I’ve never been great with introductions, especially in the professional world.

I have always felt who I was did not matter nearly as much as what I did and how well I did it. The byline on a story didn’t matter as much as what followed it – that’s what is truly most important to readers.

So I’m going to keep my personal introduction short and instead focus on what I intend to do.

At this point in my life, I have been a journalist longer than I haven’t with a career that started 20 years ago. Almost every second of that time has been spent covering local communities in one form or fashion. This is my second stint with Reminder Publishing, previously working for seven years as a reporter and later assistant managing editor before leaving to try my hand at the world of academia. Local journalism is in my blood, however, and I returned to my roots in 2019 as the editor of the Longmeadow News and Enfield Press. Thanks to the company’s recent reorganization, I have now been placed in an exciting position as the assistant managing editor for the weeklies produced out of Reminder Publishing’s West Office, which includes The Original Pennysaver.

What’s exciting about weekly newspapers? It’s their potential as vehicles for education, enlightenment and change in the communities they serve.

During my career, I have often been confronted with the perception that weekly community newspapers aren’t a place “real” news but rather the relatively irrelevant pages in which the happy-go-lucky fluff about bake sales and lemonade resides.

Don’t misunderstand – highlighting the good in our communities is part of what we do. But it is just a piece.

According to a recent study conducted by Duke University, while markets are inundated with news outlets from all angles – internet, television, radio, print – newspapers are significantly outpacing all others in the local news that has the most immediate and, in many cases, significant impact on their lives. The research showed that among 100 communities studied local newspapers made up a mere 25 percent of the crowded field for your attention but produced 60 percent of stories that met three important criteria: was the story original; was the story local; and did the story address a critical information need?

Long story short, local newspapers provide more original and relevant content to the communities they serve than online, TV and radio outlets put together.

That is our charge – to provide in-depth reporting on the serious issues that impact the lives and livelihood of our readers. It is a responsibility we take seriously and a privilege we jealously guard. In our more than 50-year history, Reminder Publishing reporting has held public officials and private entities alike accountable, exposed corruption and provided in-depth insight on serious issues where other outlets have fallen short while also celebrating the successes and strides taken by our communities and individuals who reside in them.

While the narrative nationally is that newspapers are old news and are failing, the aforementioned study illustrates their critical importance. Recognizing our immense responsibility, while other companies are constricting, Reminder Publishing is expanding and investing in its products and its people. For our part here with the Pennysaver, we have revamped and repurposed a weekly shopper that was widely but sparsely distributed across the Pioneer Valley into a legitimate source for compelling local news with a refocused circulation model to best serve its core communities of Westfield, Southwick and the Hilltowns with 24,000 copies – most of which are home-delivered.

What’s more, we are investing in new markets with two other yet-to-be-named weekly newspapers produced by the Reminder Publishing West Office this year alone with more irons in the fire for the future.

As some of our media counterparts – including some of those in print – have pulled in the reins when it comes to their attention to local communities, The Original Pennysaver and the Reminder Publishing family are indeed providing a service not available anywhere else. Reminder Publishing General Manager Fran Smith and Managing Editor G. Michael Dobbs know the value of local community journalism and have built a staff that fosters these same beliefs. For my part, I am grateful that they have entrusted me with playing a large role in preserving and building upon what they have established.

With the 40th anniversary of the Miracle in Ice still relatively fresh in our minds, I have been reminded of a phrase famed 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks once coined simply but profoundly – “The legs feed the wolf.” Hard work, as much as talent, is what will make us the best at what we do. To that end, I can promise you our talented staff at the Original Pennysaver and Reminder Publishing are willing to outwork anyone in our field to bring you the information you need.

So, I hope you’ll excuse me as I leave you now.

There’s work to do.