After last week’s discussion in this very space about my decision to step away from the Editor-in-Chief position at this newspaper, I thought I had made it very clear that I would in fact be handling other duties at the paper, including acting as the publisher.
Apparently, I was misunderstood and have to say that I am very touched at the amount of response I got from people who thought I was stepping away from The Forum all together.
I could not believe the flood of phone calls, texts and emails as well as being stopped on the street or at meetings by folks who thought I was taking my leave from my beloved newspaper.
While by bones sometimes feel too old to continue the constant grind, I can assure you that I am in no way, shape or form dissolving my workload at The Forum. I am merely changing direction and focusing on things that I hope will make The Forum an even better newspaper.
Let me reiterate what absolutely capable hands I have placed the role of editing in. I would never have made such a change without the absolute assurance that Anna Gustafson would handle this position with tremendous talent, integrity and uncompromising ethics that are necessary to do this job as it should be done.
Together, an entirely new team at The Forum will continue to bring you the hyper local coverage that sets us apart from our competitors.
Week after week, The Forum continues to build on its reputation of being on top of what is so important to each of our readership communities. So many times we have landed stories that are not found in the pages of our competitors simply because we have earned the trust of our readers, as well as residents, police officials, elected officials and civic organizations.
While we continue to publish issues with smaller page counts that other papers, it is because each of our editions focuses on what is extremely local. We will not change our niche approach to publishing, however in the upcoming months, we will be adding a variety of features to our editions that we feel our readers will have great interest in.
Moving forward we hope to bring you many pieces that you will enjoy, focusing on health, style, entertainment, dining, travel and hobbies. We also plan on greatly enlarging our online presence to include video coverage and a host of other features we know you will find both informative and enjoyable.
The Forum has long enjoyed the distinction of being a truly local, community publication. And it is with both pride and pleasure that we intend to remain focused on that same course even though we are growing and will soon be presenting a larger newspaper to our readers each week.
As always we will continue to base our weekly selection of material on that which is most needed by each and every community we serve.
We also look forward to your feedback and concerns. Whether it’s focusing on your supermarkets performance, the condition of your streets, crime or where to get the best pizza in town, we will continue to serve you in the most reliable fashion possible.
Again I would just like to say how wonderful it is to know that you place such value in the work we do here and how great it is for me to know that you hold my work in particular, in such high regard. Be assured that I have tremendous degree of appreciation for the faith and respect you have demonstrated both for this newspaper and for me as well.
As we continue to offer you the coverage you enjoy and deserve we are very thankful for the opportunity to do so and treasure our role in the communities we serve.
Thank you for your vote of confidence and for continuing to hold The Forum in the regard that you do—your community newspaper.
–Pat Adams
