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People hunger for leadership and direction. President Teddy Roosevelt coined the term “bully pulpit” to describe a platform so big, that from it one could effectively propel people to action. Presidents, governors and strong mayors all have bully pulpits. But small communities often lack a forceful leader, and in that absence, it is the community newspaper that stands at the bully pulpit.
In March, an opinion piece in the journalism trade journal The Masthead argued that there is no longer a need for institutional, unsigned editorials. That generated a slew of responses from editors across the country. Some argued that in the age of the unlimited blogs, the newspaper editorial is superfluous, an unaffordable luxury and serves only to hurt the credibility of the reporters who work hard trying to gather objective news. But others emphasized the good that editorials can do.
Herb Field, the editorial page editor for a community newspaper in Harrisburg, Penn., said that a strong editorial voice serves as the conscience of the community and region it serves, sometimes reflects the community’s outrage, prods the community to do better, points a finger at injustice and the downtrodden, pokes fun at power and calls attention to the future and its challenges.
When you have a divided community and everyone seems to be screaming at each other, the newspaper editorial can be the calming voice of the reasonable man we all know, an Atticus Finch who can convince an angry mob to go home to bed.
When the Times-Standard chooses to not run editorials, it cedes the bully pulpit to the other newspaper in town. That paper has argued for drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. It argued that feminists should stop worrying about social conditioning of gender roles because research at an Atlanta primate lab found that boy monkeys naturally play with trucks while the girl monkeys like dolls. And it suggested that readers attend religious services to curb adultery.
Recently, the Times-Standard filed suit against the Eureka Reporter, arguing that the ER stole advertisers through uncompetitive business practices. What will it do when it realizes that the Reporter has stolen its leadership role?
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent media maven
May 17
If You Tweet in a Forest
April 5
Not in My Court Yard
March 1
Take the Money and Run With It
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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TWO Comments
Comment / By prizebig.ru / Sept. 26, 2009, 2:29 p.m.
How can I make money monthly on my investments?
Comment / By ownbig.ru / Sept. 30, 2009, 6:48 a.m.
What does transfering money to your credit card account do?