Readers play important role in community newspapers

Frontiersman editorial board

Perhaps more than any other source of news, the community newspaper functions as a partner in its community. While other media sources can, and often do, function as independent observers of their communities, the community-style newspaper must be immersed in the place it serves in order to function well.

The Frontiersman must adhere to all the ethical and functional guidelines that steer all legitimate newspapers, but we believe our commitment to our readers goes much deeper than that. We believe our paper is not only a place where our readers go for accurate and timely news about their community, but it's also a place where Valley people can go to exchange ideas and to join the discourse that affects the Valley every day.

To do that well, we have always opened our pages to readers, and we welcome all opinions and views from readers. We believe the best decisions are only made after all opinions have been heard and weighed, and we are proud that our pages are one of the places where that process takes place.

Opinions and varied viewpoints are not the only valuable information readers share with us, though. We also rely upon people in the Valley to let us know when important events and news-worthy stories are happening. Many people call us, write us and e-mail us every day to tell us about events and news that are important to them. Some readers even write newsbriefs and calendar items that appear in our pages. Those readers who take an active role in filling the pages of Frontiersman with community-oriented news are taking advantage of one of the best characteristics of their newspaper. They are interacting with Frontiersman, and communicating with a wide range of their neighbors in doing so. It's a powerful tool.

Many readers have wondered why the Frontiersman doesn't cover every event. While we strive to cover everything of newsworthiness in the Valley, we simply don't always have the resources to have a reporter at every event. We hope that readers who know of important news and events in our community will call us or write us to find out if we are able to provide coverage. If not, we always welcome submissions from readers. It could be as simple as taking a photograph and jotting down the scores at a sporting event or putting together a few paragraphs to announce an important event that your club or organization is hosting.

In many ways, the Frontiersman belongs to the people of the Mat-Su Borough. We all benefit most when the communication is active in both directions. We hope to hear from you soon.