It’s
surprising that no matter how old you may be, there are still things you can
learn about yourself. I bring this up because a while back I discovered my real
purpose as a newspaper editor.
I was working as a news reporter for the Laconia
Citizen newspaper in Laconia, New Hampshire when I was chosen by the publisher
to be that paper’s new editor. After years of leading daily and weekly
newspapers previously as an editor, I accepted a reporter’s job in Laconia
because it didn’t come with all of the tedious tasks, duties and
responsibilities otherwise associated with being an editor.
Before the announcement of my promotion had been
made public, I attended an early morning committee meeting for a drug-free
community coalition where I disclosed to committee members that I was being promoted
to serve as editor of the newspaper.
Following the meeting, a friend of mine who also
served on that committee, Pastor Shaun Dutile of Laconia, sought me out in the
parking lot and posed an interesting question to me.
“Do you know why God has put you in this position
as the editor of the newspaper?” Dutile said.
Before I could come up with a reply, he told me
that the answer to his question was something that only I could discover
through self-introspection and discovery.
“Only you and God will know the reason for you to
be put in this position and its purpose is something that you must find out in
order to be successful,” he said.
His question got me to thinking about my lengthy career
in journalism and what it meant to be placed in charge of supervising the
content of a community newspaper.
What I eventually learned -- and it’s pertinent
to my new job here as the managing editor at The Windham Eagle -- is that the
editor of a community newspaper works diligently on behalf of the readers and
not for personal gain.
As the staff member who determines what gets
covered in the newspaper and how it is reported, the editor’s role is more than
simply correcting typos, choosing photographs to accompany articles and fixing
misspelled words in stories.
What I have discovered from first-hand experience
is that the editor of a newspaper must always be objective, be a true champion
and strong voice for everyone in the community who does not have such an
extensive platform that reaches so many people throughout the area. As such,
the editor should believe that a student’s Eagle Scout project is as deserving
of coverage in the paper as reporting about a late-night town council meeting
or the news that a new minister has been appointed to lead a local
congregation.
Readers pick up The Windham Eagle with the
expectation they will learn something interesting and impactful to their daily
lives in every edition of newspaper. And I intend to continue to be as
enthusiastic and helpful in doing just that as my predecessor Lorraine Glowczak,
was in her time filling the managing editor’s position here.
Before I left New Hampshire to move to Maine in
2016, I had another conversation with Pastor Dutile and I thanked him for
posing that question to me when he did. To this very day, I can still hear his
words and reflect upon the awesome responsibility placed in me in leading this
newspaper, The Windham Eagle.
Through the years, my work as a journalist has
taken me to so many different places and I have enjoyed the distinct privilege
of meeting and telling the stories of so many different people. But none of
those are as important or meaningful to me right now as what you are currently
doing in this community, how it affects your lives and those of your neighbors
and it’s what makes this such a great place to live and work.
There is a reason I have been placed in this role
and what I have learned is that the purpose is to serve you and to champion the
Windham and Raymond communities. <
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