Just a small town, country newspaper editor

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

I work for a weekly paper in a rural community. Each day I write stories, take pictures, and edit copy written by my staff or submitted from the public.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

I report on city and county governments. I do some sports coverage. I can often be found at community events, ground breakings, ribbon cuttings, parades, fairs, school functions, chamber of commerce events, and the like.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

Sometimes I stare at blank pages to fill or ponder how to write something meaningful and significant from dull, dry meetings. Other times I try to craft a way to fit everything into the next edition or I’m trying to figure out what to leave out of a story because I have an overabundance of information.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

Ink got in my blood in 1981 when my high school typing teacher encouraged me to join the student newspaper. It was creative and fun, so I majored in journalism in college. I rose through the ranks on the student newspaper from photo editor to associate editor to editor.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

I started my professional career at a weekly paper in Minnesota. I moved on to a small daily in North Carolina and then to a bigger daily in my hometown of Longmont, Colo. From there I went to a much larger daily paper in Amarillo before downsizing to a small daily in Hereford, then to various weeklies in the Houston area.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

Then came the call in 2014 to join The Sealy News. I started as a reporter but became the editor within a few months. It was a lot of hard work, long hours and low pay, but I was still in the game doing what I love.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

Two years later came an opportunity of a lifetime. I was hired by a former boss as the editor of the weekly Fort Bend Star. It was closer to home, more money, and afforded me great opportunities to cover pro sports, NASA, and many growing and thriving communities. Feature stories abounded and I loved what I was doing. The people seemed to love me too. Last year, however, I was lured back to Sealy. Things changed a lot and for the better.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

It’s no coincidence that at the same time I downsized newspapers that the industry as a whole was downsizing. The internet was taking off and taking ad revenue with it. With print costs rising and revenue dropping, cuts were being made. Fewer jobs and lower pay are part and parcel with newspapers today.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

People have been saying for years that print is dead, yet here we are. We’re leaner, adaptive to change, and even more relevant than ever before in a world of “fake news” and “mainstream media” scandals that are killing the trust people have with journalists. We still report on city hall, local happenings, local sports, and all the other things the people have been depending on newspaper for since the days of old.

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

The pain of being the baby in the bathwater that everyone wants to throw out because President Trump and Facebook wants them too is unbearable. When friends on social media cry “don’t trust the media” and “defund the media” I don’t think they fully understand the implications of what they are saying. Ours is an industry on a shoestring budget getting along by a thread. Do they really want to live in a country without a free press? Do they really want me and my colleagues to be without jobs and careers?

I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

All that we ask is that if you appreciate what we do for you and our community that you continue to support us. Please subscribe to the paper and do business with our advertisers. These are times when we call need to come together and build one another up. We’re in this fight together and together we can get through it.

But what do I know? I’m just a small town, country newspaper editor.

Skeeters are playing it safe

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, creating a deep craving for human interaction.

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down the Houston Rodeo and the upstart XFL, I felt a sense of disappointment and loss. Most of us did, as not just sports but concerts, theaters, and innumerable other activities came to a sudden halt. Locking down and social distancing, along with the absence of the familiar and fun, have created an unseen but deeply felt sense of disconnection and loneliness.

I didn’t realize how profound those feelings were until Friday when I returned to Constellation Field to cover and enjoy live baseball games again. Even though capacity was limited to 31% and people had to wear masks when not in their seats and keep six feet apart, we were still able to enjoy the company of friends. We were there as the Skeeters, acting on their own, created a new league from scratch and over the weekend played the only live professional baseball to be found anywhere in the country.

I’ve been watching the Skeeters since the inaugural game in 2012 and have been covering the team as a journalist since 2016. The ballpark is my second home and the staff, players, and fans are extended family. Returning to the game filled my heart with joy. Actually, it wasn’t so much the game as it was the people and the atmosphere. As different as it was, it was also familiar.

Being out there with my family and my friends gave me a strong sense of belonging. It was the connection I’ve been craving. It felt like returning to school after summer break and seeing all your buddies for the first time in ages.

As for the game itself, the players are still a little rusty – as you would expect after months away from the game – but the level of talent and the quality of play are just a notch under Major League level. I have little doubt that some of these players will be on MLB rosters by the end of the two-month season or at least by next spring. With Major League Baseball canceling the Minor League season and limiting team rosters, this four-team league the Skeeters started is about the only chance these players will have to hone their skills and keep playing the game they love.

