So much of the talks around journalism and news is centered around world and national outlets such as NPR, ABC, The New York Times and so on that I find that people often focus more on what is happening in the broader sense in the world rather than focusing in on what is happening in their own hometown.
I was a part of this category of people who seemed to focus more on world events than local news. I felt that local events and small issues like what corner needed a traffic stop were trivial in the grand scheme of things in this country, and that focusing on the “big picture” with national news was most important. This way of thinking is inherently flawed, however, as there would be no “big picture” without all the smaller communities in which we all live that make it up.
This summer I had the opportunity to work for The Bee Group Newspapers, a local newspaper organization, where I edited and wrote stories about the goings-on in my hometown and its surrounding communities.
While writing for The Bee Group Newspapers this summer, I really got an inside look into how much people really cared about the place in which I grew up. I met with people such as town councilmembers, a town historian, local veterans, business owners and many community members. Through these people I got to see how invested they really were in making my local community a great one.
Art festivals were planned with local artists in mind as a way to encourage people to shop local, parks were updated to give the community more free outdoor activities, and community members were constantly being highlighted to congratulate them for their achievements.
Overall, at the heart of this paper, and the people I interviewed for it, I found that lifting up the local community was always the center focus and goal.
Today there is so much focus on how policy makers and organizations are working against our interests in favor of turning a profit for themselves instead.
This way of thinking may hold some truth in it, but it is a great way for us to easily start feeling like we have no way of inspiring change in our country. To this I say, “wake up!” You have the possibility to make change right where you are.
There are people that care about you, look no further than your fellow community members and leaders.
One story that stuck out to me this summer was that of a local veteran’s induction into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame.
I was tasked with going to the ceremony to snap some pictures and record what was said. Seemed typical enough. What I didn’t know until I spoke with the honoree himself was that this ceremony was specially organized for him by Senator Sean Ryan, who nominated him, after he was unable to attend the usual ceremony on Memorial Day where all the veterans who are being inducted into the hall of fame are recognized in Albany.
Instead of just saying, “That’s too bad,” and simply mailing the award to the veteran, Senator Ryan, along with the local American Legion chapter, organized a special ceremony for the veteran, which Senator Ryan also attended, to ensure that he would still receive special public recognition for his service.
Though this was a small detail, and some might say an insignificant one, I felt really moved by it. I had been so used to higher-up officials not giving much attention to small town America that this seemed out of the ordinary for me, but right before me was proof that someone on Capitol Hill cared about the “little guy.”
This is just one story of many where I was really struck by the love people had for my small hometown and the importance of being in tune with my local community. If I didn’t decide to work with the Bee this summer I may still have been be stuck in that hopeless mentality that this country doesn’t really care about the average citizen while I was stuck only reading the daily doom of national news.
So, go to those town meetings, send that letter to your local paper, go to events and meet new people. I guarantee that you will find someone who will care about what you have to say and join you in your initiative to make a difference.