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Newspaper turns 3, Campbell turns 50, reasons to celebrate birthdays are plenty
By Sheila Sánchez
As Campbell prepares to celebrate its 50th golden anniversary as an incorporated city, Sunday, March 24, The Campbell Reporter will also celebrate a birthday--our third.
What a wonderful coincidence. Silicon Valley Community Newspapers gave birth to its sixth community newspaper around the same time the city celebrates its beginnings, March 28, 1952.
The occasion creates a picture in my mind. I see Campbell as a matured, successful person and I see The Reporter as a smart and perceptive toddler. The two are hugging affectionately because they're grateful for each other.
There are reasons to celebrate both events. I look forward to attending the city's festivities at Orchard City Hall and visiting with Campbell Mayor Jeanette Watson and meeting more Campbell residents who care about this community.
Here in our small newsroom, we'll be having a small party. For us, turning 3 is a joyous occasion with plenty of reasons to celebrate.
The Reporter has successfully attracted readers and advertisers during its 36 months of life.
The Reporter is put together every week by a dedicated group of journalists. Its new staff writer is well-known Campbell resident and former columnist Moryt Milo, whose opinions appeared in the paper for two years, prior to her becoming a full-time reporter. Longtime Campbell resident and writer Michelle C. Crowe writes its marketplace column.
Its other contributors know the community well, and I, as a new editor, love to be in the community, visiting its coffee shops and restaurants, where I seem to frequently run into the movers and shakers in Campbell.
Two weeks ago I spent several hours walking up and down Campbell Avenue, passing out ballots for our "Best of Campbell" issue to be printed April 17. What impressed me the most about the city during that short visit was the friendliness of its residents and what they had to say about our newspaper.
The comments all centered on the quality of The Reporter's stories and photographs, how readers trust our journalism and find our stories credible. I also received praise for some of our unique features such as a great design, for which we won an award during our first year and the variety of news stories and our commitment to community-based journalism.
I went home feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction.
As The Reporter continues to grow, it will continue to be "fiercely local," focusing on community journalism. Just like a small child growing and needing attention from its parents, The Reporter will need responses from its readers to continue to provide the quality product it's known to produce.
We'll be working hard this year to improve our coverage of important Campbell issues, digging in and asking questions about topics relevant to our readers. I envision coverage of communities as heads of hair that need to be combed. I borrow this analogy from a former editor.
This year, we'll be combing Campbell's hair with a careful brush and comb, untangling the snarls with clear, crisp and direct writing that is accurate and balanced. We'll be trying to look at the community with fresh eyes.
The community can help The Reporter improve its already outstanding coverage. Readers can give us relevant story ideas they care about, thereby challenging our journalism abilities and giving us the opportunity to learn and grow.
Readers can be supportive, encouraging and accepting. They can find ways to include the newspaper in the life of the community. We look forward to this opportunity as we become involved in challenging community discussions.
The Reporter is excited about covering a community that is getting a lot of attention from other cities because it's successful and growing in a smart way. We're so grateful to the community for accepting us and for letting us be a part of Campbell. We look forward to a long-lasting relationship of trust and respect. We hope we continue to earn your loyalty and esteem.
Sheila Sanchez is the editor of The Campbell Reporter. She can be reached at 408.200.1051 or at ssanchez@svcn.com.
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Campbell, California
