COLUMN: Delivering the real news without fear or favor

We have entered our third year of existence.

It feels good to be at this point. It’s taken quite a bit of sweat and tears and, I’m not sure, but I may have even spilt a drop of blood or two along the way.

For a new business to survive two years in the worst economic times since the Great Depression is saying something. For a newspaper to survive is really something special.

We believe we’ve accomplished a great deal in the past 24 months and it goes without saying we couldn’t have done it without the support of our readers and those businesses who have advertised with us.

Barrow County is our home, just like it is yours. I have a personal stake here. My home is here. My taxes are paid here. I support the local businesses. In the 13 years I have lived here, I have gotten to know many of you. I’ve seen your children born, grow older and begin to excel in school activities. We’ve all worked to make this a better place to live. Why? It’s simple really. It’s our home and we want it to be the best place possible to live.

I realize not everyone truly understands the role of a newspaper in a community like ours. Some believe a newspaper should be nothing more than a cheerleader, reporting only the good and covering up the not so pretty aspects of what goes on. But that’s never been the smart way to go about it. I lived here for more than a decade before we started the Barrow Journal and until we began publishing in the fall of 2008, I really didn’t know what was going on. Too often, the real facts were buried. Those in charge of reporting them simply turned the other way as a favor to some.

Now, you have a true and accurate record of what is happening in your community. Do we have a high rate of crime here? Unfortunately, yes. Citizens should know that. Wouldn’t you want to know what’s going on down the street from where you live? I know I do.

Don’t you want to know how our local school system is doing? The school system is funded with your tax dollars. You have every right to know.

When local government leaders are doing things under the cover the darkness, you should want to know and not want us to turn the other way.

For the past two years, you’ve had a newspaper that has informed you of what is really going on behind the scenes. We don’t view anyone as being a sacred cow.

We will continue reporting what we see without fear or favor. That is the true role of a newspaper.

Should a newspaper be a cheerleader for the community it covers at times? Sure. And we do that. Just look at the Community section we publish each week which highlights the good of Barrow County and its citizens. Look at our sports section, which I proudly put together after hours of work each week. It also spotlights the positive of our young people in our school system on a weekly basis.

However, we will not shy away from reporting what really goes on. The feedback from our readers has told us that is what they want.

The citizens of Barrow County deserve no less and we are going to continue to give it to them each week. That is a promise as we enter year three and beyond.

Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal. He can be reached at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.