This is your paper, and we want to hear from you!

I spend a lot of time in the archives here at the News Journal. Part of it is conducting research on a particular topic or event for a story that I might be working on, and part of it is compiling info for the “This Week in History” box that typically appears somewhere in the paper each week.

I notice a lot of things when I am revisiting these old editions of the Whitley Republican, Corbin! This Week and/or the News Journal. There are, of course, the particular styles of whatever time period that I happen to be looking at. This includes the clothing that people wore, the buildings that were being constructed, and the automobiles that were being driven.

I also notice a difference in the language, and the manner in which things were written on the page. While many aspects of how we report the news has stayed the same, regardless of the decade, many other aspects have certainly changed.

One big change that I have noticed, however, is the amount of community engagement with the local newspaper in the form of letters to the editor. Typically, there is always at least a letter or two from readers in each edition of the paper that I look through in the archives. The topics being discussed vary, but there was usually someone who had an opinion to share about something going on in Whitley County, or a surrounding area.

These days things are much different for a number of reasons. For one, I think that national and global issues tend to overshadow what is going on here at home much of the time. In this day and age, we are very much living in a global society. That means that, often times, things happening at the local level simply do not move the needle for many folks. It takes a big event that will potentially affect thousands, or millions, of people before they will care enough to actually sit down and type out an opinion.

The biggest reason that I think we see less community engagement now compared to in the past is the presence (and some might call it scourge) of social media. Thanks to platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which pretty much anyone can use, people have a way to express their views and opinions on basically any topic in real time. Depending on the popularity of, or perhaps aversion to, a particular post on social media, it could get tons of shares and likes and be viewed by people all over the globe. Exciting!

But really, what are you accomplishing?

Sure, if you happen to make a post that goes viral, that feels pretty good. Everyone loves getting attention, after all. But that feeling of accomplishment is very short lived, and you have really done very little in the grand scheme of things, as that post will soon be buried by about a trillion other posts just like it. It’ll be quickly forgotten, and everyone will move on to the next thing.

Meanwhile, by taking the time to write and submit a letter to the editor in your local paper, you are potentially going to end up making a statement that will be preserved as part of the public record for years and years to come. A physical record will exist that people can continue to come back to, perhaps even decades from now, as I do on a weekly basis here in our archives.

Plus, let’s be honest here… To use the vernacular of today’s youth, seeing your name in print just “smacks different” than seeing it on the screen of a computer or handheld device.

So, I urge folks in our local communities to write in to us and let us know what you’re thinking. We can’t always guarantee that a letter to the editor will get published, but if your letter is relevant and well-written, then we always do our best to get it in.

If you need some help thinking about what topic(s) to write about, that’s easy! Here, let me help you with a suggested list of five subjects that you might be able to find something to say about:

1. Local events. This can be a county-wide festival, or it can be a small reunion taking place in one of our smaller communities within the county. Any time people are gathering and things are happening, if you feel led to share your thoughts, either positive or negative, we encourage you to do so.

2. Local schools. There is A LOT going on in our local schools. Between Corbin, Whitley County, Williamsburg and Lynn Camp, there is always a group, club, team, unit or band involved in something. Let us know about it. There is simply too much to keep up with, so your help would definitely be welcomed here.

3. Local politics. We run stories all the time about happenings in our local city halls. We see folks commenting frequently about these on our Facebook page, so we know that many of our local citizens have opinions to share. Consider doing it here in the paper with a letter to the editor next time!

4. Local history. We love revisiting important historical events that helped to shape our area. A lot has happened over the years, and many of our readers probably have some interesting information to share with others in the community. If so, we’d like to hear about it.

5. Local charity. Are you part of a local church and/or civic group that is involved with doing something positive in the community? Have you been, or will you be, participating in a supply drive, seeking donations for a mission trip or handing out food and clothes to people in need? Let us know the details so that we can spread the word about the good work being done!

These are all just ideas, of course. Write about whatever you like, as long as you write. Please follow the simple guidelines found at the top of our weekly Opinion page, and send your thoughts in to news@corbinnewsjournal.com if you are e-mailing, or to 215 North Main Street in Corbin if you write or type a physical letter.

We look forward to hearing from you!