Ten years ago at this time we were just beginning to envision a new newspaper for Greenwich, what would eventually become the Greenwich Sentinel, launching on Memorial Day Weekend. We talked to a lot of people. Most were both enthusiastic and cautionary in the same conversation, often in the same breath. We were attempting to re-imagine what a community newspaper could be and how it might affect our community for the better. How to lift up people in Greenwich? How to remind our neighbors what a wonderful town we have?
We were creating a new model in a very old profession (newspapering) at a time when many believed the future was only digital and that people no longer wanted a printed paper. Ten years later, the demand for both our printed paper and digital platforms is strong.
With growth and maturity comes a constant need to re-examine our mission. We were founded on the belief that our community needs a local paper that celebrates what is good, reports the news fairly and accurately, and is a vehicle for people of good will to share their views.
We also knew we wanted different voices in the newspaper, so we encouraged guest columnists to signup to share their opinions on myriad topics. It has been terrific to hear their voices as well as the community’s response to them. What intelligent, talented, remarkable writers we have gathered over the years!
We have spanned many topics, from the state budget and how it affects Greenwich, to the goings-on at the Board of Education, to lighter, humorous stories on summering in Canada. We strive to be informative, educational, and share a point of view. We encourage, and indeed welcome, feedback, comments and letters to the editor. Our paper, as does our community, works best when it shares in formation from different perspectives.
There is a quote we like from Robert Kennedy: “No one needs to tell me about the importance of the free press in a democratic society or about the essential role a newspaper can play in its community.” We believe that newspapers, both dailies and weeklies, play an essential role in their communities. No one media outlet can cover everything that happens in Greenwich and delivering the news in whatever way the consumer wants to receive it strengthens our community overall.
In order to look forward, we must look back at our ten years. We are proud of the product we have developed, but prouder still that our community has said over and over again that the Greenwich Sentinel is something they look forward to receiving and reading every week. Our popular printed edition is available in many locations throughout town but becomes difficult to find quickly as copies get scooped up. If you have difficulty finding one, we suggest joining our subscribers to get your very own copy. Our digital platforms continue to pull in more and more traffic, making them the most followed in town. We could not have done that without the support of our community.
So, what does our future hold? Well, our mission remains unchanged: inform and educate and also celebrate what is good about our community and bring attention to what can be improved.
At a time when the national news programs remind us more of talk show host Dr. Phil than Walter Cronkite, we need to safeguard the Greenwich Sentinel from falling into the “click-bait” trap. Our community is too well educated, too informed and, frankly, too busy for that kind of behavior.
What we promise is to offer the best we can each week that includes actual information, interesting reviews, columns from community leaders, well expressed opinions, in-depth feature stories from our own iconic Anne Semmes, and of course puzzles, Calvin & Hobbes, and Jim Knox. New to the paper this year is our investigative reporter, Stephen Janis.
After all, it is because of our love for this remarkable community that we launched the Greenwich Sentinel nine years ago.
What do you think? Let us know, Greenwich. Editor@GreenwichSentinel.com
