The first time I stepped into a professional newsroom for work came 36 years and one day before I started as editor-in-chief here at the Herald.
I was infinitely more nervous starting that job, as a part-time high school sports writer at the Rocky Mountain News— then the largest newspaper in Denver – than I was when I started at the Herald last Thursday.
I remember that first day vividly. I went into the Rocky offices to familiarize myself with where to go after I covered my first football game at Thornton High School. I had to come back to the office to write because I didn’t have a laptop (yes, basic laptops existed in 1986).
The school was about 15 minutes straight north of the downtown offices, up Interstate 25. I got myself settled in the press box, with my stats sheet and notebook. I grabbed a cold hot dog and a warm soft drink, feeling so fortunate that I was getting to start a dream job covering sports for my hometown newspaper – the one I read from the time I could understand what everything meant in a baseball box score.
The game went along normally, I got my quotes and had an uneventful drive back to the paper. I wrote my story quickly since I only had about 30 minutes, made my deadline and my editor said, “Have a good night, I’ll call you if I need anything.”
I must have done all right because they kept giving me assignments. I loved it right away.
What I couldn’t have articulated then, but what is plain as day to me now is the impact a local journalist has in the community. The Thornton High School football game wasn’t remotely close to a big sports story in a city that worships its professional sports teams. But it was a big story to the 80 or so players on that field, their families, their classmates and their coaches.
That local journalism mattered.
And local journalism mattered this week, certainly contributing the community outcry over the potential sale of Bucks County’s sewer system.
When that story first broke, a lot sounded good about it, particularly the notion that the county would reap a significant financial gain. But as the Herald and other local media reported more, the momentum pretty quickly shifted against the sale, from the public and the public officials.
My local journalism journey has taken me all over the country. A sports and schools reporter in Livingston, Montana. A sports writer and later sports and local news editor at the Rocky. And key executive editor positions in Corpus Christi, Texas, Beaver County, Pennsylvania; and here the past seven-plus years at the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer, from where I know many of you.
I’m absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to take the baton from founding Editor Bridget Wingert as the Herald’s second editor-in-chief in its 20-year existence.
I think that’s the only thing I’m nervous about, following in the footsteps of such a well-liked and well-regarded community leader. She has been incredibly gracious and helpful during this first week of transition.
I’m also grateful for all the kind words many readers, colleagues and community leaders have expressed since it was announced Iast month.
The most exciting part of coming to the Herald for me is getting to continue practicing local journalism that matters, that will have an impact on the community.
Often when journalism executives change jobs, they have to make moves like I did earlier in my career, and relocate often thousands of miles from their last job. And that’s been an amazing ride for me.
This time, however, my family and I have made Bucks County our home. And the world aligned just right to afford us this opportunity to stay and continue in a profession that has been my life’s work.
“So what’s the new editor going to do to my newspaper?” has been asked more than once, including by our staff.
We have a good thing going here. Readers are loyal and complimentary. Staff seems happy and feels like they contribute. Bridget Wingert, and her son, Herald publisher Joe Wingert, have been creative and effective in navigating a truly difficult time in the media. It was a huge selling point for me that the Herald is a nonprofit organization. That allows some space to work where there isn’t in a publicly owned company.
We’ll continue to listen to our readers. I would love to hear about ideas you would want to see in your newspaper.
I don’t have grand plans for monumental change right off the bat. I want us to matter in your everyday lives. I want us to be leaders in civil discourse that is lacking oxygen in much of the country right now.
I want us to celebrate your accomplishments. I want us to cry with you when you’re sad. I want us to work with our public officials while at the same time hold them accountable for their actions.
I want us to continue to grow our digital footprint while we maintain a strong print product. We want to keep our loyal print readers, but we also have to grow our audience to keep us going for decades to come.
We will get creative in how we bring you more and significant content while maintaining our local flavor.
Contrary to popular belief, local journalism isn’t dying. It’s transitioning. And the Herald is set up to be successful, with your support.
Let’s keep this good thing going.
You can reach Shane Fitzgerald at sfitzgerald@buckscountyherald.com.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
