A two-way street
The weekly newspaper enjoys a certain niche in a community — a love-hate relationship. Readers love us when we report good news and hate us if we don't show up to cover their family reunion or soup supper.
Readers await each issue to find out about local issues and events, who is getting married, having babies, and dying. They also want to know who got arrested and who got stopped for speeding.
Imagine what it would be like to open your paper and find none of this news. How long would readers continue to subscribe without seeing birth announcements, obituaries, auxiliary meetings, 4-H news, and so forth? How long before you would go searching for a more reliable news source for local information?
It's a two-way street. We're glad to publish your social news. We're even happy to cover your auxiliary meeting or take a photo of a prize-winning tomato. However, when we come knocking on your door asking for information, help us out. We're providing a service for the community. We can't do that job without help and cooperation from information providers such as law enforcement, city, county, and school personnel.
We're not the "bad guys." We're not some sleazy tell-all tabloid. We're a credible, reliable source of local information. Unlike the big papers and media outlets in the cities, we care about Peabody, the county, and its citizens every day — not just when it's a slow news day in Wichita.
— DONNA BERNHARDT
