Reflecting on the past three years as Bluffton District 1 Councilman brings many, very positive experiences to mind, almost all of which have been made known to our community through the Bluffton News-Banner. Not often thought about and too often taken for granted, the First Amendment to our U.S. Constitution is a critical part of our everyday lives as the free press conveys to us the actions of every level of government.
Now having spent a combined 34 years as a superintendent, state professional organization leader and city councilman, those reflections bring to mind the good, the bad and the ugly of news reporting. But, in all fairness, that news reporting also shared the good, the bad, and the ugly of public civic life. The two didn’t always match up, but usually they did.
Rev. George Berkeley of the Church of Ireland posed a question in the mid-18th Century that many philosophy students found challenging (and still do): “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
Berkeley’s answer was “yes.” I’ve often thought of that as the mayor and council decided so many matters regarding Bluffton and its future. If no one was present to observe those actions, would they still have happened? Yes. But in Bluffton’s case, there was always someone there to hear it, see it and accurately report it. No small task.
In my experience, accurate and unbiased reporting is not always part of the guarantee of a free press nor is it always the case. The politics we observe in the media at the national level too often seem to skew reporting to the left or to the right or to just plain crazy.
At the local level, we are blessed with intelligent reporting that almost always gets it right and soon follows up if questions are raised along with publishing the required legal ads related to tax rates, bidding opportunities for significant purchases and sales of public property. The in-depth articles regarding issues of local interest are unique to Wells County and often garner state recognition and awards.
And the coverage of our local sports teams can be found nowhere else. Like the civil government and school district coverage, these are quite well done.
Why this letter? Simply because we are very fortunate to have a daily newspaper that exemplifies what the First Amendment envisions. And done at a high level of quality. Having often spent many hours reviewing information and thinking about council items, I was regularly impressed with Dave Schultz’s ability to report accurately at the conclusion of meetings what had occurred and why.
By what means would Bluffton citizens know if the News-Banner didn’t hear and report? Would anyone hear the sound as Berkeley asked? My reflection causes me to highly value the roles our local daily newspaper plays and to urge all of us to do what we can to ensure it continues.
Government is better and more effective because of it. So are our daily lives.
Roger Thornton
Retired Bluffton District 1 Councilman
