The Yazoo Herald is one of the best community newspapers around.
I make that comment boldly, and perhaps too confidently, but that is how I feel about this paper. And when I type my name on its front page and wipe the ink smeared across my fingertips, I feel good whenever I hold a copy in my hands.
I am happy to announce that The Yazoo Herald won 21 awards during the state newspaper contest last week. I walked away with seven first-place awards. And Jason, my husband and publisher, and I shared the Freedom of Information Award, beating out every newspaper, both daily and weekly of all sizes, in the entire state. Among Jason’s awards was a first place for editorials. He has won that award many times over the years, and it seems to be the one that matters the most to him.
Not too bad for little Yazoo.
I will be the first to admit, you will find some errors now and then. I usually find them right after I send the paper to press thinking everything looks good. And the print job sometimes isn’t perfect. But we are a proud and hardworking community newspaper.
Community newspapers are needed now more than ever.
Global and national news can be found at your fingertips so quickly in these modern times. But community newspapers are where readers go for information about their communities.
The Yazoo Herald is the place to find any news pertaining to Yazoo County. Unfortunately, the “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality arrives when controversial or tragic stories come from our small community. Those large media outlets “from the city” begin arriving in Yazoo City, and before you know it, our small town has made headlines beyond our zip code.
But when the flash of the bulbs and the sensational headlines fade into memory, The Yazoo Herald, like all community newspapers, remain…pounding the pavement and covering the news.
Business tycoon Warren Buffett was quoted as saying that “if you want to know what’s going on in your town – whether the news is about the mayor or taxes or high school football – there is no substitute for a local newspaper.”
He’s right.
Times are changing for the business. We are adapting to digital platforms while improving upon our traditional print model. We are operating with much smaller staff. And most certainly are adjusting to the recent COVID pandemic. It has taken a toll on our business because it has been so hard on the many local businesses that we serve.
But every morning, we arrive at work with a spirit of optimism mixed with a hardball of raw grit, ready to give Yazoo her news. Good news; bad news; slow news; spot news…it’s the ink that reveals those hidden heroes. It’s the ink that exposes corruption. It’s the ink that provides information. It’s the ink that gets results.
That same ink has been good to me. It has provided me with a living, with a roof over my head and food on my dinner plates. It has given me a platform for change and encouragement. It has brought me awards and honors.
But it has also given me a tough skin. It has got to the point where angry emails and face-to-face curses do not bother me at all.
Yazoo is a great community with its shares of mountains and valleys. But it is my home, and she is the backbone of my profession. The Yazoo Herald serves as her informer, entertainer and watch-dog.
That is the importance of community journalism. That is the power of the press.
