Sometimes (well, all the time) it is a little intimidating being the second official editor of a longstanding paper. But I have been pretty clear from the beginning that I knew I was following in big footprints and that I have a lot to learn. So I don’t feel like I have made any promises that I couldn’t keep.
Don and Joel did an amazing job setting up the Free Press and I don’t want to mess with a good thing. But then there is also the whole urge to put my own mark on it. And we always want to be growing and improving just like the Free Press always has.
So you may have noticed that we have switched up some things, and you may notice us switch up more over the next few months. Sometimes change can be hard. Sometimes it can be good. It never hurts to try it.
We promise we aren’t just trying to mess with you with these changes, and see if we can drive you crazy. We are trying to make sure we are giving the best product that we can.
One of the ways that you can help us with it all is to keep us informed. Some of you have started shooting us ideas which is great. I love when someone texts me or calls to say “Hey, did you know that this is happening?” or “Grab your camera and get over to such and such!” Usually, I had no idea.
I think what surprised me the most when I started this job was the number of people who complained about the Free Press not covering something. Usually I would ask if they told us about it and the answer was always “no”. We may not cover what you tell us, but we also may. It never hurts to tell us. We want to hear what is going on. It may seem small and unimportant to you, but it might be just the story we were looking for.
Another way you can help us is through feedback. We are doing a little survey over the next few weeks and we would love to get your input! You will find it in the paper this week on page 11 or you can go online and fill it out. Let us hear from you about what you would like to see. Or you can always call in or email and tell us.
Again, we may not be able to switch everything up, but we may be able to accommodate you in some way. You won’t know unless you try.
We love hearing from our readers. Are we getting things right? Are we getting things wrong? Did a story resonate with you? Did a columnist remind you of a joke or something from your own childhood? Let us know! We can’t wait to hear from you.
Laura Fowler Paulus is the Managing Editor of The Hillsboro Free Press. She can be reached at: Laura@hillsborofreepress.com
