If you didn't happen to pick up the Reno Gazette-Journal this Saturday, you missed something that has almost everyone in the local journalism community buzzing.
That something was an insert, made to look like the front section of the Gazette-Journal, called "One Region. One Vision." The four-page insert talks of a collaborative effort, spearheaded by Gazette-Journal publisher Sue Clark-Johnson, to unite many groups and businesses in the community to come up with visions of what the area will look like in 2010 and 2025, and then form committees to set goals and plans. Also on Saturday and Sunday, the Gazette-Journal published front-page articles about the "One Region" committee, which read more like cheesy press releases than serious news articles.
This whole thing bothered a number of people in the area, for several reasons. First, the newspaper insert itself, quite frankly, was terrible. If you read the insert, you're left with the impression that the weather here is always perfect (except for those pesky floods, I guess), that Charles McNeely and Jeff Griffin are kicking butt downtown (except for all those boarded-up casinos, I suppose), and the Reno is somehow spiffy because our Chevy's restaurant is the top-grossing restaurant in the chain. There was also the problem that the insert was poorly edited, misspelling "McNeely" and "Wolf Pack," and messing up "Gazette-Journal" (leaving out the hyphen) at least twice.
However, the insert and the whole "One Vision" thing disturbed many people in the journalism community because the question remains: What the heck is the region's major newspaper doing getting involved in things like this? Newspapers should be covering such an effort, not leading it, shouldn't they?
That depends on who you talk to. In the past decade or two, there has been a movement called "community journalism" at some newspapers, in which the papers take an active effort to "get involved" and make the community better. This "One Region" effort is a perfect example of such journalism, as the Gazette-Journal teamed up with dozens of other businesses, government agencies (your tax dollars at work!) and organizations.
Some people, however -- this columnist and journalist included -- disagree. I feel newspapers should try and do a good job exposing corruption and covering the news rather than sitting on committees to come up with vision statements.
The biggest question I have about this, however, is: What exactly are the motivations of the various participants in this effort, anyway?
Is the Gazette-Journal, all of a sudden concerned about the community? Has this newspaper, which is owned by Gannett -- a newspaper chain renowned for wiping out newspaper competition (competition which is considered good for a community) by any means necessary, and which always puts profits ahead of the news -- all of a sudden decided that it needs to help the community? Does it mean anything that no other media outlets -- newspapers, television, or radio -- are included in this?
Have casinos like the Eldorado, the Peppermill, the Cal-Neva, the Reno Hilton, and John Ascuaga's Nugget -- which have commonly put profit ahead of what is good for the community -- all of a sudden decided they want to do all that is possible to make the Truckee Meadows better, even if it means a dip in profits?
Will advertising agencies, such as Rose/Glenn Group and Kruse and Parker, all of a sudden put aside the wishes of their clients to better the community as a whole, if those wishes and the well-being of the community are opposed?
I doubt it.
The vision statements the committee has come up with aren't revolutionary, either. For 2010, the vision is for the region to be "an extraordinary place to live, work and visit," and to have historical attractions (excluding the Mapes?) with year-round recreation (don't we already have that with skiing and summer swimming?) and prestigious annual events (Reno Air Races? Hot August Nights?)
Plus, shouldn't we all be working toward a better community in the first place?
If the Reno Gazette-Journal we're working more on being a better, fairer newspaper, and less on inane vision statements, I think the community would be better off. But then, what do I know? I am just a journalist who is actually trying to do his job -- covering the news.
Jimmy Boegle is a fifth-generation Nevadan. His column appears here Tuesdays, and he can be reached via e-mail at jiboegle@stanfordalumni.org.