As I write this, a storm has kicked up on social media regarding our hospital, and while the origin of that storm is based on a little bit of the truth mixed with a lot of, well, not the truth (as is pretty much always the case with anything on local Facebook groups), it underlines a very real fact:
We are entering what I believe is going to be the most consequential summer in modern Bourbon County history.
I know that sounds over the top, and trust me, I wish it was. I'll be honest with you - if I had known six months ago what I know now, there's a solid chance I'd still be safe and snug at my former day job in Linn County instead of writing this editorial.
I'm glad I didn't, though. Like it or not, we're all in this together now, and the only thing that is going to get us through to the other side is the unvarnished, black and white truth.
One thing I've learned over the last year and a half is that real journalism comes with a very rigid set of rules, rules that can feel restricting, but rules that exist for a very important purpose: accountability.
In journalism, you can only publish what's on the record - whether that's public record, someone speaking on the record, etc. Rumors and gossip are out of the question. "Anonymous sources" get quoted all the time in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, but they're actually pretty much forbidden in the world of journalism.
Sometimes that means you learn things WAY in advance of being able to report on them, even when you really, really want to, because the consequences of reporting on them before they're on the record could be disastrous not just for you, but literally hundreds and sometimes thousands of other people.
Sometimes that means you see disinformation spread like wildfire on Facebook, and while it makes you want to slam your head against a wall repeatedly, you keep your mouth shut until the opportunity arrives to report on something the right way.
Well, that opportunity appears to have arrived, and in the coming days and weeks, I'm going to be reporting on some things that are just plain hard.
I don't say that to scare you - Bourbon County is not without hope by any stretch - but we as a community are going to be faced with some really tough choices as this year progresses, and those choices are going to shape this county for literally decades to come.
As we approach those choices, it's going to be critical to be armed with the truth, black and white, on the record. Not stuff shared on behalf of someone else on Facebook, not gossip, but the objective, unvarnished truth.
To report that truth, we're going to need your help. Tomorrow I'm going to be recording radio ads to recruit freelance writers. There's way too much news for one father of three to cover in this county even as a full-time gig, so we're about to expand our team.
Also....gulp....in August, the paywall is going to come down for most articles. That honestly terrifies me, but my hope is that when that time comes, we'll be providing enough value in terms of the breadth (and timeliness) of news to where you feel like we're worth the investment.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I Believe In Bourbon County. If we arm ourselves with the truth, and don't let ourselves get caught up in the weeds of gossip, hearsay, and other people's agendas, we have a bright future ahead of us. But each of us have to make that choice.
P.S. If you're interested in becoming a community journalist, shoot me an e-mail at nick@bourboncountymonitor.com Experience is not necessary - you bring the willingness, and we'll provide the training, the editing, and the pay.
