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EDITOR'S NOTES Editor's Notes: Not falling, flying Comment By Bert Etling DailyTidings.com By Bert Etling Posted Apr. 2, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 2, 2015 at 3:40 PM By Bert Etling Posted Apr. 2, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 2, 2015 at 3:40 PM » Social News The following is a version of remarks prepared for Wednesday night's celebration of 100 years of The Rogue News, the Ashland High School newspaper. As a newspaper editor, some might expect me to be like the fellow who fell off 50-story building. Somebody leaned out a window at the 25 floor and yelled, “are you OK?” To which he would reply, “so far, so good.” There is reason, to put it mildly, for concern. The double-whammy of technological changes and the Great Recession has dealt a blow to newspaper revenues over the past decade. With less ad money coming in, staffs have been cut and papers have gotten thinner. But I remain not only optimistic, but enthusiastic about the business I’m in and its future. We’re living in a time I find more exciting than scary. We have more ways to reach more readers more often than ever before. And, while print circulation has declined, the number of people seeking news online continues to grow, and we’re delivering that news. We humans are built to want to know what’s going on. Whenever we bump into each other, we say, “What’s up? How you doing? What do you know?” That’s about as microlocal as you can get, and it’s close to where I’ve chosen to pursue my career in community journalism. A big part of the news equation is how close to home it hits. We’re more interested in the fistfight next door than a riot halfway around the world. There’s no decline in the need to know, and overall readership statistics confirm this. The newspaper business may not be so great, but the news business is great. Successful newspaper groups are taking their advantages — usually the largest, most capable staffs in any given local area — and morphing into organizations that gather and deliver not just words and pictures, but also sound and video, and not just once a day, but throughout the day. Getting to do that job is not only fun but satisfying. We’re the hunter-gatherers of information. Imagine if everyone foraged for themselves. Imagine dozens or hundreds of people calling the police or fire department to find out what all those sirens were about. That would be a pain for all those people wanting to know, not to mention for the department receptionist. So we in the news business have the opportunity to represent those we serve by getting the story and getting it right. It’s a great business to be in. You get to talk to people you never would otherwise. I hadn’t lived in Ashland for three months and I'd met the governor and one of our U.S. senators, not to mention the mayor and others who make and implement public policy. They didn’t want to talk to me so much as they wanted to talk to Tidings readers. By speaking to me, these people have the opportunity to speak to all those people. It’s a privilege, but it’s also a responsibility. And it’s all worthwhile. Back to that news business that fell off the 50-story building. I’m convinced we’re not falling, we’re flying. We’ve jumped off the print platform and need to spread our digital wings. It is scary, but it is exciting. I hope some of you are able to join us in a profession I love and am excited to be part of. Reach Daily Tidings editor Bert Etling at [email protected] or 541-631-1313. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/betling .   By Bert Etling DailyTidings.com By Bert Etling Posted Apr. 2, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 2, 2015 at 3:40 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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