“As someone who loves history, particularly American history, I have long been astounded by the brilliance of our Founding Fathers. They gave serious thought not only to whether they were being unfairly taxed or lacked fair representation, but to the question of what rights naturally fall to individuals of our species in the natural order of things — the very essence of liberty. They studied Greek and Roman history, read the works of those civilization’s great orators. And a central ingredient of the philosophical stew which became the spiritual and civil framework for our country was the inherent right to stand up against injustice — even to the point of taking up arms. Patriotism in their eyes was not flag-waving and anthem-singing, but taking bold action, whether on the battlefield or the halls of Congress, to ensure that every citizen be guaranteed fundamental rights associated with “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (Those words were not just a political catch-phrase to the Founders.) As an ardent fan of these great thinkers, I support every citizen’s right to protest in whatever manner he or she feels appropriate (and doesn’t physically harm others) and I consider those acts of protest patriotic. Even if it means allowing moral degenerates to peacefully espouse racial and ethnic hatred.”
“We are going to make it. We’re the Keys. We’ve done this before (though not on this level). We know our collective community character, and it is strong. We are going to make it, with all of us helping each other.’
From an editor who became a dear and lasting friend and confidant:
“Yeah, back in the day, there were no helmets or heart guards – just pure unadulterated playing. Our game was kickball out in the street. No helmets, no any kind of guards, and certainly no helmets when we rode our bikes. I actually had a hard time learning how to balance my two-wheeler, so I can’t imagine what it would be like if my head was weighted down with a helmet too. The only game I would admit could use some sort of protection was Dodge Ball – which I’m guessing is probably outlawed these days. Who would sanction kids throwing a big, round hard ball at someone – just for fun? And it was okay to get dirty, roll around in the grass and scrape knees. There wasn’t a lot of germ-a-phobic behavior – no hand sanitizer, for sure. But we all survived.”
From a reporter who spoke with a great Irish accent.
‘Time traveler’ says aliens are coming next year but he has no info on who wins 2018 world cup, clearly a fraud.’
I think my old friend from Belfast was reacting to a tabloid headline. He always had a razor sharp wit–most of the journalists I know do. Spend some time in that environment and you either develop one or get cut to pieces.
My great buddy Perry Don Francisco texted me last week to alter me to a story on NPR about community newspapers.
That’s how I met Perry, the legendary owner of Boston’s on the Beach.
I was a reporter. He was making news by doing great things in the community. He never wanted the attention but he liked that the causes got ink. We became close friends over the years and he has taught me a lot.
So following Perry’s advice I caught an NPR podcast last week about newspapers. It was a solid piece.
And it made me think about my newspaper days and all of those great voices who served this community so eloquently. Newspapers were better than tweeting, deeper than Facebook and the photos were better than what I find on Instagram (and I’m a fan and user of all three platforms).
And that’s why I’m so reluctant to recycle the old copies of those papers in my garage. I’m just not ready to say goodbye.
I agree Jeff, “Fake News” abounds and the public’s trust of media outlets is at an all-time low. As a part-owner of The Delray Paper, why don’t you lead the way and come clean about the political agenda behind your paper?
The members of Four Story Media – publishers of The Delray Paper – contribute financially to the campaigns & PACs of commission candidates that have been pre-selected by the publishers. The Delray Paper conveniently “endorses” these candidates. Unlike legitimate newspapers, like the The Palm Beach Post or The Sun Sentinel – there is no structured interview process with the other candidates in front of editors to compete for the endorsement of The Delray Paper. But given the predetermined outcome, that would constitute a complete waste of everyone’s time.
Your fellow publisher, Ryan Boylston, has recently filed to run for the open seat on the city commission. No doubt Ryan has your full support, but your readers may be a bit skeptical if The Delray Paper endorses it’s publisher! The Coastal Star, a well-respected local paper, covers local elections but does not endorse candidates. I suggest you follow suit, that way you can spend more time “newspapering” and less time “endorsing.”
Thanks for reading Kelly and taking the time to write.
Newspapers have been endorsing candidates since the earliest days of the Republic and we intend to run our business as we see fit.
We beg to differ with your recollection of our process. We did interview candidates (I didn’t but others on staff did) and we did ask candidates to submit answers to the same set of questions. Again, we reserve the right to have a voice and I wonder if you would feel differently if we had endorsed your candidacy and your preferred set of candidates.
Unlike larger newspapers, we are close to our community and tend to know the politics of the candidates who run. So it is therefore impossible for candidates to come in and spin us–voting records, civic involvement, stances on issues and how people get along with others matter to us and so we call it as we see it.
I do not see us endorsing our founder and publisher because of the obvious conflict, so please don’t assume because you truly don’t know who we are as evidenced by your campaign rhetoric and your social media posts.
As for the Coastal Star, one could argue that they have a bias too–which they are entitled to have. I happen to think they do a fine job overall, but I also think they have a defined voice that differs from ours. That’s a good thing for the community since readers can look at both papers and make up their minds.
I will also note that owners and investors in the Coastal Star give generously to candidates–just check the most recent reports.