Driving Lessons

"My readers know more than I do." - Dan Gilmor

So it's been confirmed by several sources that the Ledger Dispatch will be charging an online subscription fee. As usual, I feel the need to express my point of view on this.

(Oh no, there she goes again!)

When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to get the local paper, the Riverton Ranger, (now simply called "The Ranger"). I would read the headlines, then would go straight to the "funnies". Much like Amador County, everyone in town pretty much knew everyone. However, everyone in town knew my dad...so yeah, I was pretty much doomed from the start.

I remember when I was first learning to drive, at fifteen. My mom needed to go to the post office and the local hardware store, and felt that it would be good practice for me to drive downtown. As I slowly turned to vertically park in front of the hardware store, I accidentally pushed the gas pedal instead of the brake and hit the parking meter, which not only bent up the front bumper, but also bent the parking meter all the way down to the sidewalk. I was in shock and started to cry. My mom was laughing her ass off, went into the hardware store, and called the City of Riverton. I knew what was coming, and believe me, I wasn't crying because of the mishap.

The next day, my father...the only welder certified with every type of weld in the State of WY at the time...was seen in front of the hardware store, repairing the meter. I was mortified as I walked into school the next day to hear: "Hey, Carol...saw your dad down on Main Street yesterday...Hey, Carol, how's that brake pedal treating you?...Hey, Carol, you DO know that they have a Driver's Ed class over in the Career Center, right?...Hey, Carol, where's the brakes?"

That the story didn't make front page news was a relief (especially since the Riverton Ranger's office was across the street from the hardware store). But I tell this story, only to portray my thoughts about how news and information rolls in rural communities. Sure, we need reporting newspapers. We need to be informed about what is going on in our local governments, organizations, neighborhoods and communities. How we get that information historically relied on our local newspapers and television newscasts...but do not discount the backyard fences, the coffeehouse chats, the basic "Did you hear?" communications that more and more people are finding value in.

It's a different day, a bigger picture. I get press releases and news feeds via email and post them on the ACN blog, NewsAmador.com. We have Newser headlines, RSS feeds...and Facebook has created a paradigm shift that has redefined communication on a global scale. I have news apps on my iPhone, we can text, we can message, we can (OMG!)...actually communicate! If there were any time in the history of this nation where a free press took a stand, that time would be now. Imagine Benjamin Franklin with an iPhone!

I'm a bit mystified that the Ledger Dispatch would be so behind in communications technology that they are just now thinking and rethinking these critical issues regarding media and communication. Serving rural communities with news and information is a challenge, yes. But to take the road of dollar signs versus a free press is a no-brainer. News and information should be free. A "free press" should be just that...free.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

Gone are the days of the troubadours, but think about it...how Middle Ages is that? Hell, don't shoot the messenger! But not even the Sacramento Bee charges a fee for access to their site, news and information. And even if they did, even they are smart enough to know that their own readers are smart enough to find the news elsewhere and wherever they can.

No, I'm not driving into parking meters anymore. No, my dad doesn't have to bail me out of the Riverton, WY paparazzi anymore. Sure, I might still be getting teased by some for starting up this little, obscure e-newspaper, but you know what?

After almost six years, I'm still here. And I'm not going anywhere.

Carol Harper, Editor
Amador Community News