Editorial of July 30, 2026
The Agony and the Ecstacy
Our general manager/senior editor describes putting out the newspaper each week as giving birth. The “gestation” period for “The Freeman’s Journal” and “Hometown Oneonta” is six days. Six days during which countless e-mails are received, vetted and the information they contain processed for publication. Six days for our lone reporter to follow up on his story assignments—interviewing news subjects, attending or watching hours-long municipal meetings, writing the articles and then the subsequent fact checking—while juggling incoming news tips and breaking stories. Six days for the GM/SE to assign those stories, proofread and edit them, further fact check them, and sign off. Six days to sell and create advertising, to assist folks with their subscriptions, to forward news briefs to our steadfast compiler, to coordinate with columnists, guest writers, interns, and the public. Then, on the seventh day, the newspaper is “born.” And the process begins again anew, reminiscent of the movie “Groundhog Day.”
Sadly, no edition is perfect. Due to lack of time and resources, there are always things we didn’t get to. There are always typos that slip through the Tuesday afternoon proofing process, before pages are sent to the printer. There’s always that name we failed to get right, that jumps out and waves “hello” on Wednesday, when content is uploaded to our website, AllOtsego.com. And with our staff of four full-time employees and two part-time newspaper deliverers, we must juggle sick days, vacation time, and personal days. Newspaper folks don’t get a lot of paid holidays, and we have to work around a shorter week when those roll around. And of course there is the weekly newspaper’s cross to bear as a stepping stone for each budding journalist’s greener pasture. Not to mention any computer glitches or other unexpected hurdles that arise during the course of the week. And days off. Yes, we do get two days off each week. But those are offset by the late hours we often keep, the event that cannot be missed, the after-hours interview, or the back-end work necessary to run a business and keep it afloat.
Each Tuesday evening, when the pages have been finalized and sent to the printer, staff breathes a collective sigh of relief, congratulates one another on a job well done, and heads home. Sometimes we finish early, around 5:30 or so. Sometimes closer to 8 p.m. On Wednesday, we start the whole thing over.
So when our office manager collects the mail on a Wednesday, and we receive a multi-page diatribe about how a reader is “disgusted” by portions of our content and “disappointed” by other content not included, it is, well, rather deflating. We firmly believe that one of our responsibilities as an independent local news source, in addition to covering Otsego County news, is to provide our readers with a variety of opinions and perspectives from which to formulate their own opinions as they educate themselves on today’s issues.
This reader does not think “it’s a good or wise decision to give folks like [Francis] Sempa and [Waldo] Johnston a platform.” Their right-wing views are contrary to the reader’s own views, particularly with regard to President Trump. “I firmly believe ‘The Freeman’s Journal’ should be smarter than the easily conned—to allow any further credence given to such an obvious and proven traitor. Supporters don’t need the Journal, non-supporters/anti-traitors do,” the reader wrote. “Do you speak for us or not? You represent whose voice?” they opined.
Well, therein lies the rub. AllOtsego and its publications do not represent or espouse any one viewpoint or opinion. We lean neither left nor right. As we see it, our job is to cover the news with original, objective reporting to the extent possible. Our job is to inform the community about upcoming events and opportunities. Our job is to celebrate the accomplishments of our friends and neighbors. Our job is to make people think. Our job is not to tell our readers what they should or must believe.
Rest assured, we did not remain deflated long. That same day, a reader walked in to renew her subscription, saying, “I rely on you for the news more than any other source. Thank you!” Another reader wrote on their renewal form, “Thanks for your great work!”
We are blessed to have readers who appreciate our efforts and tell us so, and who understand that, while not perfect, staff is working hard each week to deliver a news source that is bipartisan and does not tell people what to think. We let them figure that out for themselves, as it should be.
It is our hope that people will continue to read our newspapers, and our website, even if they don’t agree with some of the content. That they will learn something about views which differ from their own in the process, and that politics will stop polarizing people to the extent that they wish to censor out those opinions that are different from their own and with which they do not agree.
To our disgruntled reader we say, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
