Read All About It

Newspapers.

You can find a whole community in them.  They contain the full spectrum of humanity.  They give you hope, and they can make you shake your head in despair.  You can share in joy, and grieve at unexpected passings.

Newspapers.

You can see that, even when government and institutions fail us, and people fall through the gaps, there are those ready to reach out a helping hand and pull them back to grace.  You can read about people who, even though they suffer great loss themselves, in the loss of a child to disease or a terrible wreck, who fight back by rallying others to conquer disease, to provide support for other families facing similar crises, to fight for laws and changes that will better protect us.  You can find stories of those who give to shelters, who help feed the poor, to devote what little they have for people with even less.  You can find the light of humanity shining through pages of your local paper.

Newspapers.

You also can also see the dark side of life as well.  People who commit crimes, from violent crimes of abuse, robbery and molestation, to white collar crimes of corruption and embezzlement.   You can find legal proceedings, and who has not paid their property tax.  Sometimes the papers need to report on horrible tragedies that turn your stomach or bring a tear to your eye. You can find the darkest moments of a community in the paper as well as you can the brightest.

Newspapers.

In them, you can see the march of time, the changes that bring both joy and sorrow,  The births and weddings that hold such promise, and the deaths that bring not just mourning but shared memories.  The pageantry of human existence is there for you each and every issue.

Newspapers.

They put you in touch with the great pride and occasional carnival atmosphere of your town.  You can feel the pulse beat of our young people in the schools, marveling at their achievements, both academic and athletic.  It draws the community into events as varied as the Homecoming Football game, Festivals in the Park, fireworks over the lake, the gatherings of dozens of community organizations, and community singings at church.

Newspapers.

A place where you can go to get the REST of the story, through features, columns, and investigative reporting.  It can bring you not just the what, where and who, but also the why and how, the background that fleshes out a story and brings a deeper understanding.

Newspapers.

What is white, black and read all over?  Newspapers.  Their black and white stories (sometimes enhanced with color photos!), are red - the red, beating blood and life force of a community.

As the internet changes the experience of the newspaper, as we drill down to those stories only of immediate interest to us, and ignore everything else, I hope and pray that we can hang on to the printed page.  Because there is nothing like it in really being able to feel the living pulse of a community.

Feel the pulse.  Breathe in your town.  The next time you get your hometown newspaper, watch your community come alive in your hands.