During this National Newspaper Week, I found myself musing about what I would do, or really what any of us would do, without the Marshall County Journal and, really, any local small-town newspaper. I came up with a bit of a list.
If we didn’t have the Journal, what would my husband, your husband, your son or any other fisherman use to clean fish without completely sliming up the counter? Newspapers are perfectly sized and completely disposable!
If we didn’t have the Journal, what would your chickens use for bedding? We’ve had various chicken owners come and grab old Journals just for that reason. We have even heard that the birds love to read Bridget’s column to drift off to sleep each night. I’m not sure whether that’s a compliment to my writing or an insult to my writing, but I’ll take it.
If we didn’t have the Journal, what would you use to shove under an unstable table or an unbalanced piece of furniture? Just this past weekend, I spotted various old copies folded into lovely little squares and shoved under my brother’s gas grill to keep it stable. Works like a charm.
If we didn’t have the Journal, how would I clean my windows? Did you know wadded-up newspapers work wonders for cleaning glass rather than using paper towels? It’s true! Give it a try. Although, I suppose if you’re using the newspaper to clean your windows, you’re going to have to find another source for the news.
Without the Journal, how would I know who has the most comfortable chairs of all the government entities? This is important information when you have to live through lengthy meetings in a variety of locations.
In all seriousness, though, living without your Marshall County Journal, or any small-town newspaper, should be a daunting thought.
If we didn’t have our local newspapers, who would go to and report on those government meetings that you are often not able to attend? I admittedly don’t love every minute I spend in those meetings, but I take seriously my responsibility to go to them, tell those stories and hold power accountable.
Without our local newspapers, who would not only get the photos, but also share the sports statistics, accounts of the games and build the history of our local teams and schools? I’m so grateful that Doug is still taking on that role here at the Journal and does such a great job. I would challenge anyone to find a small-town newspaper that does a better job covering its local sports teams than he does.
Without our local newspapers, who would share all of those upcoming events, like church dinners, pancake feeds, fundraisers and everything else happening around town? Not everybody is on social media, and not everybody is able to see those announcements that way.
Without the Journal and other small-town papers, how would you get those interesting, meaningful and heart-tugging stories about your neighbors that you might not otherwise know? I love writing those in-depth human-interest pieces that share a side of people others might not know after meeting them only a few times.
Without your local newspaper, who would provide those memories of the past, like we do with our “100 Years Ago” and “50 Years Ago” glimpses into old newspapers? We regularly hear from folks that those are their favorite features in the paper. They are often interesting, chuckle-worthy or downright surprising, and they say a lot about where we came from.
And finally, on a personal level, without the Journal, I’m not sure what I would be doing with myself. I’m also not sure I ever would have moved back to Northeast South Dakota.
I thank God every day for the opportunity this newspaper and its owner have provided me. I don’t take the responsibility of serving this community through the Journal lightly. I’m grateful that I get to tell your stories, record your history, sit through your meetings, take part in your events and, yes, occasionally provide your husband with something to clean fish with.
