Why we write

Notes from the Newsroom

Oct. 4 marked the beginning of National Newspaper Week, which is a time for us to remind ourselves and our readers why we believe in the importance of a medium that has carried the torch for the First Amendment for hundreds of years.

It’s a tough world out there for newspapers today, but it’s tough for a lot of industries now.

Moving forward is hard work, but again, we believe strongly the relevancy of what a local newspaper can bring to its readers because it really is a thread that pulls people together.

Each week the Leader is a starting point in history — full of births of babies who arrive in Polson or Ronan. It’s also a celebration of lives that have touched so many others for so many years.

In between it’s a documentation of achievements, milestones and good and bad news of the area that we live in. It’s a snapshot of what it means to be a Montanan in Lake County.

With all the negative news and tough times, we understand the value of moving forward and adapting, but have never abandoned the notion of how important carrying on the tradition of reliable and truthful community news is.

That is why we believe in what we do each day.

Here is a quick explanation of why each of us became journalists:

“I believe that printed news plays an active and important role in peoples’ lives. I want to make an honest and passionate contribution to positively impact that role.” Jenna Cederberg

“To tell the stories that aren’t usually told.” Aimee Niles

“There has always been what is known as a “public sphere”- where people could talk and voice their opinions. Lately, that sphere has shifted to the Internet. As a reporter, I’d like continue the tradition of the newspaper as a fair, unbiased medium for citizens to receive news. I didn’t come into this job to try to change the world per se. Rather, I’d like to find out truths and report on what is important to a community, whether one of 5,000 or a million people.” Sasha Goldstein.