For
the past year or so I have been thinking a lot about my voice. Not in terms of
singing or whether it is high, squeaky or low – but in terms of a writer and
what I hope to convey to readers.
One
doesn’t need to be a writer, however, to share their thoughts, hopes, dreams. Absolutely
everyone has their own personal expression that creates a unique contribution
to the world.
Not
only do individuals have a voice but so do organizations such as newspapers. No
matter where you look, you’ll find a newspaper or other media source that
carries a specific objective that aligns to your own personal mission
statement.
The
Windham Eagle is no different. And yet, it is different, due to its unique
purpose to the communities it serves and loves.
As
a reminder - we are not your typical newspaper. We do not listen to emergency
scanners and rush out to follow police and firefighters to “get the top story”
with hopes to raise our ratings. We do not report on the latest political
policy coming out of Washington D.C. nor do we express our personal opinions of
such (and we do have an opinion or two here at the office).*
Why?
Simply put: Because that is not our goal. The Windham Eagle’s mission is to be
a positive and solution based news source for the Windham and Raymond
communities. Instead of reporting on opiate use and how it is a problem here in
Maine, we concentrate on the preventative measures and what the community is
doing to solve that problem. Instead of reporting upon the tragedy of a car
accident, we report on how a community comes together to help those in need as
a result of misfortune.
It
is our hope that you can sit down at your kitchen table on a Saturday morning
with a cup of coffee and The Windham Eagle to relax while reading about
something optimistic happening in your world. There are a lot of encouraging
things happening out there and it rarely gets the attention it deserves. And
that’s why we are here. That is our mission.
We
are not ignoring the tragic realities that occur in the world every day, but we
wish to provide a reprieve from the negativity that inundates us. Besides,
there are plenty of news sources from which to get that kind of information.
The Washington Post has its voice and mission as does the Portland Press
Herald; and although we are a small community newspaper – we have ours and we
are proud of it.
And
best of all – it’s free!**
*Letters
to the editor are always welcomed. The opinions in those letters do not represent
the personal opinions of individuals who work at the newspaper or the newspaper
itself.
**So
when you see an ad in our paper, we hope you support that local company,
restaurant or business.
Lorraine
Glowczak
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