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At different junctures in my journalistic career, I’ve had
friends and fellow journalists ask me why I’ve remained in the weekly
newspaper business. “Why didn’t you move up the ladder and get a job on
a daily?” they’ve asked.
My standard answer is that I don’t want to live in a large metro area,
and I enjoy covering small town Americana. It’s not that I haven’t
lived in a city…I lived in the Twin Cities for two years while earning
my AA degree and two years in the Fargo-Moorhead metroplex while
completing my BS degree (that’s bachelor of science, although some
folks would beg to differ).
While there are times when my position as a community journalist has
required the covering of violent crimes or heart-wrenching tragedies,
the number of times I’ve had to cover murders, assaults, armed
robberies, or rapes could be counted on two hands. And most of those
events occurred during my first year when I was working for a large
weekly in Southeast Texas.
This all came to mind last week, as I scanned one of the daily papers
we subscribe to at The Argus. “Driver gets max in child fatality” was
the banner headline. “High court affirms gun rights” was another. The
three stories on the first inside news page included “Congress passes
$162 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan wars” “Bombs kill three Marines” and
“Buns and Guns restaurant opens in Beirut.”
In contrast, our front page stories in last week’s Argus had to do with
the city’s summer reading program, the fact that area campgrounds
damaged during the June floods were now all open, how a change in the
state’s Green Acres tax law would impact county residents, and an
feature story on Twin Creeks Golf Course in Hokah.
I realize that folks buy a daily newspaper to get the news of the
world…much of which isn’t real pleasant. And people who subscribe to a
weekly newspaper are looking for the local news, which is usually a
little more mundane or laid back.
And that’s my point. I’ve never been an ambulance chaser. I don’t like
taking photos of carnage or tragedies. I got my fill of that during the
year I spent in Texas. If my memory serves me, I covered three murders,
two bank robberies, (one of which I nearly walked into the bank to make
my deposit, as three gunmen were inside) several gruesome suicides, and
several fatal car accidents. I guess I decided right then and there
that I would much rather cover city council, school board, and county
board meetings, and do feature stories on the many enjoyable aspects of
small town living.
I’ve never regretted my decision to remain in community journalism.
Actually, the next to the last word of the previous sentence really
sums up why I’m sure I will always work in the weekly newspaper
business. Community- being part of a small town- covering the ups and
downs, the triumphs and tragedies, being able to walk down the streets
and have folks comment (good or bad) about what I write or the photos I
take.
Just about everyone has made a decision or two he or she has probably
regretted. I know I have. But following in both my grandfather and
father’s footsteps, working as a small town editor isn’t one of
them.
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