Good morning.
Monday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 79. Sunrise is 5:53 AM and sunset 8:07 PM for 14h 14m 21s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 58.8% of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Equal Opportunities Commission meets at 5 PM.
On this day in 1947, Thor Heyerdahl‘s balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101-day, 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) journey across the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to prove that pre-historic peoples could have traveled from South America.
This libertarian blogger has consistently maintained that there is no indispensable person in Whitewater, and that the community, so to speak, belongs to everyone and yet no one. Many people play important roles, in thousands of interactions, each day.
And yet, and yet, some institutions and professions are especially useful to enrich the town and make Whitewater modern and prosperous. A professional press is one of those institutions.
WhitewaterWise.com, published professionally from the team that has had so much success with FortAtkinsonOnline.com, marks the first instance of solid professional journalism in Whitewater since 2005. The Whitewater’s publication’s publisher and editor first began covering Whitewater twenty years ago at another publication, and has covered our city more recently through FAO. (One can see the success of FAO through its many advertisers in that market who have found and stayed with the publication over the last three years or so. Free markets tell important tales.)
As I’ve mentioned before, bloggers are not journalists, but rather modern-day electronic pamphleteers. (For the role of pamphleteering in our history, see Bailyn’s Ideological Origins of the American Revolution.) Like many others, I grew up in a newspaper-reading family, with papers, magazines, journals, and books all about. I’ve my own profession and have no claim of (or desire for) journalistic credentials. That’s it. FREE WHITEWATER is its own, independent publication of a different kind.
I know, however, how important serious, professional journalism is to a community. Genuine professional journalism strengthens a community. While weak, insecure, or shady officials and businesses may dislike solid reporting, it’s easier to say those types simply don’t like or can’t handle good work.
Good reporting (or blogging, truly, by the way) is thorough. It does not, and would never dare, tell people that it “isn’t necessary to watch the entire meeting, or even every meeting, depending upon what’s on the agenda.” In my own case, this libertarian blogger watches an entire meeting before commenting on even a portion of it (as the whole informs an understanding of particular parts). It should be obvious to anyone that a book review requires reading the entire book, a movie review requires watching the entire movie, etc. Any reader should expect as much of serious reporting on a council or school board. That’s what professional journalism (or solid commentary) requires as a minimum standard. No one uplifts a community with less than thorough standards.
There’s a place, however, in communities across America and the world, for other kinds of announcements and pictures: Facebook. While Facebook is not and will never be my choice, it’s a great option to publish and share information. In 2006, Facebook was only beginning its climb to global success; it’s now well-established in every city and town.
A group or foundation that wants to support the sharing of basic information and notices most effectively should transition to Facebook for the greatest reach with simplest ease for readers.
Of the many parts and people needed for a dynamic and prosperous community, professional journalism plays a key role.
Welcome and best wishes to the team at WhitewaterWise.com
Amazing moon views captured by Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft during orbit insertion:
it’s funny to think about this. everything you’re saying is totally normal/obvious. people should want a professional reporter. the sensible response would be, “let’s help the professional newspaper”. in other places foundations or nonprofits try to help career journalism. they know that’s the best thing. it’s 2023 and stating that should not be surprising/controversial to someone. but the good thing is that there are lots of other people in whitewater who do know what you are saying is true. they will like a regular news source.
Getting a dedicated news source by a tenured journalist is a huge win for Whitewater. It’s something this city should celebrate.
You said that Fire & Rescue was the city’s best accomplishment in a generation. This is a private sector equivalent.
Towns want real newspapers. We have a chance for one that is free, daily, and with good reporting. Let’s take it.
Saying we will have a real paper is like finally getting a grocery (Aldi). Whitewater waited a long time without one but we deserve one. That’s two big gains right there.
I applaud and welcome Whitewater Wise to the community. The publication has provided factual and unbiased information for the public. Welcome to Whitewater!