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Nobody asked me, but...
It’s nice to be back.
For those who may not know me, I’m spending the summer serving as interim editor for the Colorado County Citizen and Sealy News. During the school year, I’m a teacher. During the summer, I get to dust off my reporter’s notebook, chase down stories and remember where I left my AP Stylebook.
I’ve enjoyed getting back into the newsroom. I love teaching, but journalism has always been part of who I am. There’s something special about telling the stories of a community and preserving them for future generations.
As I’ve settled back into this role, I’d like to ask for your help.
Point us toward the news. Church event? Let us know. Is your organization doing something meaningful? Let us know. Did your child earn an award, sign with a college or win a competition? Did your dog take an adorable photo? Is your family celebrating a wedding, engagement, anniversary, or new baby? Let us know.
I realize this may sound oldfashioned. Then again, the kids at school refer to the 1990s as “the late 1900s,” so apparently, I’m old-fashioned now anyway.
Back in the 1900s, newspapers were filled with community news. Many had entire lifestyle sections devoted to weddings, engagements, recipes, club meetings, church activities and family milestones. People shared their lives in the newspaper because that’s how communities stayed connected.
Somewhere along the way, much of that moved to social media.
Now here’s where things get interesting.
Young people are reportedly buying “dumb phones” — phones that make calls and send texts but don’t constantly demand attention. More people are talking about taking social media breaks. Printed books are making a comeback. My 26-year-old is obsessed with vinyl records. People seem to be craving simpler ways to connect and document their lives.
Does that mean we’re headed back to the good old days?
Probably not all the way. I could do without a rotary dial phone. I certainly don’t miss waiting all week to see that one episode of my favorite TV show ... just to realize I didn’t set the VCR to record it.
But maybe we’re remembering the value of tangible things. Things you hold on to and pass down.
That’s where newspapers come in.
One hundred years from now, your grandchildren probably won’t be scrolling through your Facebook posts. They won’t be watching your Instagram stories or trying to recover your TikTok account password.
But they may pull an old newspaper from an archive and discover the story of your wedding. They may find a photo of their parent (your child) winning a championship. They may read about your church fundraiser, your volunteer work, or your family’s contributions to the community.
Those stories matter.
They are the first draft of local history.
We can’t let that tradition end with our generation.
So, if something is happening in your life, your family, your church, your school, or your organization, tell us about it. We want to celebrate and preserve it for you.
After all, years from now, somebody just might be turning the pages and looking for your story.
“Let us save what remains: not by vaults and locks which fence them from the public eye and use in consigning them to the waste of time, but by such a multiplication of copies, as shall place them beyond the reach of accident.” — Thomas Jefferson
