By Jean Doran Matua, Editor
The weather this week may not reflect it, but this is Sunshine Week in America. Not the weather kind of sunshine, but the light that America’s newspapers shine on local government, in particular.
Studies show that towns without active local newspapers tend to pay higher taxes. Why? Because there is no local news outlet asking questions, and printing information that may otherwise go unnoticed. One need look no further than Bell or Maywood in California for examples of criminal prosecution following city scandals where they thought they could get away with mishandling city funds.
In the United States, we enjoy a Democracy marked by checks and balances within the government. When those go awry (or are intentionally avoided), who is the first to sound the alarm? Newspapers.
I like to think of our job as providing a different kind of Sunshine too: shining spotlights on activities that may not otherwise get to shine for the public. Like a new Daisy Troop in Kimball, Spelling Bee winners at EV-W, hard-working sports teams and athletes, Boy Scouts and 4-H finding ways to continue in the midst of a pandemic, and so much more.
If you appreciate either kind of Sunshine, the best thing you can do is to support it and SUBSCRIBE.