While working on a story recently I made note of a police officer who had been commended by multiple citizens at the meeting of the Board of the Mayor and Alderman. I loved seeing our local government allow citizens to speak and taking the time to hear them address their grievances. People need to know the good and the bad, but please don’t kill the messenger just for relaying the news.
I have lived in Warren County for decades. I've been here since I was barely more than a toddler, apart from a few weeks or months living out of the county, a couple of half-year stints out of state and five years outside of the country. I haven’t always had the greatest time here but I care deeply about my hometown and want the best for it and my neighbors within the county. A primary aim is to emphasize and share what’s in the public interest. It’s the reason that our very first amendment guarantees us freedom of religion, expression and speech. It’s the reason why Thomas Jefferson pointed out that “a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.” The truth isn’t always nice though, sometimes it’s messy, and sometimes it can be hurtful. Sometimes that will be positive, sometimes negative. It’s a perilous balancing act at times.
Not everything scandalous that can be shared is necessarily “in the public interest.” I recently read a great hypothetical situation along those lines. For instance, a local politician being an alcoholic and drinking at home privately is not a worthy subject for investigative research. But if that public official is diverting public funds to fund their addiction? That is a story to dig into.
Civics in practice works like a team sport. Purportedly, we all have the interests of our home county at heart; we just all have different roles to fulfill toward that goal. At the end of the day, though, we are on the same team. I want our government to be responsive, our law enforcement to be competent and personable and our justice system to be fair and equitable. My part in that whole equation goes back to the Jefferson quote: Cultivating a well-informed citizenry. And I won’t steer clear from reporting on topics that may upset people, but I don’t aim to be adversarial just for kicks.
To be effective, sometimes it’s wise to pick your battles; other times it may be more prudent to refuse to back down from a fight. What we shouldn’t be wasting our time fighting is each other. I’m not here to rock the boat just to see the waves. I’m just here to represent the Fourth Estate’s attempt to ensure the “well-informed citizenry” that Jefferson referred to in the quote above.
We all make mistakes and the best of intentions can run afoul, but if we keep each other accountable and don’t let petty squabbles and biases get in the way of the common welfare, I believe we really can make it through this bottleneck.
Standard reporter Philip Fairbanks can be reached at (931) 473-2191.
