By Kate Henry

Homer Independent Press

Several  weeks ago, I had the privilege of leading a small community conversation about the new Homer Independent Press (HIP). We discussed several ideas for building a captivating and community inspired paper, and I was moved by the enthusiasm and genuine interest in the topics discussed by the group.

Alan Watts once said, “There’s no opportunity for people to stand outside the game in a society that is afraid.” He goes on to say, “Don’t take it too seriously because if you do, you’re going to start destroying each other and fighting and saying this city against that city, this country against that country, because you’re too involved. Every sane society allows a number of people to deviate. Monks, or some sort of outsiders. They say you don’t have to join, you don’t have to play the game. A society that is insane and unsure of itself cannot allow that to happen. It says everybody must join, everybody must work, everybody must belong. And then freedom disappears.”

In an effort to acknowledge the roots motivating the discussion, I’d like to start by saying that many people are disheartened by how polarized we have become as a community. In fact, while in preparation for this meeting, I was told in confidence by two separate people that they don’t feel safe to express their opinions on hot topics, and fear they may be physically harmed if they do speak up. This is, in my opinion, a sign of extremely unhealthy dynamics that need to be resolved if we are to avoid any serious consequences as a community.


There were several key takeaways from the meeting:

• The conversation emphasized the need to begin talking and engaging with one another again in spite of our differences. People tend to want the same basic things, so let’s create opportunities through the press to build trust.
  
  
• Some people said that at some point, the news changed from “This is what happened” to “This is how you should feel.” News messaging was changed to reflect a format that is feeding division. It’s imperative that we go back to practicing true journalism and commit to following the journalism rules of conduct.
  
  
• Others said we need to hire an editor who is aligned with, and will uphold the mission of the HIP to keep the news non-biased. This person must be committed to keeping the reporting strictly focused on details that are not associated with feelings and allow readers to pontificate on their own.
  
  
• Calling people names is not appropriate, and the editor and reporters need to keep their political views out of their reporting. Also, it’s important to give context when quoting people (when necessary). It’s easy to post a link to one thing someone said that’s inflammatory, but this can be manipulative. It’s an attempt to box someone into an oversimplified black and white narrative. Links to polarizing statements without building context fuels division.
  
  

That being said, as a local paper, we will have more leeway to decide how we handle criticism about reporting when and if discrepancies arise. We need to practice forgiveness and recognize that people make mistakes. It is imperative that we stand behind the paper and our staff, but also encourage a news culture where reporters and editors take responsibility for mistakes, learn from them and move on.

There were several ideas offered for finding and attracting writers, creating fiscal stability, bringing humor and staying competitive in the modern world of social media, podcasts, short attention spans and information overload.

• People need to be engaged daily, they don’t want paywalls and they want transparency. If we can offer something unique that the community can’t get elsewhere, like for instance, Critters In The Bay updates, we will create a home for an audience that is hungry to experience and connect with our town.
  
  

We are working on several ideas for successfully navigating the current tides and trends so stay tuned and, if inspired, consider joining our crew.

• Last but not least, we need a community calendar with links potentially to other community calendars and events.
  
  
  I’m very excited to say that HIP hears you, and we’re on it!
  
  

I can’t thank the participants of our HIP discussion enough for showing up, offering their wisdom and bringing their hearts to the conversation. I truly believe the information shared will significantly impact the quality of the paper and broaden our readership. By stepping into difficult conversations, we’re helping one another keep it real. This practice checks our egos and continues to propel us towards higher caliber content. In my opinion, it’s where freedom reigns.