Published: Feb. 28, 2017
Now, more than ever, we need journalists
On Friday, I attended the
annual Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s convention in Middleton. At the
convention, as there is every year, was a display showcasing the
award-winning writing, design and photography entries from throughout
the state.
As I looked
at those entries, I looked in amazement and pride in the level of work
by not only our staff here, but with my colleagues.
If you’re not supporting your local newspaper in some way, whether
it is with a print subscription, a digital subscription or buying it at a
store, you are missing out on great work.
Being a journalist today is a far greater challenge than it was 10
years ago. We are asked to do more than we’ve ever had to with less time
available. Now, we have President Trump calling the media the enemy,
questioning a journalist’s importance or relevance, hence the term
“fake news.”
Here at the Daily News, we are not producing fake news, never have and never will.
Right now, mainstream media outlets such as the New York Times or USA
Today are being put on a pedestal as the “representatives” of the
entire industry. Community newspapers such as the Daily News are not
the New York Times or USA Today. Community journalists are needed now
just like they have been for more than 150 years. How would you like
to have your taxes raised without being told? Or how would you like
the county government fund some kind of construction project that will
cost millions of dollars and not know about it?
Who will tell you that? A journalist. A real journalist. Not wannabe journalists who have no accountability.
Who told you about the Hillary Clinton emails? A journalist. Who told you about the Michael Flynn fiasco? A journalist.
Without a journalist, it is possible Clinton would be president and
Flynn would still be this country’s national security advisor.
We also tell good stories.
In December, I wrote a story about a woman who turned 100 years old
hours before Christmas Day. In the Feb. 21 edition of the Daily News,
Joe Vandelaarschot told you about a family getting a new home.
Saturday’s edition told you about a retiring Hartford police officer.
There are hundreds more. A newspaper is not a newsletter. If we just
report good news, are we providing fair coverage of your community and
are we giving you, the reader, valuable information?
If there is a murder in town, wouldn’t you want to know about it?
One of the seminars I attended was about community journalism and
its importance. Whether you know it or not, communities need
journalists.
How would you like it if the Hartford reliever route had been been passed without your knowledge?
And that leads to another point.
In the state Legislature right now is a proposed bill that, if passed,
will revoke the requirement that local government and school boards
post their actions in the newspaper.
How would you feel if you learned East and West high schools were
combined and weren’t told about it? Who will be responsible to tell you
that? A journalist.
It
is taking away the public’s right to know what elected officials are
doing with your hardearned dollars and cents. If this goes through,
your right to know will be harder to tell.
I’m a journalist because I love the idea of being able to make a difference. I know I’m not the only one who believes this.
While we aim to be perfect, we are human and humans make mistakes.
But, when we make a mistake, we correct them. We are accountable for
whatever we do.
Here in
Washington County and in several hundred communities around the
country are newspapers that produce quality journalism, real news.
Without them, imagine what you would know and what you wouldn’t know.
Nicholas Dettmann is managing editor of the Daily News
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