What constitutes a good newspaper? Is it as a mere chronicler of facts and events, in a non-partisan, explanatory way? Or must it essentially be something more? We say more. We assert this as the decimation of the news industry continues apace, including with its characterization as the “enemy of the people” by the next U.S. administration, to the severe detriment of democracy.
For the last 700 years, there has been an indisputable connection between the proliferation of the printed word and the moral, cultural and social advancement of our species, from Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press on.
Gutenberg’s invention in the mid-1400s, and his publication of the Gutenberg Bible, spurred what became the Renaissance, followed by the Reformation and the Enlightenment from which arose the American revolution, the Constitution and the modern notion of democracy. The access to and free exposition of ideas made possible through the proliferation of the printed word has been key to the human advancements in culture, science and governance achieved in every one of these seminal periods since Gutenberg’s invention.
Importantly, in the case of the young American republic, it was through newspapers, starting with Franklin’s recognition and utilization of their importance and then in the publication and proliferation of the Federalist Papers, that came the ratification of the Constitution by the 13 original colonies. By the publication and circulation of the Federalist Papers, the public was able not only to absorb, but to engage in civil discourse over the merits of the Constitution, and thereby to support and defend the formation of the United States of America.
To be valid, newspapers must stand staunchly for the kind of discourse that produced our American republic. They cannot stand aloof, or lamely non-commital, on such issues as those which define the value of the free press, itself: Not especially when powerful forces are unleashed to effectively undermine it, such as in the case of what we expect the incoming U.S. president will surely do.
The Falls Church News-Press since its founding 34 years ago has functioned as a powerful, persuasive voice in the City of Falls Church that has cohered with the best, most reasonable arguments for the betterment of this community. As such, it has contributed in no small way to what has evolved as the highly-admirable prosperity the Little City has come to enjoy, with its AAA bond rating atop state-of-the-art schools, in terms both of quality of education and facilities, and thriving public and private sectors, alike. It has been influential with reasonable and convincing narratives over 34 years that have convinced a highly educated and activist public to support these good developments over time.
Let us elicit a better appreciation of what the last 700 years has produced for us all and as that has been applied for the last almost three dozen years to our rich and fruitful little city-state of Falls Church, Virginia.
