Why journalism matters

I love people who read newspapers.

They are the ones who show up for community meetings, pay attention to what’s going on, hold public officials accountable, and participate in processes that bring meaningful and positive change to their communities. Their input and opinions deserve our respect.

Those who don’t are at the mercy of those who do.

Fortunately, the ones who do tend to be involved in their community, and their vision is guided by what they consider best for the community. Those who don’t tend to complain that “no one asked me.” They look to social media for “news” and then wonder why they didn’t know about something important sooner.

Social media works great for staying in touch with family and friends. But it’s not journalism.

When it comes to important news, at best, social media might post a link to a newspaper article. And you might be able to actually read the article if you haven’t used up your free views before hitting the paywall. At worst, social media offers short sound-bites, legitimizes misinformation, and often comes out after the fact.

At a recent community meeting about Niwot’s proposed Master Plan, I counted approximately 65 people in attendance. And I knew almost every one of them, some much better than others. They had thoughtful and important questions to pose to the presenters, including government officials.

They listened, they critiqued plans, they offered solutions, they gave input based on their real-life experiences. At the end of the meeting, one resident offered his summary of the information presented, and the entire audience spontaneously applauded. Those are the people I love.