Thank your Journal staff for the job they do

Those outside the newspaper industry may not realize just how rare it is to get that kind of recognition, especially for a newspaper that is relatively new. Georgia has a lot of very good weekly newspapers and the competition is strong.

The reason for the Journal’s recognition is due to one of the most incredible newspaper staffs I’ve ever worked with. They are an eclectic and sometimes eccentric bunch. Their political views run every stripe and flavor; getting two members of the Journal staff to agree on politics is like mixing oil and water. (And virtually none of them agree with their publishers’ views.)

The staff’s ages and experiences run the gamut, from the very seasoned to the very new. Each member brings a unique and much appreciated view to the table.

But the one thing the entire staff shares is a deep love of newspapers and community journalism. They are passionate about their jobs and in covering all aspects of Barrow County.

When we started the Journal in October 2008, it was with a plan to cover all aspects of the community. We have a lot of human-interest news, features, photos, church news and much more.

And sports news is also a key focus for the Journal. With multiple high schools and a huge variety of recreation sports, there often isn’t enough hours in the day to get to everything, but our staff tries to cover as much ground as possible.

On the editorial pages, we have a large number of voices offering opinions on a variety of both local and national news. We strongly believe in allowing people to state their opinions so that readers can decide for themselves about important subjects.

And of course, there is the Journal’s incredible coverage of local government news. From county and city governments to the local school board and a host of other public agencies, no newspaper covers how your tax dollars are being spent better than the Journal.

All of that is what you see each week, but behind the scenes are others who make the gears churn. The ad sales staff keeps the firm running to make payroll; the front office folks take care of subscribers; the composition folks keep the paper looking good; and the printing and delivery staff put ink on paper each week and deliver the paper to readers.

So when you see one of our Journal staff members out in the community in the coming weeks, give them a pat on the back for being part of the state’s best weekly newspaper. They do an incredible job for the Barrow County community.

••••

Tell me it’s not a nightmare. The airport issue? Again?

I thought that old issue got buried four years ago. Alas, it’s back with a vengeance.

There’s no doubt some in the county’s leadership have in the past viewed the airport as a potential engine of economic development. But that idea is a myth. With a very few exceptions, airports make no difference in small town development.

A lot of communities overestimate the importance of their local airport and push to have it expanded. That began over a decade ago in Barrow County, although it was the previous county administration that really got caught up in that kind of thinking.

But there is very little danger of a commercial airport ever happening in Barrow County. For one thing, a commercial airport isn’t the result of a county wanting one; it is the result of market demand.

That means a major airline would have to want to move a lot of flights away from Atlanta’s Hartsfield to another facility. But that move would weaken an airline’s ability to offer quick connections, which is Hartsfield’s strength.

In addition, someone much larger than Barrow County would have to be able to raise the money to pay for that kind of facility and the FAA would have to approve it. Both would be very, very difficult if not economically impossible.

So it really doesn’t matter what anyone in Barrow County’s government thinks about the airport. The county has no money to fulfill such dreams and no control over the airlines. So why is the community still arguing about it?

To quote Shakespheare: “It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing.”

Mike Buffington is co-publisher of the Barrow Journal. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.