‘Story of Us’ tradition may be in serious trouble here

ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” story. It is an editorial by the editor.

A little more than seven years ago, I decided to try a bold experiment in community journalism — to create an all on-line newspaper.

Obviously, this news source would not focus very much on national, international and state developments and issues. Its primary focus would be on things going on closer to home, a much more doable task for essentially a one-man outfit.

Because Townbroadcast presents itself only on the Internet, it is limited in readership, but it also avoids traditional newspapers’ two greatest expenses, distribution and printing. So the costs of doing this would be greatly reduced, but the chances of making good money would be slim and none.

Another reason for launching this experiment in January 2012 was my bedrock pay attention and connect the dots belief that print news was dying. This was when the Kalamazoo Gazette and Grand Rapids Press gave up on being daily publications and instead had editions distributed only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Many small dailies already had gone belly up and weeklies seemed to be on life support.

Then in January of this year, it appeared that my predictions were coming true. The seven Grand Rapids area weeklies shrugged off their mortal coils. But something else happened at the same time, something frightening. Evidence has surfaced butressing the notion that the loss of a local weekly newspaper of 135 years doesn’t really matter, that community journalism has become irrelevant.

This painful possibility personally came to light in the wake of the events of Jan. 31, 2019, when the Dorr Township Board held a meeting on a stormy and motorist challenging night. Though the meeting’s minutes suggested there were 10 people in the meeting’s audience, there was no one present who would tell the public what happened. Who cares?

Because I’m not interested in risking life and limb to attend a meeting, I was a no-show. Also failing to attend was reporter Virginia Ransbottom of the Allegan County News & Gazette, for the very same reasons. And the Penasee Globe had just ceased to be four days earlier.

I read the minutes this week from the Jan. 31 meeting and noted that it began at 7 p.m. and it was adjourned at 10:51. That means the Township Board members deliberated and decided local issues for nine minutes short of four hours. It seems that very few people have a handle on just what they did.

To be sure, Ms. Ransbottom called Dorr officials to ask about what they did, but all she was able to publish was yet another story about opting out of allowing marijuana businesses to produce, buy, sell and distribute the substance in Dorr in the wake of its legalization in the November election. Just about all other local government units are doing the same.

The Allegan County News & Gazette is in a difficult spot. It does its best to adequately cover news in the largest county (geographically) in Michigan, which includes nine public school districts. It’s too easy for the News & Gazette to be spread too thin.

I was able to piece together a story about prospects for a sorely needed August special millage vote for the Dorr Township Library, mostly because it was mentioned in the minutes.

But meeting minutes are delayed for more than a couple of weeks, and they only provide information local officials permit to the public to know. I have seen and heard many heated and interesting debates in which the minutes only reported, “Discussion followed.”

Since the Globe’s demise at the end of January, I have not seen one story in MLive about Wayland, Hopkins, Dorr, Moline and Martin. Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning a new era in which “The Story of Us” will no longer exist. And I very seriously wonder whether it matters.

Because Townbroadcast essentially is a one-man show, there are times it is spread nearly as thin as the News & Gazette. There are times meetings are not reported on because of weather, or because something else is going at the same time, like two meetings on the same night.

What this means is that local government increasingly will meet to make decisions and discuss issues in front of few or no people. There will be no public oversight.

Over my 45 years in community journalism, the greatest compliments I’ve received from readers is their gratitude for my coverage and reporting on things they can’t do or attend themselves, meaning it’s a public service of value. How much longer can it last?