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Maryville, Mo. —
I broke into this business as a city hall reporter.
Back in those days, reporters had assigned “beats” to cover, obviously on a regular basis, to gather — as the New York Times so proudly still states its lofty purpose — “all the news that is fit to print.”
Mine was something of a plumb job, right out of school, albeit the University of Missouri School of Journalism, the first J-School in the country, and certainly one of the more esteemed, then, and as it remains today. I had classmates who went directly to the Kansas City Times, the Detroit Free Press and the Charlotte Observer, highly respected newspapers in the days when such publications were the major players in the business of providing the public with its information.
Those major daily newspapers were but a few of the perhaps 50 or so esteemed publications that served every major city with not only the current local news, but the stuff of importance from across the country as well as from around the world. And back in those days that now mark the beginning of “The Sixties,” most any city worth its salt had not just one daily, but two. One, usually the more staid of the pair, was printed overnight and waiting on doorsteps, on newsstands and even from hawkers at busy intersections, the first thing every morning, and also a second, usually a bit more sensational, that was available at the same stands and intersections as the morning paper, as well as by home delivery so it was there for Mom to read before she had to begin preparing the evening meal, and for Dad when he got home from his day at work.
I actually had a choice to make upon my graduation. I could have joined the small daily in Goodland, Kan., published by the parents of a fraternity brother, or the Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale, which also had offices in Murphysboro and Herrin, Ill.
I had decided early on that the big city assignment was not necessarily for me, and for some reason I am still not completely clear on, opted for Carbondale, with its relative proximity to both St Louis and Memphis. They offered me $75 a week and some paltry car mileage.
There was even a company health insurance plan because the SI was part of Lindsay-Schaub Newspapers, which eventually sold out to Lee Enterprises, current publishers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and some 30 other dailies, including four I was more recently associated with through the Montana Newspaper Association.
I broke into this business as a city hall reporter.
Back in those days, reporters had assigned “beats” to cover, obviously on a regular basis, to gather — as the New York Times so proudly still states its lofty purpose — “all the news that is fit to print.”
Mine was something of a plumb job, right out of school, albeit the University of Missouri School of Journalism, the first J-School in the country, and certainly one of the more esteemed, then, and as it remains today. I had classmates who went directly to the Kansas City Times, the Detroit Free Press and the Charlotte Observer, highly respected newspapers in the days when such publications were the major players in the business of providing the public with its information.
Those major daily newspapers were but a few of the perhaps 50 or so esteemed publications that served every major city with not only the current local news, but the stuff of importance from across the country as well as from around the world. And back in those days that now mark the beginning of “The Sixties,” most any city worth its salt had not just one daily, but two. One, usually the more staid of the pair, was printed overnight and waiting on doorsteps, on newsstands and even from hawkers at busy intersections, the first thing every morning, and also a second, usually a bit more sensational, that was available at the same stands and intersections as the morning paper, as well as by home delivery so it was there for Mom to read before she had to begin preparing the evening meal, and for Dad when he got home from his day at work.
I actually had a choice to make upon my graduation. I could have joined the small daily in Goodland, Kan., published by the parents of a fraternity brother, or the Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale, which also had offices in Murphysboro and Herrin, Ill.
I had decided early on that the big city assignment was not necessarily for me, and for some reason I am still not completely clear on, opted for Carbondale, with its relative proximity to both St Louis and Memphis. They offered me $75 a week and some paltry car mileage.
There was even a company health insurance plan because the SI was part of Lindsay-Schaub Newspapers, which eventually sold out to Lee Enterprises, current publishers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and some 30 other dailies, including four I was more recently associated with through the Montana Newspaper Association.
My city hall assignment was a step above being a general assignment reporter, and it involved, as the name implied, covering the city hall, which included the police and fire departments and magistrate court. There were other routine duties like collecting the hospital admissions and dismissals every morning, taking pictures at the local high school football and basketball games, and a certain number of general assignments.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience, especially because I had a couple of editors who broke me in right. They taught me how to be a reporter, the old fashioned way.
I remember well one of my very first big stories from the Carbondale City Council was its adoption of a new comprehensive plan. Why I remember the guy who did it, Gerwin Rohrbach, is fairly obvious (How could you forget a name like Gerwin Rohrbach?), just as I remember his admonition to that council: “This is not something to be accepted and put up on the shelf. It is meant to be used, maybe not taken word for word, but at least used as your roadmap for the future …” or words to that effect.
I like to think I used many of the lessons I learned in Carbondale as the roadmap I have followed throughout my career as a reporter, and later an editor and publisher.
One section of that map directs — dictates — that as a reporter, I should not cover assignments I have a personal interest in or connection with. And that has been the hardest ethic for me to adhere to while filling in on occasion at the Daily Forum since being elected a member of the Maryville City Council last year. That dictate pretty much precludes my writing about anything involving the city and its activities — something I have always taken a serious interest in — and pride myself in being able to do reasonably well.
So, hopefully, that explains why there have been no columns about the comprehensive plan being developed for Maryville by RDG Planning and Design from Omaha or the IDM feasibility study for Mozingo Lake Park, even though I have wanted to broach those topics several times.
As was proper, one IDM story I did while filling in for a reporter on sick leave carried an editor’s note explaining the writer had been a member of the lake’s advisory board and is a member of the city council.
And I continue to refrain from commentary on the RDG and/or IDM documents, the departure of the former city manager, or the search and selection process surrounding the employment of a capable new administrator.
Those are old-fashioned lessons I learned early on, and to which my current colleagues allow — encourage — me to adhere.
Jim Fall is a local weekly columnist. He is a former publisher of the Maryville Daily Forum.
