EDITORIAL: Hurts too much to laugh

Final Editorial
By Noble Collins

"It hurts too much to laugh, but I'm too proud to cry."

That's not original, but I can't think of anything more appropriate. This will be my last column for the Gazette.

I knew the risk when I signed on. I offered to write for free, and to assist in any way I could to keep this little ship afloat. I believe Rim Country deserves something more than a myopic view of reality.

I think truth is like a hard stone. The more you cut and polish it, the more valuable it becomes. In hard times, though, value gets re-set. I know.

How many Basha's, Safeway or Mazatzal Casino ads do you really need? How many announcements about organizational meetings, real estate listings, or court decisions? In a small town, one outlet for that information is about all that ever gets read, anyway.

It costs big money to publish a newspaper, however, and advertising is mother's milk. Pups have to nudge each other fiercely to get the nutrition needed for survival. Often, the big dog wins.

Gone are the days when a Hearst or a Wrigley or a Goldwater could and would take up any slack needed to keep the presses humming. Most of the time, there was no slack. People bought newspapers by the millions and actually read them.

The great old newspapers were encyclopedic, not the “Cliff's Notes,” which abound today. Newspapers were a place where great ideas could be explored, dissected, and challenged. A Sunday afternoon with a great newspaper was an education and excellent entertainment as well.

The Gazette was always somewhat limited. It mainly served as a foil to the old local paper, and escaping that atmosphere was always going to be a challenge.

In the end, two things became simply too formidable: the economy and the Worldwide Web. Much larger and better known newspapers have succumbed to the same obstacles in the past year.

In a genuine way, the Gazette may actually have only been freed to pursue a higher calling. Increasingly, we live in a digital universe. We have access to a global newspaper - an encyclopedia, indeed. The Gazette will now enter this universe.

A Web log (blog) has been created and will be enhanced regularly. Local news will always be a part of the mix, truth and honesty will always be the discipline, but broader and more varied contents will be included. Rim Country can now join such great communities as “Lake Wobegone” of Garrison Keillor fame, perhaps, or take on some of the aspects of “Arizona Highways,” or who knows what else? You will want to mark us in your “My Favorites” file for sure.

To everyone who has shown interest and encouragement to me, personally, you have meant more to me than I can express. Thank you. A keyboard is a lonely place unless you believe you have something to bring to the party. You have always been gracious, even when I know the gifts were meager.

The engines are revving and the door is beginning to close. Here's to you, Kid. We'll always have the Gazette.