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Another Outlook Indy proves evolution possible in Panhandle Editor's Note: Last week, I told readers that I would yield this space to William Seewald on the first Thursday of each month. However, I am also yielding the space this week for Mr. Seewald to introduce himself to our readers. The Amarillo Independent is working hard to make a difference on the Golden Spread.
If you're old enough to remember wide use of that picturesque description of the High Plains, coined by long-time Globe-News editor Wes Izzard, you're likely more focused on grandchildren and the state of your IRAs than who's atop the pop charts. To re-encounter an era when a locally owned newspaper was intent on expanding its coverage, you'd find "Cotton John" Smith still signing on for his KGNC Radio farm report: "Good morning and welcome to the best part of the Golden Spread." It's been more than 35 years since the Amarillo Globe-News was locally owned. For a good many of those ensuing years, the depth of coverage has been going the way of customer service and the dodo bird — a phenomenon that afflicts most American dailies. Now, it does take some chutzpah to start up any kind of newspaper these days. It's one of the only things you could come up with that might make the odds of wildcatting for oil look better. One suspects there are days George Schwarz peers at the horizon and wonders just how deep a hole might get before flow commences in the right direction. We owe a real debt of gratitude to someone with this kind of commitment to the community. I don't say that because George flatters me by asking me to write a column. Amarillo is growing and maturing in profound ways, and the success of the "Indy" would mark a real evolution toward a broader, more inclusive and informed community. We're getting sophisticated in ways that seemed remote not that long ago. Walk into restaurants like Zen 721, OHMS or Randy's. Hang out at any number of cool coffee houses. There's even a stalwart bringing independent film to the Westgate Theater. We have two world-class bakers here. I remain bowled over by the kind of quality the Enloes sustain at the Village Bakery. Neither Frank's Bakery nor the Village must doff their patissier's hat to anyone, anywhere. "Alternative newspapers" have been around for many years. It's hard to imagine Austin without its Chronicle, Dallas its Observer — certainly New York and its Village Voice. Dare we hope that Amarillo is ready? Gone are smudgy tabloids full of personals, drug paraphernalia ads, and riveting reading like the finer points of grinding your own flour. Though, maybe personal ads aren't such a bad idea. You know, stuff like "GWM seeks same for poetry, petting and the occasional 12-step meeting." Weeklies are providing coverage of local politics and issues that the corporate-owned big boys either don't or won't. Dailies do still make money. But hard journalism is on life support there. Instead we're fed celebrity gossip, canned content, and regurgitated propaganda repackaged as news by high-paid PR agencies. The idea of "investigative journalism" is vanishing in most of the American media with only occasional exceptions. PBS often provides a counterpoint to that bleak assessment, but their viewership generally is insufficient to register in the Arbitron ratings. It's a bit like trying to parse who's most to blame, the drug dealer or the drug user? When you mention the "Indy" around town, it's still not uncommon to hear someone say they haven't heard of it. The pickings have been so lean for so long, many people just quit reading newspapers altogether. Weekly newspapers are the bright spot in the print news business and the "Indy" marks an important 2-year milestone this spring. This scrappy little paper seems to be reaching critical mass and credibility. There are some very talented, committed people determined to make that happen. And let it be said, truth and sunlight are not the exclusive provinces of any party or persuasion. This paper is a self-professed "progressive" voice, and I am all for that. But in the end, it isn't about Republican or Democrat — liberal vs. conservative. It's about shining light in dark corners and turning over rocks to see what crawls out. By many standards, that's quite a progressive idea, but the results are likely unpredictable. Human foibles and failings remain equal opportunity afflictions. I am delighted and excited to be some small part of the "Indy." Readers of my columns know how passionately I view the central position of the media in sustaining democracy and improving our broken political system. National candidates blather a great deal about change these days. The most important change begins quite close to home — often within the human heart itself. May sunlight and the dialogue that nurture progressive transformation bloom on these pages. William H. Seewald: Longtime Amarillo resident and columnist. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: January 24, 2008
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