Passion. Commitment. Accuracy. These three descriptive traits are parallel to what I believe a weekly community newspaper must possess in order to be successful and well respected in the region. It is no doubt in my mind that the Neshoba Democrat has fulfilled this role for the past 127 years.
First, let me tell you a little background on myself. An introduction to the readers, if you will. I was born and raised (for the most part) in Oxford. The son of an attorney, I learned very quickly how to take either side of an issue and argue its credibility. There was no winning against my father, though.
I took this ability I was blessed with and used it in other aspects of my life. When I was 13, I became very interested in journalism and the ins and outs of publishing. My older brother Newt had published a music review magazine out of our house. The constant mess of papers everywhere, the cutting and pasting, (yes, we actually cut the copy and pasted it on a board back then) and the results of a finished product became an instant passion of mine.
Fairly soon, I was writing and submitting stories for the Daily Mississippian in college and later an underground magazine in Meridian.
By the time I graduated from high school, I knew what I wanted to do in life. Anything involving the media and publishing would become the normal response when the question was posed on football Saturdays in The Grove. Little did I know, I would respond in that same way for the next five and a half years as I pursued a four-year degree.
As with any average college male, I took my writing ability and applied to another passion, sports. Working with the Ole Miss Media Relations Department and as a staff writer for the Ole Miss Spirit, I soon became very involved in niche publications in and around Oxford.
After college I took my first "real job" with the Meridian Star and soon learned what local journalism was all about. Sure, I had heard the term "refrigerator journalism" when referring to non-metro papers, but I had never actually experienced it first-hand.
The first few weeks working in a real media environment with deadlines, budgets, spot news stories and countless hours of listening to the police scanner re-confirmed my decision to work in this medium.
Over the next few years, I would do the "journalism jog" at various newspapers and magazines across the state. The "jog" as I refer to it, has become the norm at the beginning of a journalism career. Some would call me a job bouncer, but in journalism, especially on the editorial side, moving to different newspapers is the best way to get well-rounded experience. Not all newspapers work the same, and I have found it is best to get as much experience from as many other journalists as possible.
One thing I learned along the way to the Neshoba Democrat is that the local weekly newspaper may never die. In other counties, much like Neshoba, the weekly paper is treated like gold for readers. If it's not at the store at 6 a.m., the phone calls start coming. While some people might find a flood of calls from sometimes angry customers a headache, I welcome them. For in the newspaper business, a public outcry for the whereabouts of your product is a great feeling.
Community journalism is not a dying breed. It is actually growing. With the metro papers covering the state, it's up to us to keep you informed and the whos, whats, whens, hows and whys of issues and events in our neck of the woods. The television stations love to show up when there is a disaster or someone in authority is arrested. We are here everyday, covering the life and times of Neshoba County.
Keeping it local is the key to a great weekly newspaper. The Neshoba Democrat has done a fantastic job of covering events and tackling issues in the area for a very long time. I only hope that I can contribute to the dedication for excellence at this paper, in Philadelphia and Neshoba County.
Thomas McCarver "Carver" Rayburn is associate editor and publisher of the Democrat.
