Gratitude, hope and a rising star

If you came by the office of the Gunnison Country Times late last week, you found the place to be unusually quiet. That’s because most of us were off attending the Colorado Press Association annual conference in Denver. We went to refresh relationships with other journalists around the state and to form new ones. We also went in anticipation of a very special award — but I’ll save that part for last.

The moderator of the event challenged attendees on day one to identify what we hoped to gain from the conference and to revisit that goal at the end to see if we’d achieved it. I realized that I had come in search of common cause among other editors and publishers of small, rural newspapers — a demographic that is often underrepresented in big picture discussions about the state of journalism. That is, the actual practice of journalism in places like Gunnison, not just whether small papers are on the verge of extinction.

A lot of what passes for “innovation” in our industry these days aims to satisfy shifting cultural and political expectations, or to somehow appease big tech masters so we can be in the club. This manifests as an obsession with diversity as the preeminent journalistic standard; an infatuation with AI, despite numerous common sense reasons to be wary (on behalf of our readers); and chasing after some digital payload like a bunch of Greyhounds at the race track, always one step behind the prize (because the game is rigged).

I was hoping to encounter others willing to talk instead about the fundamentals of journalism — how to report on real world issues with integrity, clarity, accuracy and a ferocious commitment to telling the truth, wherever it leads. How to inspire and train the next generation of journalists to do the mostly tedious and unglamorous work of getting a story right. How to maintain relevance and rebuild public trust by simply being the best journalists we can possibly be, without relying on gimmicks.

I’m grateful to be able to say I found plenty of reasons to be hopeful that I’m not alone. Beneath the flashy trends, there is a strong current of determination among the professionals I met to never forget what the institution of journalism is all about: providing accurate, reliable information so people can confidently and effectively engage in self-governance.

As someone pointed out last weekend, ours is the only constitutionally protected industry in America. While many national outlets have begun to betray that trust with overt and aggressive partisanship, the small town publishers I met in Denver are very aware of the moral obligation to keep faith with the founders’ intentions, for their readers, but more importantly, for future citizens.

Honestly, we are in a much better position to do that than our big city media cousins — another reason to be grateful and hopeful. Being in Denver reminded me just how different our lives are in a place like this. I’m referring to the natural environment, of course, but more importantly to the nature of that precious endowment of self-governance that we enjoy.

As I sat in city traffic brought to a standstill by an accident (for the third time in half an hour), I looked around at Denverites trapped in the cars and wondered: where would they go to air a grievance about how their local government works? Do they even know the names of their local elected officials, much less how to contact them in any meaningful way? At election time, for most of them, a yard sign is as close as they will come to interacting with candidates.

Need I say more? The contrast should be obvious between that and what we have here. In this year’s election, perhaps the most important vote you’ll cast — with the most direct impact on life in the valley — is way down the ballot, for two open county commissioner seats and for representation at the state capitol. Those candidates are people who live and work right here. You’ll recognize them at the grocery store or on the trail. They’ll listen to anyone who bothers to contact them — because they are neighbors and people first, candidates second.

Do more than be grateful for that — act on it.

Now, about that special award that was waiting in Denver: I’m extremely proud to tell you that this year’s Colorado Press Association Rising Star Award was given to Times Editor Bella Biondini.

When nominating Bella for this award last spring I submitted a commentary she had written about food insecurity in the valley. The selection committee wrote:

“From Bella's opinion piece it's clear how much she cares about the journalism industry and the passion she has when covering stories out in the community. Great work! Bella is well deserving of this award and we look forward to continuing seeing her grow in her career.”

Amen.

Am I hopeful about the future of real journalism in our town? Yep.

(Alan Wartes can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or publisher@gunnisontimes.com.)