8/28/08

Positive news is also a public service

by Beckye Randall, Editor and Publisher

The past few weeks have seen a rash of startling headlines affecting north Snohomish County citizens.

Swastikas on hay bales. A man beaten senseless by attackers with a baseball bat. A Christian school principal arrested for the rape of a student. Embezzlement and drug trafficking by a trusted city retiree. An Arlington father videotaping his own daughter’s bedroom activities. A SWAT team standoff with a hammer-toting Marysville man. 13-year-olds damaging vehicles and property with cans of spray paint.

It’s clear that, even in our relatively rural communities, big-city bad things happen.

That’s why, even in these tough economic times, it’s so important to continue our support for those organizations that help provide alternatives and answers. Community service volunteers and nonprofit professionals offer programs that allow our youth to feel valued and worthwhile, that remind our seniors they are not forgotten, and that extend a helping hand to local families in need of a lifeline.

Our young newspaper, which will celebrate its first anniversary next month, has been called the “happy paper” or the “friendly little paper” because of our focus on just such activities. The first time I heard the labels, I wasn't sure how to respond. After all, we’ve published stories that explore issues of rural property development, the UW North campus, local transportation problems, the political caucus process, school discipline conflicts, the “stinky Marysville” debate, and most of the stories mentioned in the second paragraph above.

However, I’ve come to realize that by focusing on the positive things happening in our cities and our neighborhoods, maybe we can encourage a gradual shift in priorities. If we help publicize the efforts and achievements of Camp Fire and Marysville Youth Action Network and the Girl Scouts and Youth Dynamics and Adaptive Activities and the Food Bank, maybe those organizations will benefit from increased support. That support, in turn, will allow these nonprofits to extend more services and help more of our neighbors.

This distinctive viewpoint, in my opinion, is why our young publication has enjoyed growing readership loyalty and advertiser support.

We certainly don’t claim that our friendly little paper will solve all the area’s woes. Unpleasant and hurtful incidents will continue to occur in north Snohomish County, and we’ll continue to relay the facts to our readers. But maybe the concurrent coverage of good deeds will remind us that the light of hope and optimism also burns strong in our communities.