What did you think of `Storm Lake’
Washington County still tops in state in infections
The Front Page
Morning Update
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
By Ken Tingley
When John Cullen reviews the monthly finances of the Storm Lake Times, he casually mentions he no longer takes a salary.
“I’m on Social Security,” he says as if he was on Easy Street.
That’s what I’d like people to remember about the people who work at small newspapers. They don’t do it for the money, or the prestige, or to be a big shot in a small town.
And they certainly don’t do it because the work is easy.
They do it because the work is important.
It keeps the community informed.
It holds institutions responsible.
“Storm Lake” is a 90-minute documentary by Beth Levison and Jerry Risius about a small twice-a-week newspaper in northwest Iowa that aired nationally on PBS Monday night. If you haven’t seen it, make it a priority.
For those of us who spent a career being journalists, or even for those who spent just a year or two at the craft, “Storm Lake” manages to capture the daily rhythm of a newsroom, the people who work there - especially the conversations about what is right wrong and important - and the never-ending task of reporting the news.
Art Cullen, the editor, and his family are not an anachronism, their kind exists in every newsroom across the country. There are just fewer of them.
As the pandemic unfolded, the Storm Lake Times fought to get information from hospitals and the local meatpacking plants about testing and the degree of infection in their community with little luck. They were reduced to writing editorials demanding transparency and news stories where major players refuse to comment.
With most businesses closing down, the newspaper was also fighting to survive financially. The filmmakers follow the Times’ lone salesperson as she makes the rounds of downtown businesses with a soft sell to buy a couple ads for a $102. The business owner says she needs to think about it.
Most people have no idea that the newsrooms of their local newspapers have been hollowed out and their future is in danger. Those who do know, seem ambivalent, unmoved about the cost it could have on our democracy. If you don’t know who is running for office and where they stand on the issues, how do you vote? How do you even know what the issues are?
“Local journalism contributes to decreased political polarization and local corruption,” Rebuild Local News tweeted Monday night. “It also leads to higher voter turnouts and a greater sense of local identity.”
It was important to see the Storm Lake Times, not only covering national presidential candidates, but also the local Pork Princess and the story of first baby born in the new year. That was familiar to me as well. Those small community stories that give communities their identities are important, too. They are similar to stories we did every day in Glens Falls.
When Art Cullen won the Pulitzer Prize, the ultimate journalism honor, there were some people in town who were angry about it. Editors make lots of enemies over the years. That rang true for me as well.
Cullen and his brother have operated the newspaper since 1990. Both their wives contribute. Art’s wife shoots photos and does soft features. John’s wife writes about food. Art’s son Tom, is the up and coming reporter and their dog “Peaches” wanders freely around the newsroom.
We didn’t have a dog at The Post-Star, but we did have a coyote.
My son spent a summer free-lancing at The Post-Star. He was a good reporter, an even better writer and won a couple of awards which was unprecedented for someone in college. I saw a little bit of him in Art’s son Tom. He would have been a good journalist. But my son chose not to follow in my footsteps. It was the right career choice, but it was a loss for the newspaper business, and our community.
The Storm Lake Times has partnered with other local newspapers to raise money to keep them relevant. It is a “Gofundme” for local journalism. We’ve got to do more to enhance local journalism.
Watch “Storm Lake.”
Subscribe to your local newspaper.
Take out ads in your local newspaper.
If newspapers don’t hold our institutions accountable, who will?
Cases on upswing
Washington County continues to have the highest infection rate of any county in the state. Warren County is in the top six. When I mentioned this to someone on Tuesday, they had not heard that information. They did not know that the infection rate was higher than at an previous time.
Movies
I have not been to many movies since the pandemic began. When I have ventured into the movie theater, there have been only two or three other people present.
On Sunday, we took in “Belfast” before a pretty full theater. It was a good movie and nice to be experiencing cinema with other people. I just hope everyone was vaccinated.
Last American Editor
I will be speaking locally twice this week about life, newspapers and “The Last American Editor.”
I will be at the Senior Center of Kingsbury and Fort Edward on Oak Street in Hudson Falls at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Several of the columns featured in “The Last American Editor” are about Hudson Falls folks.
On Thursday evening, I will be at the Stony Creek Free Library for a 6 p.m. event. Hope to see you at one of the events.
It’s very, very sad to read about the decline of local newspapers. If go fund me works, I’m all for it. I think local papers are extremely important.
I just read Tingley's article and just saw the pbs--and what i felt again and again is how important local journalism is, and how important information is, and how dangerous misinformation and the takeover of local newspapers is as well, as the consolidation of farms and large corporate entities. What's clear to me is how touched i am by honesty, hard work, people working for the good---and how terrified I am of wilful ignorance, propaganda, autocratic takeover--and the loss of thoughtful commentary. I support whatever local newspapers i can, and the farmers' market, and people who continually fight for our earth, our water, our air, and pbs from which i learn an enormous amount. What's continually hard for me is to see how effective disinformation and demonization work and how hard it is to have people look closely--critical thinking and creative imagination......