What newspapers mean to me

By Pamela Brownstein
I didn’t always love newspapers. In high school, I was blissfully unaware of current events and could have cared less about my local government.
As a journalism major in college, I had friends who wrote for the student paper, and I started realizing the importance of being informed about topics being discussed on campus, as well as decisions being made by elected officials.
But it wasn’t until my first newspaper job at The Beaufort Gazette that I really understood how city government works, and saw the important role that the local newspaper plays in the community. And I was hooked.
I fell in love with Beaufort for the same reasons that attract so many — the natural beauty, the history, the friendly people — but I also loved knowing everything that was happening in town while experiencing the thrill of working on deadline and learning the tricks of the trade as a copy editor and page designer.
Fast forward several years, I met my husband when we worked at a paper together, and I introduced him to Beaufort, and then he was hooked.
My husband and I often joke that we became journalists about 10 years too late. As is painfully obvious, the print newspaper industry has taken a hit with competition from online media, not to mention the economic hardships that affected many large media companies.
But the need for local news and the desire of the community to have a paper they can connect with and be proud to read is just alive as ever, and that is the role we strive to fill at The Island News.
So call me naive or a hopeless romantic, but I love this paper and this town more than ever, and we are working hard to continue providing the local content and attractive product that our readers have come to expect. We appreciate your support, and hope you get hooked too.