In his 1963 book The Press and Foreign Policy, Bernard Cohen stated, “the press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about.”
The Reflector embraces the principle behind that observation. We believe that our role is not to tell our community what to think, but to present you with the reporting, context, and perspectives to enrich your conversations and inform your decisions.
In light of this principle, The Reflector will be departing from its occasional practice of endorsing individual political candidates, and will be returning to its more historic practice, established by former Publisher Marvin Case, of reporting on local campaigns without giving an official endorsement to a particular candidate.
When the Spiller family acquired The Reflector in July 2026, one of their primary goals was to preserve the integrity, independence, and local focus of the newspaper that has served this community since 1909. We believe the best way to do that is to keep our readers well informed, and to trust in their ability to research, listen, and decide which candidates best align with their own values and priorities.
Our dedicated newsroom will continue to cover local and relevant regional campaigns with deep care. We will continue to report on candidates, examine their records and platforms, and ask substantive questions so that you can make your vote count with complete confidence, regardless of your political beliefs.
There are many places you can go for voter guides and political endorsements, but here at The Reflector, our job is to give you the information you need to cast your vote with confidence -- not to tell you how to vote.
Thank you for your continued trust and support,
Respectfully,
James Doyle
Chief of Staff, The Reflector
