We can’t do it without you

We’ve all heard about how the newspaper business has changed in the last two decades. There’s the Internet, which dramatically transformed classified advertising. And of course, there’s … the Internet, which allows anyone with a blog or a social media presence to become their own opinion columnist. And … let’s not forget the Internet, which provides instantaneous access to millions of words on any conceivable subject (Some of those words are even accurate).
What might be overlooked in all the online buzz is how much the news industry has stayed the same. We still follow the money at City Halls, county centers and the thicket of public districts that populate Sonoma County’s Great Northwest – hospital districts, fire districts, school districts, sanitation districts and more.
We also include a lot of community news each week, much of it coming from you.
Our small-but-spunky news staff each have their own beats, often covering meat-and-potatoes issues like housing, homelessness, crime, politics and the environment. Our editors and reporters also enjoy feature writing – meeting the woman who just turned 100, the man who collects old tractors, the teen who started her own nonprofit or the local business that relocated downtown.
Our everywhere-at-once sports editor and a corps of coaches and parents allow us to keep up with the heroics, determination and grit of our beloved local high school sports teams.
We keep the news staff busy attending meetings, interviewing elected and appointed officials, and following and fact-checking breaking news. Front page hard news stories are written by our professional news staff, with light-hearted features occasionally contributed by members of the community.
A key aspect of community newspaper content is you. Our readers provide the inspiration for each week’s paper. The loyal volunteer who writes a press release telling us about the big event coming up at the community theater, the proud dad who tells us about his son becoming an Eagle Scout, the dedicated columnist who shares her perspective with you, are all valued and cherished parts of the newspaper.
We like to say that we co-create a community newspaper each week with you. The columns, the letters, the press releases, the meeting announcements, the tips that lead to news stories large and small, all have value and all matter.
Advertisers matter too. Advertisers help themselves by communicating directly with loyal readers, but they also support our efforts to provide you with a fresh, interesting and useful balance of news each week. Without advertisers, we can’t send someone to the big game, cover the crucial decision at City Hall, or get a photographer out to the Easter Egg Hunt.
So, to those who are already part of our newspapers – you know who you are – thank you. We can’t do it without you. Those of you who haven’t yet engaged with your paper, or if you who used to be involved but got out of the habit, we need you. Send us a photo of the tree that fell and blocked your rural road. Send us an announcement about the next garden club meeting. Tell us about that great project your kid is working on in shop class. Write a letter about something that’s got you peeved (or delighted). You want to know all about your community – so do we, and you can help us make sure that happens.
– Ray Holley