This is a milestone to celebrate – hiring our new CEO, naming a new editor and changing to a nonprofit company. It’s good, and brave, of Kate McKenzie to join us on our journey, and I thank my colleague, Michelle Ownbey, for taking on new challenges as executive editor. I’m grateful to both for taking my titles and responsibilities so I can move out, move on and move up. As chair of the board, I hope to organize a strong leadership organization that can help this company grow and thrive. Pardon me while I change into my suit.
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This is an important milestone, but the journey is long. With apologies to Black Lives Matter, which came along when this country was acting like they didn’t, we named our new nonprofit parent company Local Journalism Matters. Local journalism is threatened too, but in a different and less violent way. The “matters” tag is useful because there are some matters to keep in mind as we move forward.
I didn’t realize the “journalism” in the name is so important until I learned that the word is fraught in some red parts of the country, where the preference is for “news and information.” I assume that’s because journalism is smart, mindful, careful, fearless and honest about its point of view. It has style, which means both that it appreciates cleverness and good writing, and that it knows spelling, punctuation and how to not mangle English. Journalism knows that deadlines are lifelines, and that its ABCs are accuracy, brevity and clarity. Sometimes we lose sight of the B while pursuing A and C.
Another matter: We need a better, larger word than “systemic” to describe the big-picture issues that need attention from journalism. Racism, politics, education, health care – all need our best work for better public understanding. The Ministerial Alliance of Springfield is launching a campaign to get everyone to “Pray for the City,” after the instruction in the book of Jeremiah. How can we pray for schools if we don’t know what the problems are?
I’ll soon move from the Illinois Times office into the world headquarters of Local Journalism Matters on Fourth Street in Springfield. I’ll miss this office and my colleagues. I’ll miss all the tech help right outside my door, thank you James, Ron, Joe, Devin, Michael. And I’ll miss the office supplies, with all the pens, file folders and legal pads I’ve ever wanted. – Fletcher Farrar, editor for another week or so
This article appears in March 26 – April 1, 2026.
You just can’t resist taking one last cheap shot at people who don’t agree with your politics. Not surprising since that has been your calling card for 40 years. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.