The right track for connecting people

Our readers say the nicest things.

Our readers say the nicest things.

One recently e-mailed me that the Reporter “is such a wonderful addition to the community.” And another called the other day to say how much he enjoyed reading about what’s happening in and around his town.

Comments like those double my appreciation for the work of the people who write the stories, take the photos, work with advertisers and print and deliver the Reporter. The kind words validate our reason for being.

The news, unfortunately, isn’t quite so good for large, dailiy newspapers in this region and nationwide. Many of them are losing circulation and revenue, causing them to lay off employees and make other budget cuts.

As someone who’s been in the newspaper business a long time (in my first job, I wrote with a manual typewriter), it’s painful to hear of rocky times for any of my profession’s brethren, including competitors. But I’m happy that community newspapers such as the Reporter have a much brighter future than big dailies.

The reason for optimism is that community papers are doing what nobody else can or seems capable of – and that’s be a true voice and mirror of the communities we cover. News and information about local schools, community groups, neighborhoods and government is the lifeblood of the Reporter, whether every Wednesday and Saturday in its print editions or virtually around the clock in its online edition which will be officially unveiled soon in its redeveloped, expanded form.

We didn’t invent community-oriented journalism and media outreach. It was around way before the Reporter started, and it will be around for a lot longer – indefinitely, if you ask me. For instance, the Port Orchard Independent, part of the Sound Publishing group that owns the Reporter, was already more than 100 years old when I was its editor back in the mid-1990s. Television, radio and the Internet all cut into the Independent’s space since it began publishing, and yet it’s still going strong.

Despite instant communication of nearly all information, and in forms that never rest, people like feeling connected to their closest communities and neighbors. That link is community newspapers.

And that’s not just me saying that. It’s based on national newspaper industry observers and our own research.

And most importantly, we hear it from our readers.

Editor Pat Jenkins can be reached at (425) 432-1209 and pjenkins@reporternewspapers.com