevel offices, are not in the forecast for most of us, and for many, local offices such as school district trustee or city council member would be impractical for countless different reasons.
For that matter, historical records show that citizen attendance at public meetings has declined to statistical averages mere fractions above zero. Who has time to go listen to a bunch of officials talk about a bunch of percentages and boring details about stuff that might not even matter to us for years? Especially when there’s serious stuff going on with the Dutton family.
Surely there is an easier way to find that stuff out, right?
And that is why journalism, especially community journalism, matters. And at only $1 per copy, it’s cheaper than Starbucks and probably more palatable.
So, we go to those long boring meetings that you don’t want to go to, and
probably only rarely watch in their entirety on our social media platforms. On average, I rack up around 20 hours each month attending meetings. I probably logged more hours in meetings in my first year as Editor than many officials did in their first term.
I sit, recorder running, listening, learning, and doing my best to understand the issues so I can tell you why it matters, and like any good series observed with regularity, I get invested... However... I don’t get a vote anymore than you.
What I do have is between 700 – 900 words to share my opinions on whatever might be going down here in the real world — that place where Hollywood gets its ideas. I would like to believe the combination of meeting hours logged and your one-dollar contribution has given me a good enough reason to do it, even if it means the greeting card industry takes a hit.