editorial (as promised..)

per my last post, ME to NE made its print debut this week in response to my post master friend in fairfield. here's the full column, including bits i had to edit out for length:

Less than 24 hours after I arrived in Clay County Nebraska, I was on assignment covering Fairfield's Christmas festivities. Complete with first job/first assignment/alone in a new place jitters, I covered the event with a hesitancy, but soon realized that an uncomfortable approach was not only not necessary, but that everyone there was more than happy to help and to talk.

I'm used to a friendly community, relatively speaking, as I was born and raised in what we call a small town in southern Maine, which, for the most part, possesses a pleasant demeanor. I then moved to North Carolina for college, where I received a dose of the southern hospitality and first encountered the "hello"s and waves from the random passerby.

Still, the generosity and comforting conversations that have characterized the area for me have been far more sincere and universal than anything I've previously experienced. On nearly every assignment since that first one, people have continued to be helpful. They always seem extremely appreciative to see someone from the paper at their event, thanking me for the coverage.

And I've come to expect that from the community when I go out on assignment now. Not just because I know people are friendly and enjoy having publicity, but because that's the spirit of a community newspaper. Whereas the industry as a whole is declining in the face of new media, the "community journalism" has weathered the storm.

Consumers can get their news from anywhere these days. By picking up a larger, daily newspaper or turning on the television or browsing the internet, news is literally at your fingertips anytime you want it. What you can't find in these places are the stories of the people and events that make a community what it is.

Just as you depend upon your local newspaper to bring you the news of the area, so does the paper depend on your support to operate and serve you. And up until this past weekend, such mutual cooperation was something I had encountered on a daily basis, which made the following that much more surprising and upsetting.

On Saturday night I found myself back in Fairfield for the town's "Casino Night." Like all such community fundraiser events, I expected people to be having a good time, and I expected to have a good story to present to the public who did not attend. So I set down my trusty, and borderline trademark, backpack and began taking pictures of the card games and prize tables.

After a few minutes, I was approached by a man, identifying himself as the post master, who told me that I couldn't take pictures and that if any of them were published, he would file a lawsuit. The only thing he informed me that I could take pictures of were the cars going by outside.

I saw no reason why I shouldn't be able to take pictures. Every other event I have attended at a legion or community building has allowed me to take pictures. Pictures are great. They provide a visual for the details of the story. Pictures of a casino night are especially good, because people are playing games and using props like cards and dice.

I told him that I was there to give the town, the legion and the event some coverage, but he reiterated that I couldn't take any pictures, and that I could stand and watch to get my coverage.

I left the event after the confrontation. Not because I couldn't do the story without pictures, but because I shouldn't encounter such open resistance to the presence of the paper at what appeared to be a fun community event. I shouldn't be threatened with a lawsuit for taking photographs, especially without an explanation of more than, "this is a club."

The Clay County News can deal without having pictures with some of its stories. What it can't deal with is a lack of cooperation from the community that it covers. We don't have to attend these events, but we believe that our readers enjoy reading about them. Credibility and dependability are the livelihood of a newspaper. You depend on us. We depend on you.

Negative encounters stand out like sore thumbs in a community that prides itself and thrives on the values that rural Nebraska believes in. Just as we continue to earn accountability, we hope the effort is returned as it so often is. We are here to serve you and we appreciate your help.

NB: i didn't call him an "asshole" in the column. though i very well could have. and i tried to err on the side of "help me help you" a la jerry maguire.
NB2: i'll be in fairfield for another fundraiser on saturday. if anybody actually reads my column, this could get interesting. hopefully..