The voices of Annapolis
It's a new year and lots of things are afoot. Many readers have probably already heard that Landmark Communications (our parent company) is investigating putting all its newspapers and other communications assets (including The Weather Channel) up for sale.
This certainly adds to the bumpiness of the newspaper business in the past 18 months, with our long-time publisher, Phil Merrill, passing away in June of 2006, The Capital ownership transferring to 100%-ownership by Landmark Communications in spring of 2007 and now uncertainty on the horizon again to start this year.
All that said, I don't feel any different about what we are doing. In fact, I feel even better. Newspapers like us are local phenomena. We are all about a town, a city, a region. The best ones put out a daily picture of a city and interact with a community in powerful, often intangible, ways. They may even do as much for a multitude of smaller communities.
No matter who the owners might be, that is what a company of people at a good local paper do and who they are. Some of us were talking after the latest news and concluded this - let's just keep being who we are. In fact, let's focus on that more than ever.
From my point of view as Internet Director, I also realize that 'who we are' is changing in a deeper way, and was before any of these other things happened. This deeper change is a good one. It has to do with making the paper's conversation with other people who live and work in this region more of a two-way dialogue.
As company and on the Internet team, we decided some time ago to give you, the users of this website, a much greater voice. We started doing that with the addition of commenting on all of our news stories, a feedback page for posting your comments about the site, and an open forum page. We are soon moving ahead to launching community-specific pages with stories from the paper on local communities, comments, calendar events, local meetings, and citizen comment areas all geo-targeted to smaller communities.
I say that not to put any agenda into possible future owners' considerations, but to state that I believe any newspaper which does not do this will cease to be a viable community voice before long.
People have tasted a new freedom of expression and they will have it. With the Internet, anyone can publish now, and find readers across the nation or across Main Street. A.J Liebling's trueism, "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one," has been overwritten by the digital age. As the printing press brought the ability to read and, some argue - thus, democracy - to millions, so the Internet has brought the ability to publish their own voice to millions as well.
As I have mentioned to my readers on some other posts, I have been deeply moved by comments I have read on our site posted by people who live here. It has been heartwarming. These are the voices of regular people, not journalists or professional writers. They are often not written particularly well from an English teacher's perspective. But they have real human spirit in them.
As a newcomer to the Annapolis area, I started this blog as a personal search for connectedness for myself and my family, as well as a place to talk about Web sites. I am trying to be honest in this search, and sometimes it is painful, because life can be hard and it can be scary. It is also exciting and envigorating, especially when others who are neighbors also begin to show their humanity and their own fears, deams and frustrations.
It is helping me to find what I call Annapolis.
We won't stop doing this.
This certainly adds to the bumpiness of the newspaper business in the past 18 months, with our long-time publisher, Phil Merrill, passing away in June of 2006, The Capital ownership transferring to 100%-ownership by Landmark Communications in spring of 2007 and now uncertainty on the horizon again to start this year.
All that said, I don't feel any different about what we are doing. In fact, I feel even better. Newspapers like us are local phenomena. We are all about a town, a city, a region. The best ones put out a daily picture of a city and interact with a community in powerful, often intangible, ways. They may even do as much for a multitude of smaller communities.
No matter who the owners might be, that is what a company of people at a good local paper do and who they are. Some of us were talking after the latest news and concluded this - let's just keep being who we are. In fact, let's focus on that more than ever.
From my point of view as Internet Director, I also realize that 'who we are' is changing in a deeper way, and was before any of these other things happened. This deeper change is a good one. It has to do with making the paper's conversation with other people who live and work in this region more of a two-way dialogue.
As company and on the Internet team, we decided some time ago to give you, the users of this website, a much greater voice. We started doing that with the addition of commenting on all of our news stories, a feedback page for posting your comments about the site, and an open forum page. We are soon moving ahead to launching community-specific pages with stories from the paper on local communities, comments, calendar events, local meetings, and citizen comment areas all geo-targeted to smaller communities.
So, If you live Crofton, before long you will be able to find all that stuff that is applicable to Crofton on one page. In addition, we will be putting up sections for you to interact with your community even more fully in a style much somewhat like social networking sites have.
Newspapers around the world are changing from being news delivery organizations to becoming community information hubs.
In my opinion, one of the most important things we will have in the future is a much broader stage where a lot more voices can be heard. Especially your voice.
In my opinion, one of the most important things we will have in the future is a much broader stage where a lot more voices can be heard. Especially your voice.
This is what I am talking about when I say I feel even better now. Perhaps it took a jolt to remind us of some of the basics. This trend of bringing in more voices is not going away. It is also 'who we are.' And without a doubt it is in the direction of 'who we will be.'
I say that not to put any agenda into possible future owners' considerations, but to state that I believe any newspaper which does not do this will cease to be a viable community voice before long.
People have tasted a new freedom of expression and they will have it. With the Internet, anyone can publish now, and find readers across the nation or across Main Street. A.J Liebling's trueism, "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one," has been overwritten by the digital age. As the printing press brought the ability to read and, some argue - thus, democracy - to millions, so the Internet has brought the ability to publish their own voice to millions as well.
Now, a citizen of Anne Arundel county or any other community does not have to wait to get published in newsprint to be heard. I still believe newsprint is a very powerful platform, and I encourage you to keep writing Tom Marquardt, our editor, and others in our organization. But there are also many other outlets for you to let your voice be heard on our web site and they will increase.
As I have mentioned to my readers on some other posts, I have been deeply moved by comments I have read on our site posted by people who live here. It has been heartwarming. These are the voices of regular people, not journalists or professional writers. They are often not written particularly well from an English teacher's perspective. But they have real human spirit in them.
As a newcomer to the Annapolis area, I started this blog as a personal search for connectedness for myself and my family, as well as a place to talk about Web sites. I am trying to be honest in this search, and sometimes it is painful, because life can be hard and it can be scary. It is also exciting and envigorating, especially when others who are neighbors also begin to show their humanity and their own fears, deams and frustrations.
That, to me, is what being a community is all about. I am hearing your voices as you participate. The commenting on our stories has grown and is getting fuller, richer and more diverse. I love it. It is also coming from communities all over the region, not just Annapolis proper.
It is helping me to find what I call Annapolis.
We won't stop doing this.
posted by Alan Eason at
2:28 PM
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