EDITOR’S DESK: A semi-significant milestone
As anniversaries go, it's hardly as momentous as the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo's 65th (see front page) or Head Start's
40th (see back page), but nonethless it feels good to reach the 1 1/2-year mark for the Westside Pioneer. This issue is our 26th
of the year, after 52 editions in 2004.
![]() Are we a success? It depends, I suppose, on how success is defined. From a financial standpoint, we're hardly making plans for a month's vacation in Tahiti (although we did slip off recently for two days at 11-mile). But from a standpoint of feeling welcome, of getting feedback that this newspaper is a worthy addition to the Westside, now that's the kind of success that I think we can claim - and happily so. Perhaps, this semi-significant milestone is a good time to share something that might not be obvious. This newspaper is, in a way, an experiment. It is based on the premise that most people who do things involving the community (be they in government or business or just in a volunteer capacity) are essentially decent folks. What's so experimental about a premise like that? you might ask. Only that it is pretty much a 180 from what drives many newspapers. I know, because I've worked on a lot of them. They like to pride themselves on maintaining a savvy cynicism, but what that often means is a negativity that misses out on the simple joy of, say, a Rock Ledge Fourth of July, or the quiet reward of participating in constructive community efforts. True, it's not good to go too far the other way - avoiding sticky issues so as to be popular (there are papers like that, too). In the end, a balance must be sought... but I'd always rather err on the benefit of the doubt. Somehow that makes our next anniversary (two years - gasp!) seem more pleasantly attainable. - K.J. |