Community News Celebrates National Newspaper Week Oct. 4-10
As the country recognizes National Newspaper Week, Oct. 4-10, we are grateful to readers like you who still make real community journalism possible. It’s exciting that the Northern Plains Independent and Community News are celebrating their second years in existence. We realize that the only reason that these new newspapers with old journalism values survive is because of the support of area supporters and businesses.
In turn, we hope that you appreciate the coverage that we are providing our area. The goal of providing quality community journalism is on top of the list for our greatly dedicated staff. You can see how important community journalism is by simply looking at the experience of the people in our office.
Darla Downs, the newspapers’ publisher and owner, grew up in the newspaper office as the daughter of former Herald-News leaders Harry and Ina Downs. Harry worked in the newspapers industry for more than 80 years and earned the Montana Newspaper Association’s Master Editor/ Publisher Award. Darla has followed suit in her dedication to the newspaper field and has also been honored with the Master Editor/Publisher Award. She can perform all duties from bookkeeping to selling ads to writing stories for the newspapers, and she does it because of her commitment to the profession and our communities.
Editor James Walling came to the area with a long list of journalism experience. He has owned newspapers, reported at international levels and also has served as the editorial leader at the Glasgow Courier. He understand how vital community journalism is in our lives. Bill Vander Weele has recently joined the staff as editor after a distinguished career in Sidney. He has earned a multitude of writing and photography awards for both news and sports. He has received the Montana Newspaper Association’s Distinguished Service Award for his dedication to community journalism.
Jessica Smith and Kailey Williamson provide great insight to the community in their positions as ad sales/ design professionals. They can always be counted on to make sure a quality product comes to our readers each week.
In the days of hearing about “fake news,” it’s a comfort that community journalism can still exist. We are fortunate that true news is alive and well in Roosevelt County. The reason is a great partnership between our staff and the public. We greatly appreciate your support.
