A note of appreciation to our readers

Editor's note: This editorial originally ran in the Index-Journal on July 29.

We are not the New York Times or the Washington Post. Closer to home, we're not the Post & Courier. Or The State. Or - well, you get the point.

Or do you?

Those newspapers have a long history, as do we. In fact, next year we will celebrate our 100th year as the Index-Journal, a product that resulted from the merger of two newspapers that covered Greenwood, the Greenwood Index and the Greenwood Journal.

It is hard to imagine that Greenwood once supported two newspapers until they decided to combine their efforts in 1919, thus becoming the Index-Journal. We have changed in that 100 years. Design and content, along with the overall size of the newspaper, are but some of the changes. We broadened our reach as a daily newspaper, serving multiple counties instead of one.

With respect to content, we have had something of a homecoming, a return to our roots and reason for existence: local news. Aware that readers can flip on their computers, TVs, newsfeeds and smartphones for quick hits on news from across the state, the nation and around the globe, we have been putting our emphasis on what community newspapers did best, why they came to exist in the first place.

Of course we don't ignore the world, nation, state and region around us. That news makes its way onto our daily news pages and website, and we often find ways to bring those distant stories closer to home, especially in the realm of politics.

We are aware that the instantaneous news we are all bombarded with daily at times can make a newspaper seem obsolete. In the age of Twitter and Facebook, many people are, sadly, satisfied with the small sips of news they get from social media. However, those who want and need their thirst for news quenched know they can draw their servings from a deeper well - especially when it comes to news that affects them right where they live. They won't get that from the Times, Post or other national publications and, frankly, they won't get that from area TV stations that can only devote mere seconds to a topic.

Want to know what the school board, city and county councils are doing for or, sometimes, to you? Turn to the community newspaper. That's where we are most relevant in your lives. Want to know how your child's school sports team is doing, even see a standout kid featured? That's the stuff that's on the pages of a community newspaper, weekly and daily alike.

Want to know who's making a difference in the community? Want to - make that need to - know where crimes are taking place and who has been arrested? Want to know who died? Who wants your vote? What impact civic clubs and nonprofits are having on the community's present and future? Want to know the state of the local economy, how it's growing, what stores are closing? And why? Want to know the choices you have for filling your spare time with arts and entertainment? Want to know where the deals are when it comes to parting with your hard-earned income?

Hint: Anderson Cooper and Sean Hannity aren't discussing any of that. But your community newspaper and its website work hard to fill that void. Every day. Do we miss some things? Absolutely. We're not a staff of 100, we're not ready to roll 24/7. But we give it our best. We listen to you about how we might better serve your needs within our own means. And we depend on you as a partner to share news with the community.

We plan to be here another 100 years. And another after that. We don't know exactly what we will look like or how the various mediums we can use to disseminate area news will look and how you will see or hear them. What we do know is this: We are about serving and informing our audience like no other source can or will. Why? Because this is also our community.

That's not fake news. That's just good, old-fashioned community journalism. We appreciate you, our readers, for recognizing that and for welcoming us into your homes, your lives.