Good to get away. Good to be back. I missed you all. Winston-Salem is not a perfect place by any means, but it only takes a few days away from here to realize its charms and attractions and sense of self. Traveling in rural Pennsylvania and Upstate NY gave me a chance to read a lot of newspapers. In remote corners of the country, where Internet access is still all dial up and TV stations are few and far between, newspapers dominate. Some of them use that domination quite well. Others don’t. That’s a shame.
One of the big issues with newspapers is credibility and transparency. We showed that today with a story that essentially corrected a previous story on census figures. As an editor, I can tell you that it is incredibly painful to read a story-length correction that is on the front page. But it’s essential. We don’t do it to embarass the reporters or editors involved with this. We do it because it helps keep our bond with readers. We make a mistake. We own up to it in a manner that makes sense for the story. Then we move on, hopefully with some lessons learned.
Cold cuts: In my time in the North Country, one of the delicacies we got to experience was something called ”Croghan Bologna,” which is sort of like Lebanon Bologna, but smaller with a redder skin. Don’t want to know what’s in it, but it is tasty indeed.
Your host is Ken Otterbourg, the managing editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. It's a forum to discuss the media, from
My husband took a picture of a sign outside the local Biscuitville. It reads: NOW SERVING FRIED BOLOGNA. I feel fairly certain no matter what ingredients are in Croghan Bologna, it’s less repulsive than Fried Bologna. Especially from Biscuitville.
Welcome back. Settle in and have some Sweet Tea and sugarcake now, y’hear?
Here’s the deal--some of us think Upstate NY and rural PA ARE the “Real World”. So watch it, Bubba. You don’t want to offend folks who actually survived a childhood on the Great Lakes (weaned on Genny Cream Ale)...we’re pretty tough pierogies.
No offense meant, honest. By real world, I meant a) going back to work and trying to put out a good paper every day and b) all the stuff you quickly have to get back in sync with when you get back from going away, such as cutting the grass, weeding the garden, going to the supermarket, paying bills etc… There’s no doubt that amidst the beauty of the endless mountains of central PA and the majesty of the Adirondacks, there are lots of people in a real world that lacks a lot of the amenities—GCA, not withstanding—that we take for granted. We all have our real worlds.
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