Newspapering isn’t for the faint of heart. There are parts of my life I might do over if I could, but I wouldn’t trade this work for the world. Most weeks have been good to me, going all the way back to when I started writing for my folks’ papers in Gibbon and Shelton.
Then there are the weeks that become a challenge. Social media has put a microscope on what we do at the Clay County News and how we handle difficult stories. The past couple of weeks have been especially hard.
A few people can knock the wind out of your sails. When you care deeply about the people and communities you cover, criticism can take a toll. The toughest part of this business isn’t the hours, the travel or even the negative comments. It’s telling the stories that weigh on you.
Every publisher I’ve worked for has taught me that reporting difficult news puts you in uncomfortable situations. As our current publisher, T.M. “Ted” Gill, told me late last week, nobody enjoys those situations.
That’s largely why The Bull didn’t appear last week. I needed time to digest the feedback and sort through my thoughts. As I turn 62 this week, it sometimes takes me a little longer to put what I’m thinking and feeling into words.
Ted and the other publishers I’ve worked for never had to contend with social media feedback quite like we do now. People can pick apart a story online, often without knowing everything behind it. That is part of life today, whether I like it or not.
Every business faces criticism, whether it comes in person, by email or through social media. Sometimes it hurts. It also makes you think carefully about every word you put in the paper. I’ve worked on tough stories right up to deadline, making changes until it was time to go to press.
The past couple of weeks have brought those situations again, along with feedback online, by email and even face to face. I appreciate the people who speak to us directly. It can be easy to comment from behind a screen, but a conversation gives us a chance to listen and respond.
I know our staff cares about this community. I see how difficult stories weigh on them, and they weigh on me, too. I stand with our team as we do the work, even when the stories are uncomfortable to tell. A few weeks ago, I received a letter from someone incarcerated in the Nebraska Department of Corrections who “thanked me” for keeping their name in the newspaper. I had never received anything like it. Because the letter was roughly written, I couldn’t tell whether it was a sincere thank-you or something less friendly.
Like any job, newspapering has days when walking out the door sounds easier than staying in the saddle. Getting beat up over your work isn’t fun. You take a breath, keep your head above water and get ready for the next edition.
Our deadlines are the same every week, but the stories never are. The past two editions carried news I wish we hadn’t had to report. I’ve never believed in publishing a story simply because it might sell papers. I believe in reporting the news, even when the response is hard to take. A newspaper is a record of what happened in our community that week.
As a new week begins, our team will keep covering that community as carefully and fairly as we can. We work with the information we can verify, knowing we may not have every detail. We’ll listen when readers have concerns, keep asking questions and keep doing the work.
