Voices of the community are all to be fairly heard

Lou Marzeles
News Editor

      It was easy to get swept up in the enthusiasm over in Bickleton, both during my visit there and in the aftermath of our Java Talk story in last week’s paper. To be sure, the concerns expressed in Bickleton are clear reflections of some frustrations and a desire to be seen and heard. Still, in the wake of that fervor, last week I voiced my own questions about county attention to the area on the one hand, while on the other hand accurately stating that I wasn’t qualified to speak to the matter in terms of the county’s side of the story, since I hadn’t yet heard their responses.
      The matter reveals a true test of effective journalism: reveal the story, report what people say, and, in terms of news coverage, maintain a balance, because there’s always something someone has to say in response to another’s comments.
      While I certainly resonated with the concerns expressed in Bickleton, it’s important to appropriately address the county’s take on those concerns. For example, the county assessor this week took the time and courtesy to write in with his comments on the revenue base in the east end of the county (see the letter just next door to this editorial). That is very useful. This paper can take a stand on issues as it sees fit (as can everyone). It does so with optimal utility as a public instrument when it considers all perspectives with due diligence. That diligence remains to be done in regard to response from county officials.
      A good community newspaper has a responsibility to be sensitive to the voices of the entire community. Bickleton, like every part of this remarkable county, is a place of deserved pride and significant accomplishment. County government, too, has a voice to be heard.