Gazette 2.0 has come a long way since its inception in November of 2017 under the guidance of CEO and founder Sonny Jani.
By Editorial Board
-Editorial-
In 2017, Gazette 2.0 owner/publisher Sonny Jani made it possible to open the newspaper you are now reading through hard work and perseverance. Without his efforts and dedication to the community, your local newspaper would not exist.
He single-handedly worked to create this product – building from the ground up with no prior knowledge of the newspaper business. That’s hard work.
Gazette 2.0 has been going strong for three years and growing with each issue. We’ve had ups and downs, but with the support of our advertisers and readers, we have pushed through the obstacles to produce a product that keeps readers informed and up-to-date on what’s going on in their community.
It’s hard work producing a newspaper. The finished product might look like it took no effort, but believe us when we say that is not the case.
Readers often don’t think about what goes on behind-the-scenes and the people who make it happen. The editors, writers and photographers put in their all to create a worthy end-result and that’s what the readers see.
Here’s the thing — newspapers reporting on small-town affairs is few and far between. It’s been a dying field for years, with remaining organizations struggling to hold on.
Without those watchdog journalists reporting on local news, community members are put at a disadvantage. Community journalism builds social cohesion, encourages political participation and improves the efficiency and decision-making of local government.
Communities without credible and comprehensive news coverage are often at a loss.
Residents of these unwatched regions, municipalities or school districts do not receive critical information that has direct impact on their lives.
This leads to town and school leaders who are more comfortable performing questionable actions. If nobody is watching, they feel confident their hand won’t be caught in the proverbial cookie jar.
These types of outlets must continue, as local news coverage bridges gaps by educating and building community.
Unfortunately, the process is a huge undertaking with a tight profit margin that very few are willing to take on.
The crazy few who do should be lauded for their efforts to keep information alive and accessible to the public.
Although we know most of our readership sees the end result and appreciates the efforts of our writers and the like, most do not take into consideration the time and dedication put in by ownership to keep the news coming.
In addition to team building and day-to-day business management, our publisher gets the unenviable honor of having to deal with the “haters” who would rather see our paper shut down so as to hide the truth. He puts up with it for the sake of keeping you informed and engaged in your community.
These groups of people (*wink* *wink,* you know who you are) complain all hours of the day about everything and anything we print or are asking questions about that doesn’t show them in the best of lights. Really, we aren’t targeting you, we are reporting on what you did or are planning to do. It’s not about you personally, it’s about your actions as a person in power.
While we are appreciative of our subscribers, advertisers and those occasional readers who pick up a copy for free for contributing to our newspaper’s continued success, our owner/publisher deserves recognition, as well.
We are grateful to the person who gave us our start based on nothing more than a dream. For that, Sonny Jani, we are indebted to you.
We’ll miss you as we prepare to enter into a new chapter of the Gazette 2.0 story with a new owner/publisher at the helm. Thank you for being you and for all that you do!
Editor’s note: A story detailing plans for the transition of ownership of Gazette 2.0 is featured on page one.