Editorial: Newspapers shine light in dark times

It’s National Sunshine Week again – a time when civic leaders and journalists try to remind the public of the importance of open government and the public’s right to know what their elected officials are up to. While Sunshine Week isn’t specifically about newspapers, there can be no doubt that it’s our job to shine the light and make sure our readers are not left in the dark about important matters in our communities.

In just the last few months, the Enterprise has done our part to help keep you informed about a number of very important matters that frankly you probably wouldn’t know much about if we hadn’t reported on them.

Donley County and the City of Clarendon have spent several months wrestling with a new law enforcement agreement. Out of that came a proposal that will see voters in Hedley, Howardwick, and rural residents go to the polls this May to decide about sales tax rates. Who told you about that? We did.

The Clarendon CISD Board of Trustees has been quietly talking for several months about improvements to be funded by bonds. At one point the projects were totaling about $13 million, until a group of citizens showed up at a series of board meetings to voice their concerns – after the Enterprise reported on it. “I wouldn’t know this was even happening if it hadn’t been in the paper,” one resident told me. Propositions totaling $11.7 million will be on the May 4 ballot.

We’ve let you know who’s running for office, when and where to vote, and how the elections came out. We’ve reported on the City of Hedley, on Howardwick, on crime, on downtown revitalization, and the list goes on and on.

This is not to say that the county or the school or the city are purposefully keeping you in the dark. All of their meetings are held in public except for the rare closed sessions. But even when they meet in closed session, they can’t take action until they’re in the open again. The point though is that people just generally don’t go to public meetings or care to find out firsthand what happens at those meetings. That’s where your local paper comes in. We go to the meeting, or we go after the meeting and find out what happened, and we report back to you. It’s up to you then to decide whether you like what’s going on or not.

Newspapers and local journalists shine light in other ways, also. Sometimes it’s a fun way – bringing you live updates on social media from basketball playoffs, for example. Other times, it’s not fun at all.

Two weeks ago, the Panhandle was ravaged by the worst wildfires in Texas history. Hundreds of homes were lost, thousands of livestock were destroyed, and lives were left in shambles. Two people were killed, and more have lost their personal belongings.

The wildfires didn’t get to Donley County, so our coverage was limited. Evacuees came to Clarendon from neighboring communities, and we covered that event online as our citizens opened doors to comfort those who were displaced. Other newspapers had a bigger job to do in covering the fires and trying to help protect their readers while keeping them informed.

One such newspaper was The Eagle Press in Fritch. My friend Tara Huff is the publisher, editor, and head custodian of the Eagle Press. Your editor can relate to that very well. Tara has always been on top of the news in Fritch and not long ago was named the official paper of record for all of Hutchinson County. The reason why is easy to see. It’s her commitment to telling the stories that matter. She holds local officials accountable, but she’s fair and honest as the day is long.

Tara was live on Facebook last week throughout the fires that tore through and around her hometown. She was constantly giving updates on the fire, where people could go, how they could get help, and just overall being a trusted source for information coming out of the heart of the disaster.

Somewhere in the mix of all the hell and turmoil, she got a paper out and again told the story of what had happened, what comes next, and letting her readers know the information they so desperately needed.

When she probably thought that it couldn’t get worse, it did. With the wildfires abating somewhat a structure fire broke out. A house, possibly with people inside. Fire Chief Zeb Smith went in to check and never came out. Tara was on the scene as always. And then had to report on the loss of her friend.

Heroes come in all forms. Firefighters certainly are the big heroes in the stories from the last two weeks, and they ought to be. But in my book, Tara Huff is a hero also. A hero shining the light to give people the power of information – even in the darkest times.

It’s Sunshine Week. Always cherish your right to be informed and support the people who help protect that freedom.