Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Rotarians Hear From Gurdon Times Editor

A newspaper is only as good at the community it serves, was the message given to the Gurdon Rotary Thursday, July 13.

John Miller, news editor for the Gurdon Times, spoke to the group on the importance of a local newspaper, and the need for community interaction with it.

Without help from the people of the community, Miller said, a newspaper can't make it.

He added, newspapers depend on the people to provide information as to what's going on in the community.

If a group is meeting and no one calls the paper, he said, it won't be covered. When this happens, some people get upset with their newspaper, saying it doesn't do anything.

However, he said, the newspapers ability to report what is happening in a community is in direct proportion with the information its given by those living there.

This is especially true in small towns, where most have lived all their lives. Newspaper people are usually transient in nature and have to get to know the community, earning the trust of the people and still trying to fill the paper with informative news about what's going on.

But, when everyone assumes everyone knows what their group is doing and when it will be done, they make the mistake of thinking the paper will know this as well..

It's also important, Miller said, for coaches to cooperate with the newspaper so parents can be filled on what their children are doing athletically.

Coaches, he said, need to be available to answer questions, schedule pictures and provide statistics on how the various teams do.

At small papers like the Times, he said, the staff is small and wears many hats. This means the reporter can't always be physically present at all events.

This is especially true during baseball season, he said, as there are several teams playing on different days with rain delays having to be figured in.

Because of this, Miller said, coaches and parents can help by calling the paper with information on the games.

But, he said, the rules change when dealing with governments and schools. These groups can't meet, by law, without first informing the local paper under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

These entities, he said, must give the paper at least two hours notice prior to their meeting. And, he added, the members of these bodies can't contact one another in other ways to discuss business they will be dealing with at their meetings.

This is done to protect the public and make sure the public's business is handled out in the open. "A newspaper is the watchdog of a community," Miller said. "We are not the enemy, even though some people may see us that way."

It is the job of a newspaper to expose any wrongdoing occurring in a community by letting the people know what's happening.

But, he said, it is also the job of a newspaper to tell the positive things going on, such as with 4-H groups, the local chapter of the Future Farmers of America, a recent story about the history of the town as remembered by a local resident and athletic teams.

A newspaper, he continued, doesn't exist in a vacuum any more than a city does. It is a business relying on the advertising of the businesses where it is, even though its product is information.

But, he added, those working at newspapers are human and do make mistakes. "When you make a mistake," Miller said, "few know about it, but when we do, everyone knows."

Miller told the club members the three tenets of journalism: (1) print the truth; (2) protect the rights of the common man; and (3) raise the dickens. By doing the first two, he said, the third happens without much help.

Many people, he said, only want the truth told when it's on someone else, and not them.

Miller encouraged the Rotarians to work with the Times, letting the paper know when an event is coming up or being planned. The number for the Times is 870-353-4482.