Dear Readers,
I am honored to introduce myself as The Weekly Beat’s News Editor. I come to the Beat having spent the last several years as publisher of The Citizen magazine, and consulting in the human services sector.
Jay Rosen, a news scholar, said in 1992 that “Journalism, and specifically the newspaper, ought to become a support system for public life.” This philosophy will guide me in upholding the standards of community-based journalism.
What I love about community-based reporting is that it covers the issues that affect our lives every day – from public health and education to transportation and crime, among many others. What makes civic journalism stand out from mainstream media is that it’s not profit driven – it’s people driven.
When I met Jim Gibbons and John Nelson, the publisher and executive editor of The Weekly Beat, I immediately realized that we share the same values when it comes to news reporting. As I looked through past issues of The Weekly Beat, I was heartened by reading an editorial that echoed sentiments I adopted as publisher of The Citizen: that responsible reporting is a “promise to provide continued coverage of the locally felt calamities of our day, and to celebrate the more positive accomplishments of our neighbors’ lives.” (Jim Gibbons, Publisher, Sept. 2, 2005)
My work in human services will also heavily influence my thinking as a news editor. I have come to recognize firsthand that community reporting is much more than attending meetings and events, although those are obviously important requirements for any journalist. But I believe it’s just as important to climb into the trenches, where you get a better sense of the problems facing our communities.
In a way, I’ve been working all my life for this position. I was born and raised in Rhinecliff, a hamlet in northern Dutchess County. I graduated from Red Hook High School in 1984 and received an associate’s degree in communications from Ulster County Community College in 1990. In 2001, I graduated from Bard College with a bachelor’s in Political Science. Having lived and worked in the area all of my life, my commitment to Dutchess County and the region is deeply rooted.
I have enormous respect for the tradition of community journalism already established at The Weekly Beat. I want to build on that tradition by opening the office of the News Editor. I want to hear from you. I invite your letters, feedback and leads. Together, we can create a newspaper that reflects the vitality and diversity of the region. We can forge a partnership that will produce the kind of paper that will truly be a “support system for public life.”
Sincerely,
Elaine Fernandez
News Editor, The Weekly Beat