This is National Newspaper Week, if you had not already figured that out by the general theme of the content of this page.
Some might say the observance is a time for those of us in print media — specifically, newspapers — to toot our collective horns, to spit and polish our award plaques, and to remind everyone else of just how important we are.
I’m not much for horn-tooting, the plaques hanging in our office are rather dusty for lack of attention, and I am from that old school of thought in believing that it is our readers, not we ourselves, who should assess our worth and value to the communities we endeavor to serve.
What we do — what I have been doing here at The Sun-Sentinel for almost 37 years — is perform a job. But without getting puffed up about it, I realize that we in the media also perform a public service — that is, if we do what we should do in a fair and unbiased way.
Being born and raised in Charleston and cutting my teeth on local lore, it has been and still is an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Tallahatchie County — many of them family, longtime friends, neighbors — through this newspaper.
Over the years, I have played at least a small role in writing, designing and distributing some 2,000 separate weekly editions of The Sun-Sentinel and another 150 or so special pull-out sections covering football, back to school, graduation, local elections and various other themes. All told, in my rough estimation, that adds up to somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 printed newspaper pages of content.
I have ink in my blood. Writing is something I feel I was born to do, and I am blessed to be able to fulfill my calling here where my life began.
Seems like my earlier profession of disdain for horn-tooting took a wrong turn somewhere after the third paragraph.
However, I said all I did to illustrate the absolute necessity of the community’s support and involvement with this and any other newspaper, because none of those aforementioned pages or editions would have been possible without someone else’s input.
This newspaper has been blessed in the nearly four decades that I have been here, and long before I came, with the support of thousands who have contributed birth announcements, school accolades, photos of family trips and vacations, news of club activities, community social news, engagements, weddings, and on and on.
Once upon a time, the local newspaper — not just here, but everywhere — was the primary outlet for sharing news and information.
If little Johnny got an award for something, a photo and a few facts would be submitted to the newspaper for printing in the next edition. Nowadays, social media is the go-to avenue for many.
Once upon a time, the classified page of newspapers were filled with ads for the sale of anything and everything under the sun. Nowadays, Facebook can advertise those items for free.
I get it. I do. I am not a social media basher, and I am not criticizing anyone for using it. I have a personal Facebook page, and The Sun-Sentinel has a Facebook page by which we distribute a lot of important information to the public.
For several years now we have had a website, and I appreciate the timeliness with which we are able to post photos, news and announcements about breaking events that occur between newspaper publication dates.
The technology is not evil, but the headlines do not lie. Many newspapers — especially large, top-heavy, big-city ones — have folded. Some have cut back on the number of editions they print each week. Others have ditched their print edition altogether in favor of a digital-only format. All is designed to cater to perceived market demand while trying to maintain a high level of service and, hopefully, turn a profit in a business that is not, contrary to some belief, subsidized by the government.
The technology has changed tremendously since I began working at this newspaper in December 1982. The manner in which things get done, the processes, the workflow — all of it has evolved.
Still, the same basic, underlying ingredients go into producing each weekly edition — local coverage of local newsmakers and events that matter to local people.
It’s not a complicated formula. A community newspaper must cover the community, and it must have the support — paid advertising, paid subscriptions and the submission of news, announcements, photos, etc. — to ensure its viability.
During this National Newspaper Week, I would like to say “thank you” to every advertiser, every subscriber, every person who purchases a single copy of the newspaper from a store or rack each week, all contributing writers and photographers, all officials and community members who cooperate with our coverage of local happenings or who play any other role whatsoever in making The Sun-Sentinel what it is — which, we hope, is something worthwhile for all.
Like most other newspapers, our circulation numbers have declined as time takes a toll on more loyal longtime readers while many of the younger generation value a smartphone, touch-screen tablet or other portable device above ink on paper.
Newspapers remain a lasting local record of events — something tangible that can’t go missing when the power goes out or a battery dies.
The Sun-Sentinel, like other newspapers across the land and around the world, has been undergoing a process of digitization for years now, and over time we hope to have all of our past editions available for online reading and research at the click of a mouse or the tap of the finger and to make them all available on our website.
I expect that our industry will continue to change in an effort to embrace ever-advancing technology and to meet ever-evolving consumer preferences and demands. However, our underlying mission will remain the same.
We cannot see the future, but with your support, we plan to be here serving the people of Tallahatchie County for a very long time to come.
As always, thank you for reading The Sun-Sentinel.
