I've felt warmly welcomed as the new editor of the Monroe Times in recent months, and after 90 days on the job, it's time to reach out. Among the busy newsroom, your sweet gifts, kind words, emails, drop-ins and phone calls haven't gone unnoticed or unappreciated.
Our staff has been working diligently to bring some big changes to our newspaper to reflect more of what we've heard our readers have hoped to see for a long time. Those changes are still happening.
Although you've seen more community people, students and civic groups among our pages, there's more. I'm thrilled to announce and welcome nine new local columnists to our Views page. And, even better, they're probably people you already know.
This is just one of many planned steps we're taking here at the Times to localize every part of our newspaper. Leo Lerner, the founder of Chicago's erstwhile Lerner Newspapers, used to say "A fistfight on Clark Street is more important to our readers than a war in Europe."
That might have been a long time ago, but the old adage still rings true. We're reporting on your neighbors, your community, your interests and things that are pertinent to your lives.
Journalism is often described as a living, breathing thing and I truly believe that. I hope you feel the interaction that's being added to our pages. Whether you're young, old or in-between, I hope you've found items in our paper that interest and inform you.
From inside the classrooms, civic groups and local businesses, the Monroe Times is ready to share all we can with each of you and be a part of the success of this special community. The activity and momentum that comes from the people here is nothing short of amazing, and sharing these stories is what we're all about.
We're not stopping with hard-hitting news and police coverage. We have professionally trained reporters and editors that are still covering local government; but now, it's a better grasp of what's happening right here, right now. Bridget Cooke will still be your eyes and ears at government meetings; Adam Krebs and Mark Nesbitt are expanding local athletics with box scores and daily standings, and Marissa Weiher is still taking the beautiful photos you're used to seeing.
Our publisher, Matt Johnson, is writing a weekly column and our editorial board, including assistant editor Susan Endres, is writing opinion pieces on issues that affect all of us.
Please join me in welcoming these special new touches - and people - to our pages. Rick Waski, Noreen Rueckert, Cara Carper, Louis Armstrong, Joe Peters, Melissa Even, Ben Huber, Tamara Schulte and Kris Winkler will appear regularly in 2018. This page will be a place where we can learn more about the people who do so much for our community, and are such a big part of Monroe's success.
Our Views page always welcomes local opinions in the form of blossoms and barbs and letters to the editor. Any of you can feel free to reach out to me personally and let me know what you think of these changes, and ways we can improve. My door is open to working together. Happy New Year!
- Emily Massingill is the editor of the Monroe Times. She can be reached at 608-328-4202 ext. 22 or at editor@themonroetimes.com.
Our staff has been working diligently to bring some big changes to our newspaper to reflect more of what we've heard our readers have hoped to see for a long time. Those changes are still happening.
Although you've seen more community people, students and civic groups among our pages, there's more. I'm thrilled to announce and welcome nine new local columnists to our Views page. And, even better, they're probably people you already know.
This is just one of many planned steps we're taking here at the Times to localize every part of our newspaper. Leo Lerner, the founder of Chicago's erstwhile Lerner Newspapers, used to say "A fistfight on Clark Street is more important to our readers than a war in Europe."
That might have been a long time ago, but the old adage still rings true. We're reporting on your neighbors, your community, your interests and things that are pertinent to your lives.
Journalism is often described as a living, breathing thing and I truly believe that. I hope you feel the interaction that's being added to our pages. Whether you're young, old or in-between, I hope you've found items in our paper that interest and inform you.
From inside the classrooms, civic groups and local businesses, the Monroe Times is ready to share all we can with each of you and be a part of the success of this special community. The activity and momentum that comes from the people here is nothing short of amazing, and sharing these stories is what we're all about.
We're not stopping with hard-hitting news and police coverage. We have professionally trained reporters and editors that are still covering local government; but now, it's a better grasp of what's happening right here, right now. Bridget Cooke will still be your eyes and ears at government meetings; Adam Krebs and Mark Nesbitt are expanding local athletics with box scores and daily standings, and Marissa Weiher is still taking the beautiful photos you're used to seeing.
Our publisher, Matt Johnson, is writing a weekly column and our editorial board, including assistant editor Susan Endres, is writing opinion pieces on issues that affect all of us.
Please join me in welcoming these special new touches - and people - to our pages. Rick Waski, Noreen Rueckert, Cara Carper, Louis Armstrong, Joe Peters, Melissa Even, Ben Huber, Tamara Schulte and Kris Winkler will appear regularly in 2018. This page will be a place where we can learn more about the people who do so much for our community, and are such a big part of Monroe's success.
Our Views page always welcomes local opinions in the form of blossoms and barbs and letters to the editor. Any of you can feel free to reach out to me personally and let me know what you think of these changes, and ways we can improve. My door is open to working together. Happy New Year!
- Emily Massingill is the editor of the Monroe Times. She can be reached at 608-328-4202 ext. 22 or at editor@themonroetimes.com.
