Earlier last month, I mentioned the upcoming launch of a second website, devoted mainly to Wisconsin and national stories. It’s up and running (at least, learning to walk) this morning. DailyWisconsin.com will offer news — and commentary — on events and the stories about them from across the state.
In the end, every selection — inclusion or omission — is a kind of commentary all its own. To think otherwise is foolish. One chooses for or against — it is better to be plain about it.
Like so many Americans, I grew up in a household that enjoyed reading news of near and far, and a household that respected solid reporting. I view these things not as a reporter (a profession for which I have neither the skill nor the inclination), but as a lay reader. A citizen of a free place approaches the world, first and foremost, with books, pen, keyboard, and time having lived therein.
At FREE WHITEWATER, there will be more pictures, reviews of local establishments, and all with the same commentary on our town’s politics and society. Because independence isn’t a declaration, but a condition, FREE WHITEWATER will remain be advertising-free. (I’m willing to write what I think is right, but that’s a sometimes-controversial path along which one happily strolls without connection.)
Despite sad problems, I am hopeful for our small town, and I am confident that we can avoid a worse condition by acknowledging forthrightly our present one.
At DAILY WISCONSIN, I will consider a banner ad here or there, as much because it seems expected as anything else. I’ll also include, now and again, some satirical banner ads, to mix things up a bit.
It’s always good to have things to do. There are ebooks to finish, and posts on which to catch up (local officials’ use of email, some Walworth County issues, among other topics).
Most important of all — best wishes to each of you in the year ahead.