I read the headline this morning \u201cnews outlets slash nearly 2,700 jobs this year-the highest number since 2020-contributing to alarming news deserts\u201d.\u00a0It made me reflect on what a blessing it is to have local news outlets serving the residents of Adams County.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, I know I\u2019m old, but I also know that once the independent news sources disappear, we will be left with Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, and whatever the next great social media platform is, to remain informed of local and world events.\u00a0I know these sources are unreliable at best, or sometimes downright wrong or misleading.\u00a0I know writing and reporting is becoming a lost art, but it is critical that we maintain an independent and objective source of information for the residents of our country.\u00a0As a county elected official, I often find myself hoping Eric, Jim, or Ed didn\u2019t hear my latest stupid remark, but I know I want them sitting there, doing their jobs, when we are discussing and deliberating the business of the residents of Adams County.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personal shout out to Eric Mann, Jim Langham, Ed Thurman, Joe Spalding, and Manda Arnold.\u00a0I appreciate your diligence, professionalism, and objectivity. I know I can trust you to report the facts, not to sensationalize them.\u00a0As public officials, we often make mistakes, often, in public meetings. But I can trust that you will look for my intent and do your work with care and diligence. I can only hope that Adams County does not become one of these \u201cNews Deserts\u201d as these dedicated professionals retire or move on.\u00a0We need you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To the residents of Adams County\u2026buy a subscription to one or all of our local newspapers and be sure to listen to WZBD. It is only with our support that these local sources of information will survive. And thank a reporter the next time you see them. They keep us honest and informed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steve Bailey<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monroe, IN <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I read the headline this morning \u201cnews outlets slash nearly 2,700 jobs this year-the highest number since 2020-contributing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-10796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-community"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/wzbdsmall.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10796\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}