Inform, Not Influence
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Inform, Not Influence
In today’s politically charged climate, one of journalism’s most invaluable assets – unbiased reporting – can seem to lack restraint. News organizations across the country have, at times, crossed that line. We acknowledge that reality. At Scott County News, however, we strive to remain committed to a different standard. A local one that shows Scott County values. We hold ourselves to that, because we’re members of this community and we trust our readers. We do not endorse candidates, promote political agendas, or attempt to become the story ourselves. From our perspective, that’s the very antithesis of good journalism.
For more than a century, SCN has weathered its share of storms. We’ve seen administrations rise and fall at every level of government. We’ve witnessed major milestones, from Women’s Suffrage to Oneida electing its first woman mayor, from the moon landing to NASA’s Artemis II. Through it all, one principle has remained unchanged in our office – news is not a vehicle to express personal politics.
In fairness, within our office, like any other, there are differing viewpoints. That’s natural. We own that reality and accept it as fact. What matters most to us, however, is that those views never shape our reporting. When stories break, no matter who is involved – be it Roberta II, who’s become a common name over the last year, or Cruella de Vil – we report what we know, when we know it, and have a policy to not report what we cannot prove. In that, our approach will always be the same. Because of that, we have held stories because we couldn’t verify them – no matter how many phone calls profess to know the facts. We have refused to chase rumors, no matter how widely they circulate on social media. Hearsay is not journalism, and it never can be.
As always, our responsibility is to you, our readers. That relationship is built on trust, and a trust that requires our discipline. If we fail to report facts faithfully, we forfeit that trust entirely. We know that emphatically.
At SCN, we believe the role of journalism is simple: inform, not influence. We trust our readers to draw their own conclusions, and we thank you for this special partnership that we share. We hope you know how important you are to us. Your subscribing, reading, your feedback, and sharing our work ensures that future generations will always have a reliable source of news rooted at home. That’s our goal. SCN is not just a paper – it’s a living record of Scott County’s history. It’s a story of us, and we take that seriously.