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Newspapers belong to readers they serve
By Jason Baker
Grizzled, gray-haired journalists with failing eyesight call it "ink in the blood."
Once young reporters have seen their first bylines, survived the rush of deadline or told a story that caused readers to laugh, cry or curse for all the right reasons, they almost can't imagine another profession. It becomes an addiction.
Addiction is not without its downside, of course. Reporters daydream of higher salaries while watching friends in other professions climb the career ladder to financial stability. Editors field calls from angry readers questioning the editor's mental clarity and moral fiber. And no newsroom would be complete without grumblings about stress and the absence of free time. But, as a cranky city editor in Texas once said, it sure beats working for a living.
Most journalists could leave the ink trade behind and earn more money in another field. More and more, some of the best and brightest are exercising this option. The sirens of dot-commerce sing a sweet song. They promise creative freedom and the potential for endless wealth. So journalists and writers who adamantly swore they'd never do "that" for a living lay down their notebooks for a chance at economic stardom. They forget about Woodward and Bernstein and gravitate toward Gates and Jobs.
Hey, things have changed, they say. Get with the times. Even old horse thieves sometimes get religion.
Those of us who remain in the news game scratch our heads and schedule time for farewell lunches. We read quotes from wet-behind-the-ears millionaires who claim the Internet, in time, will make newspapers and magazines obsolete. It's the new frontier, they say. You dinosaurs are in trouble.
Maybe we are. But maybe we're better off than ever before.
The logic is this: Those of us who remain in the news game have a renewed sense of dedication. We can justify our choices. While others talk of stock options and IPOs, we bend your ear about free speech and democracy. The Internet offers content from across the globe; we offer information from your own neighborhood. After you're done spending money online, we'll tell you who's spending your tax money and why.
Of course, fewer warm bodies in the newsroom translates to coverage of fewer stories. It's as frustrating for us to say we don't have the resources to cover an event as it is for you to hear it. But we do our best and work to improve every week.
Our improvement relies heavily on reader input. The Sun belongs to the community of Sunnyvale. Tell us what we've done poorly and tell us what we're doing well. Write to us when you're angry. When we make mistakes, call us on it.
If you don't get a timely response, it's not that we're not listening. We have to sleep occasionally.
My office door stays open. Drive down Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road and stop by our shop on Silverado Avenue and shake my hand. Yell at me if you feel the need. I will listen as long as you are willing to let me respond.
If you get thirsty, wander down to Paul and Harvey's on Murphy Avenue. We'll lift a glass and swap stories. Tell me about your hometown and I'll spin a yarn about Texas.
You'll have no trouble recognizing me. I'm the dinosaur at the end of the bar.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
