Happy Birthday Prospect!
The Prospect Turns Two! 010111
Notice: we weren’t ego driven enough to put links to stories, knowing that if readers were curious they could go to the sitemap, top of page.
It seems like only two years ago when, in 2009, we decided that two newspapers simply wasn’t enough for a county of 3000 people, most of whom have two eyes creating a demand of 6000 reading eyes to be satisfied.
Reading the two newspapers already in existence in the county was like stepping back in history to a happier time, a time when neighbors having visitors from the city was news, a time when a gathering of alcoholics was all you needed for a celebration, a time when there were two political parties, moderate Republican and hardass Republican; a time, in short, before counseling and psych meds and rehab and the law against cousins marrying.
We at the Prospect felt people were ready for something different. It came to us in a flash that we are different. They might not have known it, but people were ready for us.
Our first few editions started very slowly. We did a piece on peeling paint. It didn’t receive the critical acclaim we’d hoped for; we hadn’t done our homework and so didn’t know about the Mountain Messenger’s annual “Peeling Paint Edition”.
Nonetheless, we tramped on until two weeks later the District One Fire Commissioners made a desperate attempt to pay their bills and provide fire suppression by asking for a mitigation fee.
It was a great idea, one used in other counties, but the impact it would have on a county as small as ours had social significance. It was the first issue in which the Prospect could take an editorial stance, and provide an analysis. We felt we demonstrated that the fee, which would cover new construction in the huge District One property base, would most negatively impact those who wanted to construct modest dwellings on family farms. Such fees rarely discourage the wealthy; they discourage those who are scrabbling to put a home together in a government environment which is hostile to owner builders and modest site built homes.
Those articles made enemies of people who didn’t like us anyway, and so we plowed on.
As 2009 progressed, the Prospect took on many important local issues, such as biomass. This is an issue which continues to be of critical local importance.
In those early days, we were still developing a voice for the Prospect, and we were later to discover that the voice was gravely, slurred, swore terribly and had cat-box breath.
Finally, we knew who we were.
In 2010 we continued that same hard hitting journalism style which produced major pieces like “Dumb enough to Rule” and “Lycra Bibshorts”.
We took on the Forest Service and freely made light of Tom Quinn, the man who holds in his hands most of the land in the county. It was rude, foolhardy, maybe a little unprofessional but great fun, and isn’t that the real purpose of freedom of speech? To have fun at the expense of our betters?
We’ve shown no respect at all to our Board of Supervisors, and especially not to the Director of Occult Government Transactions Tim Beals. These people have power, and can do us real harm, and yet, we just can’t help ourselves.
In the end, though, the Prospect is not the people who struggle with demons to write the articles, or those who struggle with viruses to put them up, the Prospect is really those people who tire themselves trying to make sense of it, our readers. As we sit at our computers, we ask ourselves often, “will that make sense to our readers” or “are we telling people what they want to know” or “would the readers rather have critical analysis or leg slapping yellow journalism?” Turns out, you like both!
Thanks to every eye that falls on the Prospect; we really are here for you. Happy Birthday!
Notice: we weren’t ego driven enough to put links to stories, knowing that if readers were curious they could go to the sitemap, top of page.
It seems like only two years ago when, in 2009, we decided that two newspapers simply wasn’t enough for a county of 3000 people, most of whom have two eyes creating a demand of 6000 reading eyes to be satisfied.
Reading the two newspapers already in existence in the county was like stepping back in history to a happier time, a time when neighbors having visitors from the city was news, a time when a gathering of alcoholics was all you needed for a celebration, a time when there were two political parties, moderate Republican and hardass Republican; a time, in short, before counseling and psych meds and rehab and the law against cousins marrying.
We at the Prospect felt people were ready for something different. It came to us in a flash that we are different. They might not have known it, but people were ready for us.
Our first few editions started very slowly. We did a piece on peeling paint. It didn’t receive the critical acclaim we’d hoped for; we hadn’t done our homework and so didn’t know about the Mountain Messenger’s annual “Peeling Paint Edition”.
Nonetheless, we tramped on until two weeks later the District One Fire Commissioners made a desperate attempt to pay their bills and provide fire suppression by asking for a mitigation fee.
It was a great idea, one used in other counties, but the impact it would have on a county as small as ours had social significance. It was the first issue in which the Prospect could take an editorial stance, and provide an analysis. We felt we demonstrated that the fee, which would cover new construction in the huge District One property base, would most negatively impact those who wanted to construct modest dwellings on family farms. Such fees rarely discourage the wealthy; they discourage those who are scrabbling to put a home together in a government environment which is hostile to owner builders and modest site built homes.
Those articles made enemies of people who didn’t like us anyway, and so we plowed on.
As 2009 progressed, the Prospect took on many important local issues, such as biomass. This is an issue which continues to be of critical local importance.
In those early days, we were still developing a voice for the Prospect, and we were later to discover that the voice was gravely, slurred, swore terribly and had cat-box breath.
Finally, we knew who we were.
In 2010 we continued that same hard hitting journalism style which produced major pieces like “Dumb enough to Rule” and “Lycra Bibshorts”.
We took on the Forest Service and freely made light of Tom Quinn, the man who holds in his hands most of the land in the county. It was rude, foolhardy, maybe a little unprofessional but great fun, and isn’t that the real purpose of freedom of speech? To have fun at the expense of our betters?
We’ve shown no respect at all to our Board of Supervisors, and especially not to the Director of Occult Government Transactions Tim Beals. These people have power, and can do us real harm, and yet, we just can’t help ourselves.
In the end, though, the Prospect is not the people who struggle with demons to write the articles, or those who struggle with viruses to put them up, the Prospect is really those people who tire themselves trying to make sense of it, our readers. As we sit at our computers, we ask ourselves often, “will that make sense to our readers” or “are we telling people what they want to know” or “would the readers rather have critical analysis or leg slapping yellow journalism?” Turns out, you like both!
Thanks to every eye that falls on the Prospect; we really are here for you. Happy Birthday!
