-Isms

Last week, I spent part of Thursday, Friday and Saturday meeting colleagues via Zoom, taking part in sessions of the National Newspaper Conference.

The socially-distanced version offered multiple chances for sharpening skills and networking with newspaper publishers and reporters from across the United States. The event renewed nearly all of the ethics I believe are key to providing community journalism. And, several sessions left me re-evaluating some ideas newspapers use because “it’s the way we’ve always done things.” Stagnant thinking like that does not create community or foster creativity, two cornerstones of hyperlocal journalism.

A key notion from the convention I am still thinking about is the fact that now, more than ever, America needs journalists.

In a time when the term “fake news” is tossed around more than a pass from Patrick Mahomes, it’s important for news consumers to realize the historic impact journalists have made.

What if Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, reporters from the Washington Post, stopped investigating the 1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex? How would our nation be different without their insistent investigation?

Let’s localize a journalist’s impact.

What if Mildred Brown and her husband, Ed Gilbert, failed to champion Omaha’s civil rights movement, as told by The Omaha Star? Brown and Gilbert’s first edition debuted in 1938 and during Brown’s tenure, she showcased Omaha’s Black community in a positive light, fighting for civil rights for all in Nebraska’s largest city.

Let’s take one more step.

How would you know the truth about a situation - say the TC Energy pipeline application appeal or a governing body’s one- and six-year road plan or the early retirement policy established by the local school board - without a local journalist? Would you rely on second-hand knowledge or coffee shop talk to base your decisions?

Or, do you rely on local journalists to gather facts and present information so you decipher truth from fiction? We thank you for your support.

While this time may be known as the information age, where any detail can be looked up with a keystroke, I believe you may agree that disinformation permeates the info superhighway, where everyone becomes an expert and espouses their opinions.

A 2018 survey, conducted by the American Press Institute, concluded that 43% of respondents could “easily sort news from opinion” on websites or social media outlets, where links all look the same.

Three in 10 readers report they do not know the difference between an editorial and a news article or what separates a columnist from a news reporter. One of our goals at SAM is to clearly label editorial from news content.

Now, more than ever, Americans need journalists to serve as watchdogs of the government, to promote and protect the First Amendment, to tell the truth in a clear, unvarnished form.

Now, more than ever, Americans need reliable news sources to supply trustworthy news.

And now, more than ever, America needs journalists to champion democracy and become the voice of a community.

Join us online this week as we discuss National Newspaper Week and how journalists are the record keepers for the people they represent.

America needs journalists and SAM needs you to continue supporting your local newspaper.