In the year that I have occupied the editor’s desk, I have received fewer than a dozen Letters to the Editor.
With the important and sometimes controversial issues that this newspaper covers, the lack of community input surprised me.
When we covered the housing issues facing our neighborhoods and the greater San Diego County area, no one wrote in.
When we wrote continuing commentary on the developments at the border and the treatment of immigration as a topic of conversation in our communities, no one wrote in.
When we went to Alpine to write about the fires and their aftermath, when we documented the El Monte sand mining battle, when we provided election coverage and profiled community members and organizations that are impacting East County, no one wrote in.
Assuming this is not due to a lack of opinions held by our readers, the question must then be asked: why aren’t more people taking advantage of this platform to share their voice within their community?
Of course, I have received letters from lobbyists and political pushers. Someone in Florida wanted to submit an opinion about gun rights, someone in Del Mar wanted to talk about a bill that would affect coastal California. Where are the voices from our neighborhoods?
Although I do not know why our readers are not picking up the proverbial pen (or, rather, keyboard, as most Letters to the Editor come in via email) to critique, criticize, compliment or comment on the goings-on printed in this newspaper, I would like to offer some encouragement detailing why they should.
Firstly, let me outline the importance of print media. Yes, this paper may not have the same potential viewing capacity as an online rag that could go viral at any minute. What we do have is a deadline and the permanency of ink. Because of that, printed journalism is held to an incredibly high standard of accuracy that is important in our communities for building trust and accountability. You, dear reader, are a part of that. You get to hold us to account for what we print – and you must! No one knows the community better than you do and even our journalists need help from time to time. Your input and insight is crucial in keeping us on track, looking in the right directions and pursuing truth – only truth, and all of it.
Here is one truth I have learned in the last year: there is nothing quite like a community newspaper.
No, we aren’t the Union-Tribune. We couldn’t possibly pretend to be. Our goal is not to write about San Diego County. Our goal is to write about you, your community, your business, your kid’s big win on Friday night, you elected officials, your roads, your struggles as a community and the way forward you hope to take.
Because we are small, we can be personal.
Newspapers – up until a decade ago – used to be the primary source of information in this country and the world over.
Not only did they build the foundations of several revolutions, ours included, and then provide the masses with the tools to protect their hard-won freedoms, they served an even more vital purpose: bringing people together.
Papers were a community hangout to hear what was new in the neighborhood, from new businesses on main street to new developments at local schools.
Although the internet has done wonders in connecting people are providing information into the very palms of their hands, it is not a perfect platform. We have seen its abuse in recent years.
We have witnessed the surge of “fake news” and sloppy, misinformed reporting. Even more disappointing than that, the internet seems to ignore small communities for the attraction of a larger audience. Unless East County does something worthy of going viral, it is unlikely it will make the rounds on the internet.
So then, who is telling our stories? Who is reporting our news? Who is writing about East County?
Your local community newspapers are.
They say that if you put two dogs together in a fight, the one that will win is the one you have been feeding.
It is important that our community continues to feed community journalism.
Pick up your local paper, yes, but get your kid or grandchild to read an article with you as well. Maybe have them write a letter to the editor about something they find important in this community.
If the next generation is absorbed with their phones, it is because we have not taught them to appreciate paper. This is a torch that must be passed on, and we are running out of time to do it. There is urgency to this call.
In the last fifteen years, nearly one in five newspapers have closed down. The last vestiges of true accountability and community-focused reporting are shutting their doors.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can save your neighborhood newspaper simply by caring that it is there.
Read, pass it along. Get upset at the contorversial headlines. Be excited for a local business featured on the centerfold. Help your own student draft a letter to the editor.
Maybe even write to me yourself. I would love to hear what you have to say.