I don’t think most people fully appreciate what the Skeeters have accomplished here in the span of a month. The Constellation Energy League went from concept to first pitch in four weeks. Team owners Bob and Marcie Zlotnik and their son Kevin have made a very risky investment in the new league. They are footing the bill for all baseball operations, housing all four teams, and operating a stadium where they are highly unlikely to break even on the endeavor. On top of that, another shutdown order by the governor or an outbreak of COVID-19 amongst the players or staff could put a sudden end to everything.

Despite all that, the Zlotniks and the Skeeters organization have given the community something desperately needed – hope. We have a partial restoration of normalcy. We have community again. We have fun and a reason to get out and be together once more. We have hope that if this works it will clear the path for other sports to return – with fans in attendance.

On Sunday I went to Minute Maid Park to photograph the Astros at their summer camp in preparation for a 60-game season. Being one of about a half-dozen photographers interspersed across the lower bowl of the ballpark felt odd and isolated. The safety and security precautions just to get in were lengthy and confusing. Still, it was nice to be back there. It was great seeing the players once more, albeit from a distance.

While the MLB is preparing to play without fans in the stadium, it still remains to be seen what the National Football League will do. I’ve heard from Houston Texans season ticket holders who say they’re getting mixed messages from the team about attendance.

The one thing the big leagues can learn from the Skeeters is how to make live sporting events work during a pandemic. They’re doing it and quite successfully so far. It is a risk, but so far it is paying off big time in terms of fan loyalty and dedication. That’s something you can’t put a price on. The Zlotniks and the Skeeters are leaders in the community and in the sporting world. For that I will always be grateful, and they deserve the support of every fan who feels comfortable and safe enough to venture out during the pandemic.

Are you part of the problem?

If you’ve ever shared a meme or Facebook post that includes the words “you are part of the problem,” chances are pretty good that you are part of the problem.

I’m sure I’m guilty of that at some point, however, I make it a personal policy to not share mean and hurtful (hateful?) things on social media, specifically Facebook. I have other social media accounts, but Facebook is the one I use the most. I have a bi-polar love-hate relationship with it, but like an abused spouse I can’t seem to pull away from it.

I have more than 1,000 friends on Facebook, but I bet I’ve unfollowed or snoozed about half of them because of all the nasty stuff they keep sharing. Most of it has to do with hating the media (hey, that’s me!), or just the lies, hatred, and flat-out meanness of their posts.

I highly doubt that most people realize that by sharing such things they are engaging in cyberbullying. Even if what they are sharing is correct (or at least is in line with their beliefs or political persuasion), just the simple act of sharing it is in itself vile and divisive. It doesn’t help anyone. As I said earlier, if the post has the words “you are part of the problem,” then the post itself is derogatory and a form of bullying. This needs to stop!

I realize at this point that some of you might be getting ready to hit back at me with the whole First Amendment free speech spiel but hear me out. I’m not saying you shouldn’t exercise your right to free speech or free expression, I’m simply calling for civility, decency, fairness, and honesty.

Before sharing or posting anything on any social media platform, ask yourself a few simple questions. I like to see if it passes the four-way test of the Rotary Club: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better relationships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? If the answer is no to any of those four questions, then don’t do it.

If that isn’t enough of a filter, ask yourself if you would say that to your mother or grandmother. You could also ask yourself “what would Jesus do?” Also, would you say it face-to-face with each person you are trying to reach? At the very least I bet you’d tone down the rhetoric or at least clean up the language.

This brings us to the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you don’t want people lying or saying terrible things to you, then please don’t do it to them. If you feel so compelled to talk politics, try to avoid tearing down the other side and instead use positive, persuasive terms to build up your side. Rather than bashing the other party or candidate, promote your own.

The same thing applies to debates over masks and shutting down businesses to combat COVID-19. You’re not going to convince anyone that it’s right or wrong to wear masks if you’re calling them a moron for doing or not doing so. The only thing you’ll succeed at is making a jerk of yourself and losing friends and/or respect.

I could go on with many other examples, but I want to go back to the 2016 election for a minute. Does anyone recall the news about how Russian bots were generating inflammatory social media posts with the intent to influence the outcome of the election? Has it occurred to anyone that bots might be doing the same thing again? I’m not saying they are, but I think it’s well within the realm of possibility.

In addition to the aforementioned questions, I ask that before sharing a post on social media that you please consider its source. Is it from someone you know (and not just shared by them)? Is the root source a trusted person or media site? Is the information factual and presented in a positive tone, or is it only partly true or just a headline or photo that gets you fired up?

Before sharing a click-bait headline, have you actually read the article or watched the video it takes you to? Quite often headlines online are misleading or have nothing to do with the story. Most people are not going to bother to check the link before sharing it. Don’t be that person. Don’t be part of the problem. Let’s work to be the solution and put the “social” back in social media.