Thomas Jefferson once said that if he had the choice between living in a society with a government and no newspapers, or in a society with newspapers but no government, he would choose the latter. The third president of this country never hid his thoughts on the importance of the media in a democratic society. But in today’s society, are newspapers living up to Jefferson’s ideals? Maybe that is too difficult of a question to answer. First of all, newspapers today are very different from the ones in Jefferson’s day. Back then, newspapers openly portrayed partisan bias. Today, most newspapers claim to be neutral parties that deliver the facts, though media critics insist the bias is covertly conveyed in a newspaper’s editorial content. What Jefferson would think of this is anyone’s guess. But we can assume that he would undeniably be pleased with the role newspapers play in today’s communities across the country. The fact that there are approximately 368 local newspapers in Minnesota alone would make him proud. The basic purpose of a newspaper is to deliver news, useful information and disseminate viewpoints and ideas that concern its readers. News coverage tends to differ based on the size of the newspaper or the size of the community it serves. In smaller communities like ours, the biggest focus is on making sure the news we deliver is local. What makes our stories local is that it is about ordinary people in the community doing ordinary things. These are things that wouldn’t be considered interesting by larger newspapers. But to our readers, and us, it is interesting. News doesn’t always have to be about tragedies or special events. That is not to say that the bulk of our stories are features. We also have our share of hard news stories. For these stories, we adopt the approach taken by most daily newspapers: We report the basic facts through an objective eye. If there is more than one side to a story, then several versions are included. We don’t draw the conclusion of the story. That’s up to you, the reader. This has been a common practice of newspapers since the turn of the 20th century. Before that, newspapers openly displayed their biases in the paper’s editorial content. The arrival of wire news services like the Associated Press in the early part of the last century set objectivity as the new standard. The objectivity method is one that we use carefully. Simply reporting separate views on an incident or an event is not enough. The paper must not at any time take a stance on issues or take sides in news stories, and this is something that we work hard to avoid. Being in a small community doesn’t make that any easier, especially when everyone knows each other. There is always the fear that the contents of a particular story may offend someone. Readers must remember that newspapers are not out to win a popularity contest. For the most part, this newspaper has played it fair when it comes to reporting hard news issues. Take the story, “Residents air asphalt plant complaints,” that was published in our Jul. 22 issue. The story contained complaints Maine Prairie township residents had against the asphalt plant on 150th Street. In the same story, we also printed the responses the plant owner gave to residents. Both sides of the story were represented and no side was favored. The only time we take a position on an issue (and the only time any newspaper should) is on the editorial and opinion pages and while a balanced opinion is an oxymoron, we try to show opposing views of an issue. In the Jul. 15 issue, we published a letter advocating a constitutional amendment on the issue of marriage. The following week, we printed a letter against the proposed amendment from Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.). Readers should take note that letters to the editor and opinion pieces are the personal views of the authors and not necessarily that of the newspaper or its staff. But it doesn’t matter what our personal opinion on the matter was. The important thing was that we presented two versions of an issue to our readers. As French philosopher Voltaire famously proclaimed, “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” The role of a newspaper, especially a community newspaper, is important for a functioning democratic society. It is an outlet that provides information that is vital to the essence of a free society. But it is also a place where everyone has a voice and a forum for ideas, be it new or old, good or bad.
