Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 9-26-19 E-edition

Thursday, September 26, 2019 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
Serving the Readers of the Reedley Exponent, Dimuba Sentinel and Sanger Herald.
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
Fred Hall — Publisher
In my OPINION
Not clicks, but reporting the unvarnished truth
Hard to believe, but it's true! There is, in fact, a journalistic code of ethics! It is completely understandable that today's consumer of news doubts the presence of any sort of code of ethics. Truth of the matter is that it does indeed exist, at least in written version. The acts of adherence to its application and enforcement are en-
tirely separate issues.
According to The Society of Professional Journal-
ists, the preamble to that code says, Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that pub- lic enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. Ethical journalism strives to ensure the free exchange of information that is accu- rate, fair and thorough. An ethical journalist acts with integrity. Who would have known that?
Blame current economics of the news business and a slew of other issues if you will, but there has been an ugly slouch in this industry toward internet style of reporting where there are no standards or legal con- straints. Congress continues to allow practitioners of their “craft” to continue to allow protection of “posters” as opposed to “publishers.” That truly is a distinction without a difference. Damage is done equally.
With a full throated race for more and more news- papers to shed print versions in favor of the less ex- pensive and less restrictive on-line issues, the death of journalism is open for all to see. Newspapers aren't dying, we're committing suicide and, along with that, the disappearance of trusted local government news, school news, and coverage of your favorite local high school or community college team.
Small town newspaper people are not well paid but they are schooled and trained professions who deliver the who, what, when, where and why of local events written in a professional manner. The alternative will be having to count on word-of-mouth from some guy or gay witting in their basement, bedroom or garage with skill approaching the fourth grade level.
Just a few decades ago, when television was in its infancy and looking for acceptance and relevance, they turned to professionals in the newspapers to provide talent to report the news. Although originally well in- tentioned, their paradigm soon turned to finding the most attractive news readers available and adopting the mantra if it bleeds, it leads. Sensational, celebrity driven “journalism” soon followed.
Newspapers were then faced with a 21st century phenomenon called the internet, where something that passed for free and was called “the news” turned the business plan on its head. How do you charge for a news product which has been written and edited by profes- sionally trained people when there are those willing to produce sensational, click-driven content for free?
Unfortunately, there are newspapers who have de- cided to move their product more and more to the in- ternet. There is limited monetization even with that change, and it's impossible to hire real professionals. Every time it appears that journalism has sunk to the lowest depths ever, they continue to amaze.
That is a direct result of people entering this busi- ness who have no real foundation or training of what it is all about. It's not about clicks — it's about reporting the unvarnished truth.
We thank our loyal readers and remind all of you who are happy receiving free news, please remember that all those providing such a service are being en- riched by selling your name, address and personal in- formation to others in the marketing industry. People now know more about you, your family and shopping habits than any time in history! Our intent is to serve the greater good of the community at large.
Random thoughts about a farewell tour, tacos, misleading product labels
Rick Curiel — Dinuba Editor Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Sanger Editor
Fred Hall
By Dick Sheppard
I'm on a farewell — not a goodbye — tour.
After saying farewell to friends at the chamber, coun- cil and school board I thought I'd better let readers know what's going on.
About 15 years ago I be- came editor of the Sanger Herald.
I didn't intend to stick around long, just until pub- lisher Fred Hall found some- one who knew what he or she was doing.
I had never worked at a newspaper.
When I finished a long ra- dio/TV career in Fresno, Sac- ramento, Los Angeles and the Bay Area we came back to the Valley, to Sanger, for a more tranquil small town life.
Fred and previous Herald editor Dawn Pearson told me that's what it would be like at the Herald, tranquil. Just the thing for an old, retired guy — Dawn called me "spry" — fill- ing in on a three-day-a-week basis.
Then I met Sanger's city manager Jim Drinkhouse and his wife Laura, convicted fel- on-turned-developer Randy Castiglione, a lot of other bad guys, homicide detectives, IRS agents, undercover officers and grand jury members.
It turned out there would be nothing tranquil about the town, the Herald or my life for several years. It was no longer
a three-day-a-week job and it was not a job those who knew what they were doing would really want to do.
It certainly was not what I signed up for.
I became the target of an attempted homicide, was assaulted, threatened, con- demned to hell more times than I choose to remember, sued and the part that hurt the most, my dog was shot.
I promised Fred I would stick around until things got back to normal and 15 years, many investigative journalism awards — including a national one — and four grand jury investigations later I believe things are probably about as normal as they're going to be for awhile in Sanger. It's time to step away from the paper and pick up on that tranquil life I was looking for 15 years ago.
I'm not going anywhere. We love Sanger and its wonderful people.
What happened way back then was an aberration, an anomaly.
It was an out of town wolf- pack preying on a flock of na- ive sheep and a sheep dog — an even more naive municipal government — still seems to be limping along and licking its wounds.
I'll be writing a column for the paper, contributing stories now and then and stopping by with my world famous Tex/ Mex/Okie bean and bacon soup
whenever the staff has a pot- luck lunch.
I'm hoping it'll be the best of a couple of worlds.
••• Dick Sheppard Congratu-
lations to Sanger's reigning champ Andrew Cuevas, who easily defended his title at last Saturday's Taco Throwdown- themed Farmers' Market. An- drew downed eight Taco Bell tacos in three minutes.
This Saturday's 5-9 p.m. downtown event will feature a car show and lots food vendors and information booths.
•••
I can't help wondering if
maybe politicians are moon- lighting at writing the mis- leading hype on packages and bottles; easy open packages aren't easy to open; resealable packages don't reseal; and the non-streaking Windex with ammonia left my windshield so streaked I had to stop at a service station and use the station's squeegee and muddy water to scrape off streaks left by non-streaking Windex so I could see well enough to drive home against the setting sun last week.
•••
It's been mostly fun. Go
Apaches!
Dick Sheppard can be con- tacted at sangerherald@gmail. com.
Letters from readers
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
Tribute to a living legend
Sanger is losing an invalu- able treasure.
We learned at the Sept. 19 Sanger City Council meeting that the Sanger Herald Editor of the Mid Valley Times, Dick Sheppard, is retiring at the end of this month. He has certainly been the Shepherd of our com- munity!
For many years, the peo- ple of Sanger have been well in-
formed and educated through the high standards and integrity of Mr. Sheppard's professional career in editorial writing and news reporting. We are hon- ored to have him as a corner- stone of our community. There has been no greater loyalty dis- played to Sanger residents than by this living legend.
The people of Sanger extend our gratitude to Dick Sheppard for all the history and newswor-
thy insights he has provided weekly to our community. It is satisfying to know his influence will always be with us.
We congratulate Dick on his fifth and most successful at- tempt to retire from the Herald and enjoy the blessings of his dear family and many friends.
God bless you always and forever. Sincerely,
Roy and Donna Bailey Sanger
Letters Policy
MID VALLEY TIMES invites letters from the public on any topic of local relevance. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or brevity, and we reserve the right to NOT publish them if they could be deemed libelous or profane. Letters should
be 350 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed, submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
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QUOTE
“Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.”
- Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"