The value of community journalism

Every January, staff members at the Herald Community Newspapers pore over their work from the past year, deciding which entries to submit to the New York Press Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest.

Editors, reporters and photographers agonize over which stories were the best written, which series of stories made the most impact, which photos were most compelling and which front pages looked the best. The graphic artists and advertising managers look over the ad campaigns, house ads and special sections they’ve created, puzzling over which is most likely to catch the judges’ eyes.
Then, come spring, Herald staffers trek up to the NYPA’s annual convention in Saratoga Springs, where the award winners are announced.

All the work we do, award-winning or not, we do with readers in mind. The NYPA has a membership of more than 700 local newspapers from across the state, and each has the same mission — to bring readers thorough and accurate information about their community.

The Herald is the very definition of community journalism. It features news that readers often cannot find anywhere else. Community newspapers give you the most comprehensive information about local elections and the candidates. They’re where you’ll find out how the school budget will impact your tax bill or how a change in school programs will affect your children. The news that affects you and your daily life most closely can be found in your community newspaper.

Who made the high school honor roll or the dean’s list at college? Who won an award from the town or county? What local events are coming up? The answers are in the Herald. We know this is important information to our readers, and we make sure it’s a part of the newspaper every week.

But the Herald is more than just a bulletin board or a platform for press releases.

Our editors and reporters are out in their communities, talking to politicians, school officials, business leaders and all those who make decisions that affect our readers. And we’re out there listening to those readers —you, your friends, your neighbors — as well, finding out how these decisions affect your lives.

We recognize the unsung heroes of the community, the people who give their time without asking for anything in return.

We identify problems in the community and look for solutions. This year — for the seventh time in the past 10 years — the Herald won the Sharon R. Fullmer Award for Community Leadership for its series of stories on heroin use in Nassau County. In Valley Stream, the Herald took third place for its extensive coverage of the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, documenting the outrage of residents who were suddenly hit with four-figure insurance bills and their actions to right a wrong in their community. These are issues that matter to residents, and the Herald was recognized for its focus on them.

But for the editors and reporters behind these stories, the awards aren’t the motivation. They did the work simply because that’s what community journalists do, and that’s the reporting that you readers deserve.

At a time when some people are writing newspapers off as a thing of the past, community newspapers remain strong, viable assets in their communities. The Herald’s 23 awards from the New York Press Association prove that first-rate local journalism is alive and well.