Currently, I am reading a book set in Alaska, about a small-town community of people. They are private individuals choosing to live in an obscure area of the world but depend on each other like (a dysfunctional) family. There is a small hotel, restaurant/bar, wrecker/plow service, pilot service, police department/city council, supply store, school, a mountain climbing guide, and a newspaper. The story line of the newspaper reporter who wanted to leave the big city and open his own “weekly rag” is intriguing. The newspaper owner (and his family) care deeply about covering the stories of their community, photographing history, and making a difference.
At the same time, I have been working on becoming a member of “Report for America,” a program set up for aspiring journalists to connect with community newspapers all over the U.S. This is a direct quote from their website: “We are looking for talented, ethical, insanely hard-working, gutsy, open-minded, service-oriented journalists …”
Finally, I have a colleague who works with the Texas School of Community Journalism and is also a college professor teaching journalism at Tarleton State. Contrary to a lot of university “mass communications” programs in recent years, this one is hyper focused on raising up good quality writers, photographers, and videographers that will report for communities like ours. Many of his graduates will be coming to a town near you to live their life as the local newspaper man or woman.
This brings me to your family and friends. Do know someone who loves to write, to photograph and/or take videos at events? Being a community journalist with a local newspaper is a career choice. What better news reporters can we have than people born and raised in our area who understand what it is like to live here, they have the passion, are willing to get the necessary training, and then come back home to be the face of the local newspaper?
Our small company has four print papers with accompanying digital versions, social media news updates, a twice weekly email newsletter, a news website, and a quarterly feature magazine. Every one of these products start with a good and hard-working writer. We present news in multiple formats, but it all starts with the journalist.
Encourage journalism as a career choice. The future of this community will thank you.
Kelli Barnes is publisher of Polk County Publishing Co., which produces the Polk County Enterprise, the San Jacinto News-Times, the Trinity County News-Standard, and the Tyler County Booster.
