Whitewater’s local weekly, the Whitewater Register is now in its 153rd year. It’s our only hometown paper, and the only publication that’s at least arguably connected to professional journalism.
Everything else homegrown is either commentary or news without the principles of the news profession.
(For one set of those principles, please see the permanent link on FREE WHITEWATER to the Associated Press Managing Editors’ Statement of Ethical Principles. There are several sets of principles like this; news without any clear code risks becoming an impressionable undertaking.)
Above the Fold. There are two above-the fold stories in the April 30th issue of the Register: “Taking a Good Look,” about a Common Council tour of our Wastewater Utility, and a story about a recent school board officers’ election, entitled “School board elects officers, sets budget hearing date.”
Wastewater Utility. This is a joke, right? It’s actually an above-the-fold story that some Council members, the city manager, and the director of public works, all took a tour of our wastewater utility?
Nothing says small town quite like a prominent story about something like this. Next, perhaps, a feature on the recent advent of indoor plumbing to Whitewater, or how long-term residents can use electricity for illumination and cooking?
(“I was skeptical at first, but when I flipped the switch, gosh darn it if the light on the other side of the room didn’t turn on! That sure is convenient!”)
School Board. The Whitewater School Board elected its officers Monday, and that’s a less prominent story than the Whitewater utility feature, lacking pictures to capture the organizational moment. The story reports that all officers were elected unanimously.
The story quotes the re-elected board president declaring that “It’s going to be an interesting year….There’s a lot of work to do.” What work awaits? What will be interesting about the year? Budget cuts, curricular changes, policy changes, growth or contraction, and in what fashion?
I have no idea; following the selection of officers, there might have been a published question and follow up on these points.
There’s more in the Register story, though, that may prove to be a story for another day — “During special reports at the meeting, board members heard a presentation on Other Post-Employment Benefits….”
What did the presentation reveal (the story notes that it was the third of its kind)? The story doesn’t say — but we’ll hear more on it, I wouldn’t wonder.