I’m not sure readers know just how fortunate they are with every edition of The Alpena News.
As the former publisher at the newspaper for 33 years, I can’t say I’m completely objective.
But the key word in that sentence is “former.” Today — retired — I have no skin in the game in controlling anything taking place at the newspaper.
Thus, I believe I can view the newspaper with a lens that others might not possess.
What prompts this long explanation for my assertion was the recent series The Alpena News just completed on life with marijuana as a business in Northeast Michigan.
First, the decision to pursue such an investigation was a gutsy move by Publisher/Editor Justin Hinkley and his staff, as they understood the subject is controversial and filled with deep emotions on both sides of the argument.
Because of that, there was a very good chance heading into the investigation that some people were not going to change their minds, no matter what the facts from the information being reported was going to say.
The second reason why readers are fortunate is that they need to understand that what they read each day of the series was a “prime rib and lobster” investigation that was done with a “shoestring budget and resources.”
Like businesses everywhere, The Alpena News is not operating today with a full staff of editorial reporters, yet, each day, the staff they do have interviews subjects and puts together stories as if they were full staffed.
By adding an intense investigative series like what was just completed, it would have taken hours of interviews, research, writing, and editing before it became a reality.
It is at this point where, perhaps, I am not so objective. I love enterprise reporting and, over the years, I believe no newspaper staff with the same circulation as Alpena has done a better job of such reporting anywhere in the country.
I realize that is a big and bold assertion, but your Alpena News reporters are the best in the business, and they have years of experience of tackling hard and important subjects for readers.
As for the most recent series, like it or not, marijuana shops are here to stay. One can make strong arguments on where such businesses should be sited and what types of neighborhoods to avoid in that siting process, but, in most Northeast Michigan communities today, the shops are thriving businesses that are contributing tax dollars back into the governments where they are located.
I admit to being as surprised as anyone with the speed of how marijuana first became legal in Michigan, which then led to a boom in the number of shops and the economic impact it could have on the region.
Ultimately, I believe The Alpena News staff did a good job of examining the positives that the marijuana business brings with it to the area, as well as exploring the concerns and cautions that still exist with such businesses. Like life itself, it is give and take with the industry.
I’m sure each of you has his or her own opinion as to the merits of the marijuana business.
My hope is, however, that, after reading the series, you believe you learned something new from the information that was presented.
I hope you agree with me it was a series that was well done by those who researched it.
Bill Speer recently retired as the publisher and editor of The News. He can be reached at bspeer@thealpenanews.com.
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