Here's To 25 More

Sad is this time when many newspapers are struggling to stay alive. A time when the printed word is dueling with TV, the Internet, blogs and who knows what new communication devices we will soon see.

Naysayers tell us our time is nigh. The end is near. We are the dying victim of advanced technology. Gone are the glory days of the press. No longer are newspapers the kings they once were. They no longer shape public opinion, dictate political careers and decide fashions, to name a few of their past impactive powers, according to these folks.

Once upon a time there were almost more newspapers in the five boroughs than there were bars on Third Avenue (notorious for its number). It is true great papers with names like the Daily Mirror, the Journal American, the Herald Tribune, the Brooklyn Eagle and our own Star Journal are long gone. Yet for all these passings and all the predictions of the naysayers, one truth remains: that is as long as there are even a handful of true men and women who bleed printer's ink there will always be newspapers. They will never let them die.

It appears that the most significant gift that the new technology has given us is speed. Each new creation tries to outdo the previous in terms of speed and gimmicks. We often wonder what will we do with all the time we save.

In pondering this turn of events we have come up with the following conclusions: Speed will never replace the heart and soul a good reporter can breathe- into a story. Speed can't replace the hard fact confirmations of a good reporter. Gimmicks can't ferret out the "hook" that makes for a great story. Speed doesn't have time to tell the "little guy's" story or talk of neighborhood happenings.

As long as these things exist there will be newspapers, good newspapers like the Gazette, which will tell the stories of everyday lives.

I am proud to say that I was once a part of this paper and did my small part in making it what it is today.

Congrats, Tony on "our" 25th. Keep that light burning.

- "Uncle" Jim Mahoney