I had the opportunity to snap a couple photos at the ribbon cutting for West Law Office last week, and while I was there a few things happened that meant more to me than people probably know.
The very first thing I noticed when I walked in was that my article from the March 13 edition of the Times-News, “West named Prosecutor of the Year,” was cut out and framed in the waiting room. I joked with Ashley that I'd try to get another on the wall with this week's story and photos on the ribbon cutting.
Shortly after that, I was approached by a handful of people during my short stay at the event who complimented me on the recently released “Harrison County Proud” publication, as well as my general work for the newspaper.
I don't typically mention this, but the regular old weekly paper takes up a lot of my time. Additional sections like Harrison County Proud require even more sacrifices, not only from me, but from very important people in my life as I take time away from them to make sure you all (hopefully) end up with a good product to skim through, read thoroughly or place on the table as eye candy.
I'm not going to ramble on about working a “thankless job.” My articles and photos have my name on them and are displayed for everyone to see each and every week. Basically, I get credit for what I do, at least on paper.
But I can also tell you that the newspaper doesn't just magically happen every week. There is a lot of work put in by people at different levels of our company, and for my part, that can include plenty of evenings and weekends spent chronicling whatever is going on around the area.
So, when I see my article framed on a wall or receive compliments from members of the community, it does mean something. And I can tell you, there are people within our company who have much more thankless jobs than myself.
For instance, if you think the newspaper looks pretty, that's thanks to our designers who do not have their names attached to what they worked on. I just press buttons on cameras and keyboards and send it their way – they have to make something of it.
If an ad catches your eye, the company it is promoting certainly had something to do with it, but so did multiple people in our office who don't get their names put on it.
And, of course, someone has to proofread my sometimes lousy writing. Those blurry-eyed 1 a.m. articles can leave a lot to be desired!
The list goes on and on.
So, I would like to thank you all in return for continuing to subscribe and read the paper each week. I know of plenty of publications that are going online only, and in some instances it makes sense due to the world we live in, but it just doesn't feel the same when you print and frame a story instead of cutting it out of the physical paper, you know?
The newspaper, at its best and most intrinsic function, is a physical record of history. I'm so grateful to have been a part of this area's history since I started in August of 2022, and I'm excited to see what else will be thrown my way this year.
Just nothing too crazy, please and thanks.
