Jill's Journal: Let's party! It's National Newspaper Week!

It’s National Newspaper Week! Let’s party!

Most folks likely don’t get as excited about National Newspaper Week as people like myself do who work in the industry itself. I suppose the same could be said for weeks dedicated to other industries. For example, National Sales Person Day, National Life Insurance Day or National IT Professionals Day are all worthy professions to be recognized. But if we’re honest, they’re only significant to sales people, life insurance agents and IT professionals.

I surely can’t imagine a world without newspapers. As a kid growing up, I was excited to dive into the pages of the Sunday edition of the Minneapolis Tribune. There was just something about the newspaper that grabbed me at a young age, and it hasn’t let go since.

I was equally excited for the weekly arrival of our hometown newspaper, the St. James Plaindealer, as I was for the weighted, insert-filled Sunday paper. Like I said, there was just something about the newspaper that called me, and obviously, hasn’t let go since.

Although online news sources and social media are doing their best to try and replace the print product, I’m one of those people who prefers to read my news in hand and not on a screen.

Now don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly support the online news products and am giddy that a portion of our Journal subscribers want their local weekly news delivered to them in one form or the other. Truth be told, the staff and I are elated that you’re tuning into the Brandon Valley Journal as your local news source, and you are letting us know you appreciate the service we provide.

The staff and I hear weekly from our readers how much they enjoy the product we’re churning out.

Now, that may sound a bit braggish, and I suppose in a small way, it is, but truth be told, we are honestly humbled by your kind comments. Those simple comments reassure the staff and I that we’re on the right track of keeping our readers in the know.

I’ve said it a hundred times before and I’ll continue to say it as long as I wear the title of publisher/editor of the Brandon Valley Journal: If your local newspaper isn’t informing its community of what’s happening at City Hall, in the halls of our school buildings or just down the street from your home, who is? 

The fact of the matter is coffee shop talk or Facebook posts are not always factual, but instead are second-hand news, often opinionate and oftentimes false information.

In my view, the printed word is here to stay – at least, when it comes to telling the stories of our communities and its people.

I hope you agree, and if you need a reason to “party” this week, keep the newspapers in your life in mind.

Thanks for reading.

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Best wishes to all our of Lynx athletic teams as they inch closer to the end of their 2022 fall seasons. As we have all season, we’ll be on the sidelines sharing your many successes with our readers.