What do you expect from a newspaper?
Perhaps a quick scan of local stories, or a great sports story about a local team. Maybe you are only interested in real estate trends or investment trends. Perhaps you only wish to know the latest trends in dining or hiking or state or local government decisions. Perhaps the latest response from the local fire or police department, or notices about open or closed businesses interest you.
Some folks love to see their names in print, while others like to take an occasional anonymous shot at local politicians or Town Council decisions. Civic organizations always want to publicize important events. Churches and clubs seek publicity for various fund- raisers or gatherings. Buyers and sellers seek aligned purposes.
The Public Pulpit is our most varied arena for discussion of trends and events. That’s an awful lot for fifty cents.
Public papers are a relatively new thing in world history. Gutenberg’s printing press changed things radically and quickly for “the masses.” Information became much more widely disseminated - not simply passed about in small vocal circles. Learning to read became mandatory, and “Freedom of the Press” became one of the most sacred rights for all of mankind. An informed public is absolutely necessary in order to insure that the best possible decisions are made by its leaders. Ideally.
For better or worse, manipulation of the public is a hallmark of great leadership. Unfortunately, leadership does not always come in a trustworthy package. Malevolent despots and, sadly, many “Wannabees” have also discovered the power. Every dictator attempts to either silence the public press or poison it with self-serving mistruths.
Even here, in the majestic U.S., the public has actually been lied to and misled by some of its elected leaders in order to instigate certain political agendas. The worst of these were accomplished by presidents of both political parties. They will have to answer to an eternal court for their malice. The costs resulting from their actions are uncountable.
Sooner or later, however, the truth bursts its way forward and becomes known to the general public once again. A widely dispersed news platform is necessary in order to illuminate all sides of an issue. Competition for the public’s trust and interest is needed, hopefully keeping news organizations at their best.
History appears to reveal that given literal and correct information, free of negative bias, the general public knows perfectly well which proper actions to take. It is the greatest hope we have.
Determining the course of action for the U.S. is probably beyond the ability of small local newspapers. An informed public, however, has influence far beyond its physical borders, especially in the modern age of personal computers. The whole is made up of many parts. Knowing the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is something which can and will benefit any community regardless of its notoriety or geography. Knowing Who, What, When, Where and often How and Why are excellent advantages. Broad knowledge enhances public and, frequently, private life.
Radio and television give us snapshots of world events. The Internet has become our encyclopedia. The publication of books and magazines is mostly devoted to leisure reading, and has greatly diminished in recent years. Internet Blog sites like www.rimcountrygazette.blogspot.com give in-depth reporting and a unique perspective for general interest reading. Nothing can satisfy the immediacy of interest in local life like a local newspaper, however.
O.K., it’s often a quick read and may end up as a wrapper or a cage liner. It‘s versatile, you see. (no extra charge) It serves in many capacities in addition to its informative nature. In today’s economy, it’s difficult to find anything so valuable at 50 cents.
An old axiom states that “two is better than one.” in most cases - especially when each challenges the other to be its best. An informed public deserves the best information it can get. Businesses and organizations need as much publicity as they can get. Institutions need as much scrutiny as we can give them. Fifty cents seems like an extraordinarily small price for such benefits, even if the price is an addition to a weekly budget.
Only time will tell how the public chooses to rank its sources for information. One thing is for certain, however, how a public acts is always based on what it believes.
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