Normally, I try to make this weekly Friday column a humorous
one. By the end of a long and difficult work week, Hollister Lite
just seems to be a good idea.
I hope you agree and don’t mind some of the silliness that pokes
fun at our day-to-day stupid human tricks, especially my own.
Normally, I try to make this weekly Friday column a humorous one. By the end of a long and difficult work week, Hollister Lite just seems to be a good idea.
I hope you agree and don’t mind some of the silliness that pokes fun at our day-to-day stupid human tricks, especially my own.
But I would like to address some serious stuff today and put some well-deserved praise on this weekend edition’s plate.
The Free Lance is not a Love Boat. It is a newspaper. Five days a week, we work hard to present a fair and accurate report to the good folks in Hollister and San Benito County.
These days, we speak our mind on issues that are important to all of us and what affects our daily lives. We live here just like you do and care about our county and community and its future.
There is nothing more important than our children and their safety. Nothing.
We have not been afraid to report on the recent investigation into county government, a copy of which was given to us unsolicited, because that is our job.
We don’t have any local politicians in our pocket or owe any political favors. I had enough of that crap in Chicago. There is no room for it in professional journalism and fair and accurate reporting.
We also believe in quoting people accurately and not taking what people say out of context to change their meaning. That is just as harmful and dangerous as making it up altogether.
Citizens Voice has been a controversial item in this community, but I truly feel it is an important and necessary forum for those who cannot identify themselves without fear of retribution.
I have a handwritten note on my office wall. It reads: “Thank you for the opportunity to allow us to express ourselves. Many of us who want to can’t because if we speak as in a letter to the editor with name signed, it would jeopardize employment for a loved one.”
Many papers close to our size have similar anonymous sections, including the Merced Sun-Star and Half Moon Bay Review.
What I have also been pleased with concerning Citizens Voice is that it has helped generate significantly more signed letters, which we value and appreciate so much.
Five days a week, the Free Lance comes out and is a forum for what you feel is important. That is our job – to be your sounding board and we want you to be able to do it without fear of losing your job or being harmed in any way.
It is true that large newspapers rarely run anonymous comments, but that’s because they have a large populous to draw enough signed letters to fill their Opinion pages – and they have specific teams of investigative reporters to find and report on corruption.
At the Free Lance, we have you. And we’re proud of all of you who take the time out of your busy schedules to write or call or e-mail us with your valuable opinion or concerns.
On a personal note, I’m easy to find. I live and work and shop and eat and have a cold beer or two right here in the middle of Hollister. The fun part of this job has been meeting so many of you here at the paper and especially around town.
My home phone number is listed and here it is again: 630-9086. Some clod called a few weeks ago and said to “Get out of town before it’s too late” before hanging up.
Sorry pal. You’re stuck with me. I like it here. Are you kidding? Go back to Chicago with winter approaching? He’s lucky he didn’t call during the Notre Dame game. Then I would have been angry instead of amused.
Then some creep let half the air out of my front left tire last week. I discovered it while driving my 69-year-old mom around to show her the beauty of this part of the country.
I don’t want to know who did it. And, believe me, you don’t want me to know who risked my mom’s life by such a cowardly act.
Hey, my car already looks like it won a series of demolition derbies. You don’t need to make it worse.
We have a lot of new faces in the Free Lance newsroom and that is where I am so very pleased after nearly five months on the job. They all live in Hollister and they are my pride and joy.
Morgan Tharp. Erin Musgrave. Terri Scheumann. Nick Lovejoy. Add in our Wisconsin native Kollin Kosmicki, Hollister hometown heroes Michelle Hatfield and Nathan Mixter, and veteran Jed Logan, and we have a great staff.
Morgan, Erin, Terri, Kollin and Nick left behind their wonderful families (and dogs and cats and fish) to start their professional newspaper careers here at the Free Lance and that – along with Michelle, Nathan and Jed – is why you are seeing such rapid improvement in this newspaper.
I have worked at newspapers of all sizes from Hawaii to Florida to Las Vegas to my hometown of Chicago. I have won more than 50 awards for writing, design and special sections in 26 years as a professional journalist.
I have never been more proud to be part of a newsroom team than this one. I wouldn’t trade them for a Pulitzer Prize. They are smart and dedicated and hard working – and they care so very much about the importance and integrity of newspapers and true community journalism.
Please believe me: You are seeing some of the top rising stars in professional journalism right here in Hollister.
We do make mistakes and we hate them. We love stories that honor you and your children, the true heroes of our society.
Our Bulletin Board has grown dramatically and that shows how many great people there are in this community who are dedicated to so many worthy causes.
We will now completely reprint entire obituaries if there is a mistake or a name accidentally omitted. We know how important that final tribute to someone is.
I sure know. My dad’s obituary is laminated and in the briefcase that I carry to work each day. On those unexpected and emotional times when I especially miss him, I can take it out and see his smiling face and read about what a wonderful man he was.
The Free Lance is your daily hometown newspaper and ours. It is produced with pride and passion by folks like you and your children, residents of Hollister who care about the community that we live in just like you do.
Stop by and meet us. And thank you for all the help. We couldn’t do it each day without each and every one of you!
