Out and About
Over time, the reporting we do contributes to a shared narrative that future residents can look back on with pride and nostalgia. A vibrant community flourishes on connection, accountability and shared narratives, qualities that Navarre Press embodies. The value of having an awesome community newspaper cannot be overstated. Our job is to inform but we also unite residents, serve as a watchdog for local government and foster civic engagement. We do what national news outlets cannot do. We dig deep into local issues, from our membership owned water system, our local chamber, our county commissioners, school board decisions, to neighborhood development plans, our sports teams and civic organizations just to name a few – ensuring that the voices of our citizens are heard. We listen to our neighbors and residents and some of our biggest stories over the year have come by those who care enough about their communities to share helpful information with us – sometimes anonymously.
We also support the economic fabric of our communities by featuring local businesses and community events. We help stimulate economic growth and encourage our residents to invest in our local economy. Advertisers benefit from reaching an audience that is invested in and engaged in the community’s well-being.
By reporting on the concerns and achievements of local leaders, educators, and business owners, we provide a platform for community dialogue. We believe this connection creates a shared sense of responsibility and pride among our residents and ultimately strengthens our community.
Part of our responsibility is to hold local institutions accountable, and look for mismanagement, corruption, or neglect that might otherwise go unnoticed. It isn’t like we have one designated person in Navarre whose full-time job is to – look after Navarre. I would venture to say that we have taken on that responsibility – willingly – but with the care that it deserves.
We have made a difference, most recently with the self-proclaimed “citizen” advisory board for the changes to the land development code that turned into a default Builder’s Advisory Board. After our editorial came out last week, it was a different discussion this week at the county commission meeting. Our district county commissioner felt comfortable to say he now felt safe to state the obvious after we stated the obvious – that when 10 of your advisory board’s 12 members are in fact builders or building industry related persons – you don’t have a citizen advisory board.
We have also helped with small things like getting a road sign replaced or large things, including writing stories that mention that Mulat Bayou in Milton shouldn’t be flowing with red clay after it rains. There was also the time we pointed out that one of our prior county commissioners had a “spontaneous” fire on his property within the hour of his office in Milton being raided by the FBI – with burned paper being seen floating more than a mile away. We reported that our previous fire chief (2-3 fire chiefs ago) shouldn’t be buying sexual enhancement drugs on the fire department credit card or taking a fire department vehicle to reserve duty on the East Coast of Florida. Or, how about the county commissioner that stole a county sign that he approved of in a county commission meeting, the Friday morning before Memorial Day Weekend?
We do not have “sacred cows” i.e., subjects or people that are off limits. We have a couple of sayings that we live by here and one is, “What is the public’s right to know and need to know.” Another one is, “when in doubt, keep it out.” We do not report rumors or innuendo. There is enough of that on social media and we do not participate.
Quote of the Week: “Were it left to me to decide if we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) A founding father of the United States and our third president.