It all adds up to a simple formula of being fair and telling the truth | Dennis Box

There is an old saying that new jobs are a lot like blind dates – a little scary and fun all at the same time.

I don’t know anything about blind dates, but as I write this column, it is the second day of a new job for me as the editor of the Kent Reporter. So far it has been lot of fun and not too scary.

I took over the position this week. I have been the editor of the Covington-Maple Valley Reporter for the past two years. My new position is officially the regional editor of both publications.

Fortunately, there are wonderful staff members working in editorial, sales, circulation and the production departments in Kent and at the Maple Valley office. Good thing or I would be walking into walls.

The Kent Reporter staff and I are also fortunate to have Polly Shepherd as publisher. First, she understands the complex puzzle of the newspaper business today, and even more importantly, she likes my brownies.

I enjoy baking things on the weekends. The best part of my new job is I have all sorts of new victims for my latest kitchen adventures. I have a bit of a problem following recipes. The directions always seem to need a little fixing, usually with lots of butter.

To give a brief history of my time, I have been an editor and writer for more than two decades.

The job as editor of community newspapers is a balancing act that is both fascinating and fun. Everyday is different with interesting challenges. Just when I think things might quiet down, something happens and we are all on the run again.

The Kent Reporter is both a weekly newspaper telling the stories and showing the images of the community and a daily news source on the paper’s website, www.kentreporter.com.

The joining of the website and the print edition to tell the story of the community is the most interesting aspect of the newspaper business today. There are many voices that make up the stories of a town. Sometimes we use words, other times photographs, slide shows, videos or live text feeds on the web.

I plan to include the writings and photographs of local contributors in both the print edition and on the website.

At times it seems the newspaper business changes daily, with economic difficulties, rapidly evolving technology and the work of trying to keep up with a flood of information.

However, I still believe the job of journalism comes down to a simple equation we all learned a long time ago: be fair and tell the truth.

I haven’t been here long, but I can say this with certainty. The staff at the Kent Reporter are the best and brightest and they are committed to excellent community journalism in all its forms.

Stay tuned, this will be fun and exciting.