The first full week of October is National Newspaper Week every year, and the Enterprise again joins in the celebration to remind everyone of the importance of a free and independent press.
It’s easy to find “information” about what people think is happening in your community. But if you want verified news you can count on, then you can always turn to your hometown paper. The Enterprise reports on the meetings you don’t have time to attend, let’s you know what’s about to happen with your local taxes, keeps up with the local football teams, and so much more.
The newspaper also serves as the eyes and ears of the people keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings of local governments, making sure they keep their activities between the lines and above board.
The watchdog role has always been a tough one in a small town where the opportunity exists that the public officials being scrutinized by the paper could be close friends of the paper’s staff or could be the person sitting next to the editor tomorrow at the local restaurant. And yet local news men and women across America continue to fight the good fight and work hard to bring you the best information possible.
Your newspaper fills other roles as well, not the least of which is the community’s de facto history keeper. The first draft of history is right here in your hands. Twenty-five, 50, or a hundred years from now, someone may pick up this paper to find out what issues were facing farmers, how the local sports teams were doing, or to find their ancestor’s obituary. Issues of our paper going back 139 years are an invaluable resource as the triumphs and tragedies of our lives unfold in black and white. The future will be no different as the news of the present becomes documented history.
But that’s for the people of tomorrow. The most important role remains here and now as we stay on top of everything from City Hall to the Courthouse to College Hill and the local school boards. Citizens have not only have a right to know what’s happening at those places, they have a need to know. The actions of local boards and elected officials are important to report so that voters can decide if they want to continue to support those people or vote for someone else or even throw their own hate in the ring.
And just as important is the need to keep up with the world around you. What’s happening with the Cotton Festival? When is the next Chamber of Commerce function? When will the Whistle-Stop be open? What are they doing with that old theatre? All of these questions can be answered just by picking up your Clarendon Enterprise, and you can count on us being here next week with more information that you need… and the week after that and the week after that.
Of course, we do change with the times. We’re online and on Facebook and on Twitter. But regardless of the medium you choose to get your Enterprise news through, you can be assured that it is always there for you to keep you better informed.
Your hometown paper has been spreading the word in these parts since 1878, and we’re not stopping anytime soon.
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