Don't Blink

Dear Reader,

I’m old enough to remember — way back into the early 1990s — when the Hartford Courant was our morning paper, and the Middletown Press hit the streets around 3 or 4 every afternoon.  Both had offices on Main Street, and they each had several reporters devoted to covering the business of the town - one reporter for the education beat, one for the arts community, a few at city hall, etc.   Anyone in public life could expect the attendance of those writers at any meeting, along with local radio and maybe even a few glamorous tv reporters from out of town.  If you were in office, having a regular chat with a reporter was just part of the job, whether they wrote nice things about you or not.  Although the Courant had bigger resources, there was nothing like the hush that would descend on Main Street when the mid-afternoon Press arrived.  That’s how you got the spin on what local officials didn’t like about the morning reporting, and you’d know what meetings you should go to that night - not to mention the gossipy joys of the city briefs.  

All of that media was sometimes a pain in the neck when trying to get things done, because there was constant scrutiny.  On the other hand, it was actually possible for citizens to have some idea what was going on in town.  I’m sure previous city leaders didn’t love having reporters around all the time - but they also respected that the papers were their connection to the public.

When the viability of our community-owned newspapers collapsed, what I noticed most was this:  Middletown was “less”.

What do I mean by that?  Let’s consider, for example, the Arts.  Having full-time arts reporters at those papers meant our performing groups had regular coverage, helping drum up audiences, and creating a record of artistic output and public reviews that bolstered the spirits of those who created our community theatricals, choirs and art events.  Plainly speaking, it was more fun.  Sure, we still have arts and culture groups now, but the echo chamber of separate email lists and facebook feeds makes it harder to connect with new audiences, and harder for you and me to find out what’s happening in town.

The stakes may be higher when you consider government.  These days, people in local public life don’t expect to have reporters following their every move.  Yes, there is coverage, and there are FOI rules, but it’s different.  The new normal is that generally the city puts out the news via press releases and announcements — and the papers, such as they are, follow.  Despite a few dedicated public servants who still work at those publications, they just don’t have the resources to deeply research or question how things work in the city.  

That’s why, sometime around 2008, after Ed McKeon and I had yet another conversation about the lack of press in town, he actually went home and set up the Middletown Eye blog on his computer.  The idea was, if the newspapers aren’t coming back, maybe we should just write about the meetings and events we are already attending. It was an attempt to bring back a sense of community that was dwindling, and to have a hand in our own destiny as a town.  

As far as I can remember, the Eye did not start with any pretense of lack of bias.  Along with the other people who began to write for the Eye (including Stephen Devoto), we are, generally, people who are quite passionate and opinionated about Middletown and the direction it should go - each in our own way.  I’m sure that’s reflected in everything we write.  Some authors like to just submit “information” articles, and others are more obvious in showing their perspective, but ultimately, the Eye is a volunteer effort.  Each person writes about what interests them.  Some writers take pride in applying their considerable research skills when writing their articles - others are more off the cuff (that would be me).  Generally, we share what we learn from our own civic engagement.  It’s no substitute for you actually attending all those meetings and events yourself, but hopefully it helps you stay somewhat informed.  

I started this post by waxing about the old days of morning and afternoon newspapers in town.  The thing is - those were businesses, with dozens of people on staff.

Writing for the Eye, to be blunt, is work.  Over the years, some writers (including myself) found it was easier to just do our volunteering and community work, without the added burden of always writing it up for the Eye. 

But as other writers stepped back, Stephen and Ed continued to put in the work to keep us informed, and personally, I’m grateful.  They are, I would guess, exhausted, but they have kept it going and I truly hope that this particularly nasty election season won’t bring the whole thing crashing down.

So..if this blog has been of use to you at any point since 2008… the next time you find yourself criticizing something Ed or Stephen wrote on the EYE, consider writing your own articles about your own work in the community or information that you have.   Share the burden of giving our community a platform for information, opinion, and vision for the future (and even nostalgia).   To misquote Gandhi, be the change you wish to see.

I miss the expertise of the old newspapers, but I’m grateful to Ed & Stephen & all the other writers - including Jen Mahr - whose work has kept this Eye open.   Without it, Middletown might have quieter elections, but it might also be harder to see where we’re going.