No News?

There’s an old adage, “No news is good news.” And as a matter of fact, I have repeated that adage to many of my worrywart friends when they have confided in me about their needless worries.

See, I am blessed with a lack of worry. I used to worry a lot. Then one day I figured it out…it’s useless. There’s no need to worry about things over which you have no control, because you cannot change them anyway. And there’s no need to worry about things over which you have control. Take control and handle the situation.

When I figured that out, I pretty much stopped worrying. Since that time, my faith in God has expanded, too, so I really have no reason to worry.

Now, mind you, I am human, and I sometimes catch myself worrying about silly little things. But, then I realize my foolishness and say a prayer and move on. I know I am lucky, or blessed, because so many people, including some very close to me, lose sleep and experience health problems brought on by worrying.

Many cannot experience real joy for their concern about things over which they have no control.
But, back to the heading of this column this week…“no news.”

I have to admit that no news is not good news when you run a newspaper. There are a few weeks when there is really nothing happening in our fair community.

Well, that’s not actually accurate. Anyone who thinks there’s nothing going on in this sleepy little town hasn’t looked around. There are government meetings, social get-togethers, church activities, and school activities, including music, athletics, and other extra-curricular activities going on all the time.

Rachel Torrance, retired Extension agent, and I share the opinion that anyone who thinks there is nothing going on in our town is basically clueless. There is always something happening.

But, back to my problem. Finding out all that is going on in our community can be difficult. So, sometimes we miss some news. And, when school is out, there is less news. When the Courthouse is closed, there is less news.

But, nonetheless, I rarely have trouble finding enough news to fill these pages. The problem is photographs! Some weeks there just really isn’t anything particularly photo-worthy. Or, like this week, I just am not sure I want to start running Christmas decoration pictures when there’s four papers until Christmas.

I can run a photo from the polls because of the special election on Tuesday. But that doesn’t really grab me, either.

Some weeks I get help from my readers. But, that, too, seems to be feast or famine. If your organization is doing something, please let me know. Maybe you even can send a photo. Just e-mail your stuff to advertising, editor, info or news@themonticellonews.com It’s just like the school addresses…everything is the same after the first word. Be sure to include contact information.

If you don’t use e-mail or prefer other methods of communication, you can mail it in or bring it in. We’d love to see you. I don’t promise what will run, but I can promise it won’t run if we don’t have it!

We have received comments and criticism through the years for the number of car wreck photos we run. But, those papers sell. However, if there have been any serious accidents lately, we’ve missed them.

Blessedly, there have been no serious structure fires. Or, we’ve missed them.

It appears we blocked out some channels on our scanner at the office, and may have missed some calls. Sometimes, the scanner emits a lot of static, or another jurisdiction bleeds through, and it can become tedious to hear, so we’ll block out a channel for awhile. Sometimes, I sleep through calls on the scanner at home. Occasionally, things are peaceful.

People often ask for their activity to be promoted on the front page. What goes on the front page is determined by the importance of the news, the art available to illustrate it, and what else is happening. Some weeks we could easily fill up two front pages. Some weeks, like this one could be, it is hard to find something remotely catchy to lead into the pages of this newspaper.

I remember one time, many years ago, I said, half-jokingly, what we need is a good disaster. That night a storm hit Monticello and knocked down trees on cars and houses, closed roads, just created real havoc.

My photographer, Brian Hirsch, said I should never again hope for a disaster. He’s right, I know. But, I also know I am not responsible for the storm. I just don’t have that much power.

Now you know a little more about the newspaper business. I won’t worry about not having anything to put on the front page…at least not until late Tuesday, and you will realize if the art on the front isn’t of much interest or news value…it was a slow news week.