A 22 year old said to me last week, “Oh, you work at a newspaper, I didn’t know people read them anymore, I just get my news through social media.” The next thing out of her mouth was “Why do we even need the news, it’s so depressing.”
When I asked her if she believes everything she reads on social media she said, “Well, I guess so.” Then I asked her if we didn’t report on what the city and county government was doing, police and fire, who would be there to keep citizens informed and people accountable?
Another point I made was that on any social media platform, words can be changed at anytime but when we put our words onto the page they stay there. We can’t share something that’s not factual then erase it later. We hold our newspaper to a higher standard and if the situation occurs that we publish a story then find out later that things have changed or additional information is received, we will update the news not go back and erase the outdated information.
Our newspaper journalists write from an unbiased platform. We report the facts and let the readers decide how they feel about them. In social media and even on television people tend to get their information from sources that agree with what aligns with their beliefs, which is fine but once again, it’s not local news.
There are individuals and organizations doing great things in our community. Shouldn’t their mission be shared, recognized and hopefully others will join in or find motivation? On the flip side, if something has happened or is scheduled to happen that can impact you in a negative or positive manner, you have a better chance of hearing about it in our paper. We keep the readers up-to-date on our community.
We benefit businesses by sharing their story, advertising and opportunities. Being involved in the community, participating in events, attending council meetings and being board members keeps us in tune with what’s happening which helps strengthen the infrastructure of our news and the community.
I believe that The Reflector newspaper is an integral part of the community. What worries me is the thinking of the younger generation who are not connected to our community. They are not aware of what is happening around them. Maybe as they mature they will find that local news is important, history is valuable, and that they can’t believe everything that they see on social media.
Thank you for reading, and we will continue with our commitment to keep you informed about key issues in your community.
I wish you all a happy New Year.
