Celebrating National Newspaper Week

This week, National Newspaper Week, some of our staff members reflect on what newspapers – The Spencer Magnet, in particular – mean to them.

We value highly our readers and the folks in Spencer County, and we are the only local news medium whose sole interest is to showcase Spencer County and mark its history for generations to follow.
Birth announcements, engagements, anniversaries, school news, government, business, agriculture, sports, breaking news, community happenings, obituaries, fundraising events, crime, courts, public record, historical news, graduations, county fairs, homecoming – you name it, we cover it!
We are pleased to say that we reach right at 60 percent of the homes and businesses in our county, with a weekly readership of over 9,600 people.
People in and around Spencer County know and trust us to offer reliable, honest, unbiased, and reputable information.
We are the best advertising medium available for local businesses to reach the folks who live and shop in the places they do business. We are a fabric which connects our community and we are the recorder of history for our county.
Our newspaper and website offer local news in what might otherwise be an information blackout region.
On a personal level, I am very passionate about, and a big believer in, newspapers. More specifically, I believe in The Spencer Magnet and our important role in this community that I have come to love.
–Lynette Mason,
general manager

I made the decision to become a journalist as a junior in high school. Very few of my decisions at the age of 17 have stuck around, so it’s no surprise that at least my intentions changed with this particular one.
I thought I wanted to write for magazines – like Cosmopolitan or Marie Claire or Glamour, you know, things that really mattered.
But, my first journalism class in college changed that. In that introductory course, my classmates and I were charged with the task of keeping up with daily news. From our college paper to the New York Times, we were supposed to read it all.
Somehow, all that reading turned into a passion for news. So, for the last eight years, my passion has been in newspapers.
Chances are when the Spencer County Fiscal Court meets at 9 a.m. on Monday, you’re working. The same is probably true when the Taylorsville City Commission meets at 5 p.m. on a Tuesday – you’re either getting off work or just getting home and after a hard day’s work, and you deserve a rest.
My point is – when you can’t be there, we are.
Our newspaper is especially important because no one else covers Spencer County like we do. A conversation earlier this week reminded me that Spencer County has no radio media, and the television media seem to only pay attention when the stories are big enough or odd enough.
We cover it all – big stories, people stories, bad stories, heartwarming stories.
Week after week, our newspaper provides the citizens of Taylorsville and Spencer County with stories, photos and columns you can’t get anywhere else.
With our small, but extremely dedicated staff, we strive to give our readers timely, pertinent information every week, and we thank you for continuing to read what we have to say.
–Shannon Brock, editor

I remember being highly insulted once when a subject of one of my stories insinuated that I write to feed people’s desire to read gossip. I was so infuriated that I left that interview wanting even more to ensure that the news upon which I reported was fair and accurate – not mere “idle talk or rumor” as dictionary.com defines gossip.
To me, a quality newspaper is all about providing important, verifiable information to readers who wouldn’t otherwise have access to that information. As I look back at last week’s Spencer Magnet, I am absolutely reminded about the importance of our newspapers – which we celebrate this week and all throughout the year. Just take the following headlines for example: “Audit: Clerk owes county $64K,” “Octoberfest comes to Taylorsville this weekend,” “Spencer state test scores show mixed results.” Where else can you read about pertinent and important community information? The local news channels sure don’t have that type of in-depth reporting about the Spencer County community.
Newspapers serve a vital role in a free and democratic society. A good community newspaper highlights the news, features, and provides a plethora of information that educates the public about what is going on around them.
Pick up your community newspaper this week. Explore it. Celebrate it. Imagine how you would get so much information about your community without it. There is no other media outlet in the area providing what our newspaper here in Spencer County does.
Happy National Newspaper Week, Spencer County!
– Mallory Bilger, staff writer