Document text
MONDAY February 23, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 19, 2003 By Andrew Scot Bolsinger, Editor Enough already. At some point in all the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth, folks have to let reason and fact enter into the debate. But reason and fact aren't as sexy as the conspiracy theory of hostile corporate takeovers and sinister plans to lay waste and cause utter ruin. We are, after all, talking about the Ashland Daily Tidings, and what else could be in the cards but its ultimate demise? It's difficult to see how people can so easily discard a 127-year-old institution in the community. But it stems back from a misnomer that the Tidings was a quaint little, locally-owned newspaper until the great corporate takeover last year. The only problem is, nothing could be further from the truth. It's been a long, long time since the Tidings was locally owned. It's most recent owner, Lee Enterprises, owns newspapers across the country. Before that, the paper was owned by Disney. Did I miss something or is Michael Eisner a closet Ashlander? Among other owners in this two-decade long game of hot potato was Capital Cities, the then-parent-company of ABC, which owned the paper in the mid 1980s. The last newspaper masthead to claim to be "an independently owned local newspaper" was July 14, 1984. I had just graduated from high school. So why are we still touting the issue today, almost 20 years later? The question is a flawed one from the start. It assumes locally owned newspapers are better, though having worked for a locally owned paper, my own experience suggests otherwise. My conversations with others in the business reflect what's true of most businesses: Some are good, some not. Some corporations are great places to work, others are not. I can only speak to my own experience, but the only time I felt compromised in a newsroom was while working for a locally-owned independent newspaper. I had reporters leave because of owner interference. It's night and day at the Ashland Daily Tidings. Because who operates the paper is far more important than who owns it. Quite simply, if folks are looking for someone to blame, they don't have to call New York. They can call me. Ottaway Newspapers Inc. touts local autonomy of its community newspapers, and backs it up. As a result, I am usually to blame for most decisions and changes in the Daily Tidings. I take direct calls and e-mails every day with people letting me know what they think of my efforts. I am not sure it can get any more local than that. What's lost in all of this corporate conspiracy theory is that corporations rarely set the identity of a newspaper. The community itself throws the culture and identity into the pot of tradtion that the newspaper is built on. Editors and staffers stir it and the result is an unique personality. The Ashland Daily Tidings has an identity all its own. It's far different from the Mail Tribune, even though both papers share the same publisher and are owned by the same corporation. We take seriously our first and most important role: report the news, fairly and honestly. But we do more to participate and enhance the community: Stories that inform readers of problems, programs that benefit those in need, articles that tout local businesses, the arts, or community service organizations. Where would this community be without the Tidings? Where would the many programs that rely on us from play productions to school announcements, to local classes, be without a local daily forum? Thankfully, because of our commitment to constantly improve and grow the Ashland Daily Tidings and carry on the legacy of 127 years, nobody in Ashland has to find out. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: A new improved archive search is coming! Look for it in mid-February! .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams