©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Opinion

The future ain’t what it used to be

In the week between official word of my employment here and my actual start date (last Wednesday), quite a few people fixed me with a suspicious eye and asked, “You sure you want to do this?” I’d smile and reply: “Of course.” My answer didn’t go very far to dampen the doubt. “You must be crazy,” said the bewildered stares.

Maybe I am.

First, anyone who chooses to pursue a career in print journalism right now is probably certifiable. The industry is in a panic over not meeting the expectations of market place investors and in hysteria over the growing influence of the almighty blog. Such fears resulted in the very real liquidation of Knight Ridder, former owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, this year. The business is a tough one and it’s only getting tougher.

Second, it’s no secret to any regular reader of this paper that turmoil and strife have been status quo here at 8434 Germantown Avenue. In the last two years, three people helmed this paper before I arrived. A host of editorials and letters debated the direction this paper should follow. Some favored a newsletter, whether they used that language or not, to advance the interests of the paper’s owner, the Chestnut Hill Community Association. Others favored a free press. People lost and forfeited their jobs here over this issue, leaving the paper an unstable mess of rumor and fear, not the ideal place for a journalist to ply his trade.

But the thing is, I know this paper is capable of a lot more.

I was hired here as a writer in ’98 by the quite legendary Marie Jones who made this paper the most reputable of its kind for nearly 30 years. In ’98, this paper’s standing was strong. Circulation was good and the paper had purpose. I was here during those good times and I know we can have them again.

Things have looked rough at the Local in the last few years and the future of newspapers in general hasn’t been so bleak in a long time, if ever. But the Local still has a good staff and is located in a great neighborhood in a great city. I may be crazy, but I think the Local can again be the best weekly newspaper in the city.

It’s good to be back.

Pete Mazzaccaro