Chris Chapman
I was going to start this editorial off with “I had a dream,” but I decided such plagiarism would be in poor taste. So instead, I will start off by saying, “Hello, my name is Chris.”
You may have already read Scott Swanson’s article about my history, so I won’t rehash that. I would, however, like to add a little to it. I have been a fan of newspapers and, more importantly, news in general since I was in high school. I’ve always seen the importance of knowledge and information. Having facts about a particular thing can help you make informed decisions and, in fact, should be the guiding light in our day-to-day lives. It doesn’t always have to be something huge, but basing our lives on reality and truth seems to me like the way to go. News, well, it happens to fit right into that philosophy. So it made sense to me to travel that path
When you own a newspaper, most people assume you are a writer. This has come up multiple times between staff, customers, subscribers and the general public. But the truth is, my newspaper journey has always been about visual storytelling, design, photography, and layout. Mostly because I suck as a writer, let this editorial be the shining example.
The first professional design I ever made was in high school. Mrs. Rooney’s class was a getaway for me. It was a place I could go and be creative. She gave me an outlet for expression. She also handed me my first real gig.
I was taught how to tell stories visually from the get-go. My friend and coworker John, who was my lead in Mrs. Rooney’s class, eventually started working for the local newspaper. He used his extraordinary powers of persuasion and got me a gig there with him, and the rest is history. I’ve worked in the newspaper world off and on from that point forward.
So to me, it makes sense why I would own a newspaper. I love everything about it. But I can also see why some might find it odd not to be a writer, as that is the typical trajectory of a reporter. Journalist to an editor and then to “semi-retire” from the big-name paper and run a small-town paper as a publisher. Or so the Hallmark movie goes.
“Whelp, that ain’t me. So hold on to your bootstraps because it’s about to get fast and loose,” he said with a joking smirk on his face.
As I said above, I’m a big proponent of truth. The New Era has a legacy of truth. One I don’t wish to sully by way of modern “fast-and-loose” journalism. In my humble opinion, the current platform for small-town newspapers is truly the only reliable one left. But it seems to have been kicked to the side down a back alley somewhere. Waiting to die as the mainstream media digs the grave with their propagandist mentality and failure to fact-check themselves out of a coffee house line somewhere.
The truth is, local newspapers should be a cog in the wheel of truth, a small one that allows the more prominent industry members to focus on bigger things. But that just isn’t the case anymore. Not all prominent news sources are garbage, but there is enough there that raises questions for readers. Which shouldn’t be the case. You should be able to trust your information and believe the source; when they get it wrong, they should be up-front about it, not double down like a bunch of clowns. Now that small cog is often lumped in with the big cog and everyone thinks we are amateur hour CNN or Fox, you take your pick.
(Editor’s note: This is how to upset an entire readership in one sentence.)
Honestly, this has been the biggest struggle of taking over. Some organizations, agencies, and people, in general, whom I would never have thought would have an issue with me asking a question seem to assume we are out to “get ‘em.” That isn’t why a newspaper exists. It isn’t here to create clickbait articles or to derail a career. It’s not our job to pass judgment or to assist one political party or the other. Our only job is to tell the truth. To write a story that is unbiased and contains all the facts. Nothing more, nothing less, just the news.
The other issue that seems to arise as a constant point of contention is that people blame us for the thing we report. Like we had a hand in it. No, we didn’t wreck that car or start that forest fire, and if we did, we would write that. I remember one time I got, like seven seatbelt tickets in a row (exaggerated for effect or not), and my name came up in the police log. Somehow, my name got bolded and was up a font point size or two above all others. We hold ourselves accountable, always have, and as long as I am at the helm, we always will.
Now I want to point out that both Scott and Alex Paul, who preceded Scott as publisher of The New Era, both advised me to write this editorial as soon as possible. They said to tell the people who I am and introduce myself to the readership. However, it was vital for me to get a solid idea of what this would look like. I wanted to make sure my words had meaning and truth behind them and not just the whims of a dreamer who hadn’t been slapped in the face with cold hard reality yet.
Now that I have had some time behind the wheel, trust me when I write this: The future of this paper rests entirely in the hands of this community, as it should. We are here to ask the questions and get the accurate information you don’t have time to get. You’re busy doing your thing, we need to be busy doing our thing and do that effectively and efficiently.
Some people in this community, and every community, don’t care about the truth. They just want to be a part of the conversation or a person of authority. They want to be “that person” who is in the know. They spout off random “facts” by word of mouth or worse on Sweet Home Community Watch #9 and give nary a care to the truth. They sensationalize it, add emotion to it and create drama behind it.
This attracts attention, much like mainstream media. The more you look elsewhere for information, the further down the alley we get. But that’s a two-sided coin because if you are looking for it and can’t find it with us, we aren’t doing our job. That’s a problem, one I intend to make every effort to remedy.
My goal in navigating your ship is to do so with grace and integrity. We plan on a few technological upgrades and adjustments in our efficiency, but only to allow us more time to add value. For those that fear a digital world-only scenario, fear not. I will hand-write a newspaper if I have to before I ever consider removing the print edition. However, gaining time will allow us to focus on delivering news on multiple platforms, including Sweet Home Community Watch (the original, not the 42 others). Catering to new readers and where they look for their information as well as maintaining the high standard of the traditional readership.
All in all, this is your paper. I hope to live up to those before me. I hope to live up to and exceed your expectations. But most of all, I want to set The New Era as the shining example of what a small-town newspaper should be in the modern minefield we call news. However, I do ask you one favor. Hold us to that high standard. Hold us accountable. If we fail, we can’t fix what we don’t know, so call, write, email, text, smoke signal, whatever, just let us know. Tell us how we can be better and what needs to change. The New Era has a legacy that is good, but we can always be better.
So with that, I will end this lengthy editorial with a thank you. Thanks to all of you who continue to support The New Era. Those of you who support this community, and a special thank you to Jean, Wednesdays it is.