Saturday, July 30, 2011

The new guy at the Waynesboro News Virginian

We've been taking a while to get to know the new editor and general manager at the Waynesboro News Virginian. Jonathan Hunley, 35, joined the NV in May, filling a void left when former editor Lee Wolverton took another job in December.

We have much respect for the NV and its former publisher so there were high expectations for someone new taking over this Valley newspaper. I'm happy to say there has been no disappointment.

I was pleased to see Mr. Hunley continue the Three Up, Three Down column which offers a brief weekly review with commentary of all subjects at the local, state, and national level. Perhaps the strength of that column was its willingness to point out flaws at the local level where politics is perhaps the stickiest. There's editorials again about local issues, not just reprints from Charlottesville or Richmond. The out-of-town ones are fine but it adds more when it's about local concerns.

Many newspapers nowadays seem unwilling to tangle in local issues. With cutbacks, there are few investigative reporters left to dig and probe looking for details about issues that are then allowed to fester and grow. Perhaps financial reasons prevent newspapers from searching for answers that may cut off sources of income from those in the community who are politically and financially powerful.

Because of the milquetoast coverage by some, it is nice to have the News Virginian's honest opinions. With fair-minded reporters like Bob Stuart and Megan Davis, we hope the balanced coverage will continue.

No comments: