Feature ArticleDecember 5, 2001
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Commentary: The Community Newspaperby Inie PlateniusI am a community newspaper fan. On drives through strange parts, I litter my car with issues of the Peewaukin Courier, the Hometown Times, and every other small weekly I can pick up from restaurants and convenience stores. The reason? A good community paper is the best view into the heart of the place where its written.
So what makes a good community paper? A number of things, and not all of them are easy to describe. One of the easiest ingredients to spot is a variety of local news. I want to read about the kid who won the public speaking contest and the merchant who put a new spin on her old business. I want to read about who it was who came to talk at the council meetings, and how the council responded to them. I do not want to read council minutes, but give me the reports of local writers who know their community and are able to put some context into the information they present. I want news of community events and who was in them: parades and talent shows and seasonal rituals. I dont want press releases from governments and social service agencies that tell me how to prevent colds or cook vegetables. I can read that stuff in any magazine or large newspaper. In a community newspaper, I want to get that information from a local person. If youre going to tell me how to caulk my windows, tell me the name of the neighbour who gave you the tips. Information columns by local experts are a lot more fun to read than institutional handouts or infomercials from big corporations. Another important ingredient of a good community newspaper is gutsy editorials. Writing just about any editorial takes guts, but writing one that your neighbour is going to read especially if its on a controversial subject takes real guts. And I want the editorial to have a local slant. Im not particularly interested in the community writers opinion of the Alliance Party leadership question or the anthrax scare, unless he can tie that subject to something specifically local. I am very interested in an editorial on any local political or educational issue or any local event that sparked a bit of controversy. Letters to the Editor count. The more of those I see, the more I know about the people whose paper Im reading. I want births and weddings and deaths to be noted. How people mark these passages says a lot about a place. And reports from clubs and community halls tell me something about the social infrastructure of a place, even if I dont know any of the names and dont care what their bridge score was. I want ads from all the local businesses. Because a papers revenue comes from ads, a paper full of local ads tells you theres a vibrant community there, who understands the importance of communication among neighbours. Besides, ads are how I find out where Im going for lunch in a small town, or where to explore for local crafts. What a shame it is that so many local merchants are tied into corporate, mailed newsprint fliers, when they could support their community with the same advertisement in their local paper. These things are measurable, but the thing I most want from a community paper is an overall tone that invites me to share in whats going on in the area to join in the good things and help with the bad ones. Its hard to pin down how this tone is created, but it comes from respect for the people of the community and the issues they face. A big daily in a city can stir the pot by printing hurtful things. A good community paper tries to inform without inflaming. Thats sometimes a tough thing to do, and when I find a paper that does that, I treasure it. And if I live in the community that has that paper, I volunteer for it.
Inie is our Verona correspondent and a member of our Editorial Advisory Committee. She is a former teacher, and is very active community member.
