Story-catchers: the importance of local newspapers

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Congratulations to Bill Horner III! Join me in celebrating his career at the Chatham News + Record. In a little over four years since he became publisher and editor, this newspaper has garnered many awards and Bill’s leadership is a pivotal reason for this success.

Bill stepping away is also an occasion to reflect on the importance of the press. “The media” is often vilified as biased and misleading by politicians, the very people who seek news coverage (I wonder why so many throw stones in a glass house). Criticism by the talking heads inevitably trickles down to the general population and causes disdain for journalism in general.

What a far cry from 200 years ago when Edmund Burke lauded the press as “the fourth estate” of the government. However, local newspapers still play a positive role in our communities, perhaps more than ever.

I have a friend who grew up in a small town. Chuckling, she said that everyone gets a front-page photo at some point! Most often, the story is not exactly scandalous: Perhaps someone caught a huge catfish, or someone else won the blue ribbon in the apple pie contest at the county fair.

I’m not here to criticize catfish or apple pie. Still, you might argue that such stories, while pleasant (and delicious!), are not exactly headliners. Local newspapers may not live by the adage “if it bleeds, it leads,” referring to the prominence of violent headlines, but these media sources are story-catchers. Stories that make us smile with recognition, maybe chuckle out loud. Stories that draw our attention because, even though they are about someone else, we can recognize something of ourselves in them.

Here is what I believe is true — It is only through the personal that we glimpse the universal. I write words like “kindness” or “community,” but those ideas take flesh in the actions of living, breathing people. Stories of human grace under duress are in national news sources, yet I think you are more likely to discover someone with whom you relate in the local news.

Another friend tells the story of the importance of a local weekly newspaper in Guntersville, Alabama: “And when the end of earth shall come and time shall cease to be ... [t]hey’ll believe it when they read it in the Advertiser-Gleam.” People are more likely to trust their local news source because they trust their neighbors.

This trust plays a huge role in reporting on issues, including so-called hot-button topics. Though racial justice and economic development are frequently reported in national media, here are two specific examples right here in our community: Last week, the headlines in the CN+R were about a mural at George Moses Horton Middle School that honors Black trailblazers and the new planning director for Pittsboro. While events at the White House are the subject of national debate, the government, businesses and schools in our local community have the greatest impact on our daily lives.

Bill Horner deserves our appreciation for a job well done. And I extend my gratitude to the reporters of the CN+R who will no doubt continue their excellent coverage. Here’s to the crucial stories they catch for the rest of us to learn from and enjoy.

Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church. His newly-published book is a collection of his columns for the Chatham News + Record titled “Hope Matters: Churchless Sermons.”