Stepping away from the keyboard but not for very long
Many years ago — about five years after being named editor of The Democrat — my associate editor at the time, Robb Hicken, recommended I start a column offering my views about life in Woodland and Yolo County. He thought it would provide a “personal touch” on not just the news of the day but of individuals and institutions.
I opposed the idea at first because I thought the function of newspaper editors was to coordinate news and feature coverage of the community at large and not offer their own perspectives. Of course, this was about 15 years before the internet, which later led to the creation of Facebook, Twitter and a host of other online platforms where people express their views at will.
Robb persisted and with some trepidation, I entered the world of column writing. I thought the title “Our Town,” was appropriate because the roughly 20-inches a week I put together was meant to focus on Woodland and to a lesser effect Yolo County, California and the world.
Over the years, I’ve written some personal columns about my family and experiences, observations on Woodland events, and commentary about individuals and institutions. Some have been OK. Some have been outstanding. Some have been controversial. Some have been wrong and necessitated corrections or apologies.
There have also been periods when it has been impossible for me to write a column owing to lack of time or inclination. I went through one “dry period” that lasted for months.
Column writing for me has necessitated carving out about one hour or so a week and that’s hard. Many readers of The Democrat don’t realize the range of my responsibilities and that’s OK. During my first internship for the Aberdeen Times in Aberdeen, Idaho, while in college my first assignment was sweep the front porch of the newspaper office. When The Democrat downsized in mid-2020 due the coronavirus and I found myself writing from a small cubicle here at the Odd Fellows Building, one of my first tasks was to empty the trash and vacuum the carpet. In between over the years, I’ve moved file cabinets and desks, dealt with screaming people who didn’t get their newspapers, drunks who’ve wandered into the office, approved payments for recharging our fire extinguishers, arrange for office security, provide explanations on why our electric bills were so high, greet dignitaries and the deranged, listen to sad stories and uplifting stories, as well as held and attended attend many meetings and special events.
And all of these tasks took place while trying to manage an ever-shrinking staff and departmental budget brought on by changes in the news industry while answering the public’s call for more local news (some of who wanted it for free), which necessitated more writing time on my part and less time at home or with my wife and our daughter.
And because I’m the editor, I felt a need to represent the paper in the community and at public events — also at the sacrifice of my family. But it was necessary because these things are what small-newspaper editors do.
Over the years, I’ve adjusted my goals for The Democrat. My first priority has always been to act as a voice as well as the eyes and ears for the community, to report as fairly as possible as much information as possible with the resources available. Sometimes we’ve done well. Sometimes we’ve failed. We’ve always tried.
Through all of my 27 years at The Democrat and my 41 years in journalism, what I’ve learned is that there’s always another story, or some other facet of a story. It’s a job never finished. There are many, many stories about people and institutions out there which I personally haven’t been able to get at due to lack of time. Perhaps with good fortune, as a “private citizen” I’ll be able to do some personal writing in the future and post them in a blog, podcast some other means. It would be a fun exercise and allow me to make up for all those uncovered stories.
Until that time comes, I wish the people of Woodland and Yolo County the best. I’ll continue to monitor local happenings but from a distance instead of headon.