EDITOR'S NOTE | Jamie Stewart

I have been working for The Shafter Press since 2011, and it has been the best time I have had on a job. I love the people you meet, taking pictures, writing. The community of Shafter has been great to me and the paper through the years.

When the Reed family decided to close the paper down, the City of Shafter, represented by then Mayor Cathy Prout, went to Stan Wilson and asked what could be done about resurrecting the paper. It was the City of Shafter that was one of the main reasons that we are here today, other than our awesome owners who have been a godsend.

Recently, the council decided not to entertain a proposal about partnering with The Shafter Press. This was very disappointing, and not just because of the fear of maybe not having a job next year.

I was encouraged by Mayor Givens’ remarks at the last council meeting, in which he told owner Stan Wilson that he knows that something can be done to keep the paper going and that there is something that they can do.

Well, I was thinking about what it would be like if there was no paper. The city was boasting about their performance on the social media front, giving the residents information online that is real-time.

Well, I wonder what information the residents would get if the city was the only “information center.” Residents would only be able to read what the city decides to put out. Are they going to put anything online on their Facebook page or website about your child’s performance in a play, or something they did well at school, or how they did on the sports teams at school and in town?

An important part of having a newspaper is not only being there to memorialize events around town, creating a snapshot in time, but it also serves as a city’s town crier, of sorts. If there is something going on in town that may not be happy or pleasant, but still news, is the city going to put that on their platforms? I don’t think so.

It was in the not so distant past in which our City Council, just a few years ago, could not even agree on the color of the sky. They were bickering at every meeting, and it was unfortunate. But, it was news that the public appreciated knowing about. I received a lot of comments during that time thanking us for letting them know what is going on in town and telling it like it is. A newspaper not only applauds achievements, but can also shine light on all of the news that the residents deserve to know about, the good and the bad.

Jamie Stewart is editor of The Shafter Press. The opinions in this column are his own, and likely represent those of the paper and its management.