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About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2023)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2023 THE JACKSON HERALD PAGE 5A Americans depend on newspapers to stay informed about their communities By Benjy Hamm Director, Institute for Rural Journalism, University of Kentucky Nearly 220 million American adults ton to their local newspapers regularly for news and infor mation they need to stay informed, feel more connected to their neigh bors and im prove their lives and communities. That read ership num ber is based on a recent national study by in dependent research firm Coda Ventures for the Amer ica’s Newspapers organization. Most likely, the number of readers is higher. Many people who say they receive news on their phone or from social media instead of newspapers fail to understand that the sources for those stories are often journalists at U.S. newspapers. We sometimes take the work of jour nalists for granted, but those who work at newspapers are filling an important role in the health of our communities and country. Everyone, even nonreaders, benefits from the work of journalists. News cover age has led to improvements in food safe ty, decreases in traffic and plane fatalities, better care for veterans and musing home patients, support for victims of natural di sasters, and exposure of all sorts of wrong doing. I have long loved this quotation by Frank Batten Sr., a media visionary and former chairman of Landmark Communications, who said about journalists and newspapers: “Our calling was never more important. We have the capacity to inform, to enlight en, to awaken and to inspire. We have the opportunity to enrich the lives of thousands of people every day.” Across the United States, journalists and other newspaper employees are serving their communities and democracy every day by informing, enlightening, awakening and inspiring millions of readers. The news they provide is accessed in many forms. Many people still use the word newspaper as the all-encompassing term for those various forms, but now news is delivered news through websites, social media, electronic editions, email alerts and newsletters, in addition to the traditional printed paper. Those delivery methods have changed significantly in recent years. But one thing remains constant: Americans depend on the trusted news coverage provided by newspapers. The study by Coda Ventures, based on surveys of 5,000 people, revealed that re spondents ranked local newspapers and their websites as the most accurate sourc es of original news reporting. The results also listed the top five reasons Americans seek out local news - to stay informed, feel connected in the community, decide where they stand on local issues, find places and things to do, and talk to other people about community news. Survey respondents consistently said they prefer newspapers in print and digital formats over TV, radio and social media as their main source for news and information important to them. They like the fact that newspapers use different ways to deliver their news stories to various audiences. The survey showed that people who are 39 and younger listed social media as the No. 1 way they prefer to access news, though they also like news websites and email alerts. People in the 40 to 74 age group ranked news websites as their top choice, followed by email alerts and the printed newspaper. Those 75 and older prefer the print edition but also like news websites and email alerts. Based on the frequent reports of strug gles within the news business, many peo ple might be surprised to learn that news papers and their digital offerings reach so many readers. Those struggles, primarily financial, are real and affect many media companies, not just newspapers. But the new ways of delivering news allow news papers to reach even larger audiences. Frank Batten might not have anticipat ed the widespread use of the internet and social media when he first made his com ments in the 1980s, but his words remain true today. Newspapers and their dedicated employ ees continue to inform, enlighten, awaken and inspire - enriching their communities and the lives of millions of people who benefit from their work every day. Robin Masters (L) was crowned Maysville’s Miss Autumn Leaf in ceremonies held in 1983. Chosen to reign with Robin were Sueellynn Medders, first runner-up (C), and Lisa Renee Sims (R), second runner-up. Looking Back: Week of Oct. 4 Take a look back at the headlines from this week over the past 50 years: 50 YEARS AGO OCTOBER 3,1973 •County Chamber gets set for office, merger — A “blueprint for progress” was launched by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce officers and directors in 1973. A six-point plan to oil the wheels of the Chamber operation was set and chairmen were named. The plan included: Locate, open and staff a Chamber office; establish and coordinate an intensive solicitation campaign for every eligible businessman in a dues-paying capacity; organize a priorities and needs category; organize a retail sales committee; organize a manufacturing committee; and establish a job description for an ex ecutive director, design a seal and logo. •Park hearing set —A hearing in New Orleans, La., in 1973, was set to determine whether A. C. (Cliff) Park was allowed to remain free. •Old Jail may go down this week — The old Jackson County Jail was slated to go down in 1973. Joe Stephenson bought the brick in the building for S410 with the stipulation that he tear the building down. He said he expected to start immediately. 