By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
This past weekend I made the long drive to Bowling Green to attend the annual Kentucky Press Association conference and awards banquet. It was an eventful and rewarding trip; not least of all because we came home with several awards, including four first place wins in our weekly newspaper category.
There was also the networking, and some very informative and interesting presentations and conversations. For instance, as I just added a big squeeze of Kentucky produced raw honey to my cup of tea I was reminded of Joey and Lindsay Young, of Kansas Publishing Ventures. In addition to sharing a number of ideas for finding stories that can help uplift and celebrate our communities, they shared an interesting tidbit about their own coverage area – one of their papers, the Hillsboro Free Press, is located in the same city that produces the iconic honey bear plastic container. So now, every time I add some honey to my tea, or to my oatmeal, or biscuit, or make a tray of baklava, I’m going to remember Joey and Lindsay. Hopefully I’ll also remember their good advice and it can help me keep thinking of fresh ways to approach and highlight the amazing opportunities our county and region has to offer.
A newspaper isn’t just feature stories though. You have to maintain a balance of entertaining and informative content; and there are certain things that must be covered, and covered consistently, no matter how mundane that coverage may become at times. We try desperately to do that, and I’ll admit that at times I feel like I’m falling short. So, it was really nice to receive the accolades of my peers for our news and editorial coverage.
Our newspaper received first place awards for breaking news coverage, for our coverage of the Olive Hill police shooting; news series, for our coverage of the Camp Webb abuse accusations; and editorial page, an award we shared with our columnist and friend Keith Kappes; as well as a first place for feature photograph with our photo of an author’s book reading at the library. We were also recognized with a second place award for editorial writing, and third place for photo essay for our photos of the Olive Hill caboose relocation to the Depot.
The feedback we received on the breaking news coverage was especially meaningful to me. The anonymous judge wrote, “The articles really depict a great use of your resources by updating the story as it went and using Facebook as a tool to reach and update your audience. This is all the things this category should be. Very well done!”
It’s a reminder that while we may be a weekly paper, people turn to us as the primary news source within the county. Sometimes that means breaking out of the weekly mindset, and operating like a daily, or even like a radio or television news source, to provide regular and ongoing updates. It isn’t just the local readers relying on us either. During the course of that event, before they sent out their own camera crews, our regional television stations were calling us and asking for permission to use our videos and still images for their coverage.
We are a vital link in the news chain, and it’s nice to be reminded of that.
But we don’t, and couldn’t, do it alone.
Our first responders had their hands full that day. But they took the time to make sure they shared vital information with us. Their ongoing communication allowed us to clear up misunderstood reports in real time – which, in turn, helped other news organizations to also report the incidents clearly and factually.
While we may not have the larger staff of more traditional newsrooms, our team of stringers and community partners are nonetheless vital. You’ll notice on the front page this week that we have a story on the Cincinnati Reds at Prichard School. That story couldn’t have been written without the support of our friends at Go Radio, WUGO/WGOH. I was out of town for the conference while the event was going on, and Mike Nelson graciously shared his interview and his photographs with me.
We also have amazing friends who step up to help make sure the papers get out to our readers when we’re snowed in or out of the county.
Then, there’s my amazing wife Nicole. My name may be on the awards, but not one bit of this would be possible without her support, her determination, her vision, and her leadership. So, to paraphrase one of her favorite movies, “Yo, Adrian! We did it!” Because I sure as heck didn’t do any of this alone.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