40 YEARS AGO OCTOBER 5,1983 •County industrial park may become reality — The first Jackson County-owned industrial park may only be weeks away, it was an nounced in 1983. It was a choice 90-acre site just north of Com merce near 1-85. The Jackson County Industrial Development Au thority and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce were expected to go to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 13, 1983, with a proposal on the matter. •Rides to be new feature at Maysville festival — Maysville’s an nual Autumn Leaf Festival in 1983 was set to have a new attraction — carnival rides for children of all ages. 30 YEARS AGO OCTOBER 6,1993 •County BOE fails to act on property and superintendent — The Jackson County Board of Education met in October 1993,but failed to act on two key issues — a site for a second middle school and the selection of a new superintendent. •Airport study to favor Gwinnett expansion over building new fa cility? —Although the Jackson County area was still a potential site for a second Atlanta airport in 1993, a new study appeared to lean toward expanding the current Gwinnett airport to handle projected increases in air travel. 20 YEARS AGO OCTOBER 8,2003 •Injunction request denied — The Supreme Court of Georgia de nied a request in 2003 against the Jackson County Board of Com missioners pending the appeal of a citizens’ lawsuit. The BOC was allowed to proceed with its controversial financing plan for a new $25 million courthouse while the case was being appealed. •Ten Commandments on display at Administrative Building — hi a 4-1 vote, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners agreed in 2003 to display the Ten Commandments in the Administrative Building in Jefferson. $34.8 million set for BOC 2004 budget — The Jackson County Board of Commissioners approved a preliminary budget of $34.8 million in early October 2003. 10 YEARS AGO OCTOBER 2,2013 •JHS leads local school SAT results — Three of four high schools in Jackson County were in the top one-third of state schools on the SAT, according to results released in 2013. Jefferson High School led the focal results with a composite score of 1,531. Commerce High School posted a composite score of 1,476. Jackson County Comprehensive High School had a score of 1,427. East Jackson Comprehensive High School came in with a score of 1,386. Jeff Swinney of Commerce holds a mike and sings along with the famous Lettermen in 1973 at Com merce. This was a phase of the “audience participa tion” part of the program. Sweeney had been chosen at random by one of the trio to come up and sing. Ruby Lynn Minish provided face and hand painting to rest-dents and guests at the fall carnival at the BJC Nursing Facility. 5YEARSAGO OCTOBER 3,2018 •Four precincts ‘working’ so far — Jackson County voters got their first look at the newly consolidated polling locations during the Primary Election in 2018. County election leaders said the upcom ing General Election on Nov. 6 would reveal how effective those new sites are. •Planners deny Josh Pirkle project — Developers of a proposed controversial warehouse project in West Jackson faced a packed room of red-clad opponents during the first round of public hearings in 2018. The Jackson County Planning Commission voted to rec ommend denial of a future land use map change from residential to industrial for 357 acres on Josh Pirkle Rd. All votes were split with commission member David Ayers opposed. 1 YEAR AGO OCTOBER 5,2022 •Only Jefferson tops state average on SAT — Jefferson High School was the only high school in Jackson County that topped the state average on the SAT in 2022. •Commerce to vote on water, wastewater growth plans — Com merce is strapped for water and wastewater capacity. City leaders were set to vote on a plan in 2022 to expand those utilities and estab lish procedures on how to allocate capacity in the interim. Clay Whitelaw (L) sends his dog “Whitey’s Mischief Tarbaby,” into a lake during a hunting and retriever trial in 1993 near Jefferson. Although hosted by two hunting and retriever clubs from South Carolina, farms near Jefferson were used for the two-day event. Conditions were created to simulate actual hunting conditions and to test retriever dogs on their ability to find the killed prey. Here, “Tarbaby” heads into a lake to retrieve a killed duck.
