OPINION: Ford: Out the door, with lights left on [The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)]
By Steve Ford, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"Retirement is not for sissies," wrote
Points well taken, Bill. I haven't ducked the fact that leaving the newspaper where I spent most of my career will likely be as disorienting, at least for a while, as liberating.
The sense one gets in the news business of being patched into the community's nervous system is in its way addictive.
And on the opinion side of the operation that has been my focus, we've helped readers discuss and debate while also sharing our own views on the newspaper's behalf. It has been a great way to make a living, and it's hard to say goodbye.
The calendar, though, is merciless in its advance. Early this year I concluded that once the drama of the November election was past, that would be a good point at which to bow to reality. So here I am, at 66 and in good shape, taking the plunge.
When
It was a fascinating line of work, and a promotion to head the editorial department, in 1989, magnified the responsibility and the challenge. Meanwhile,
Our editorials have covered a lot of ground. In particular, we've stayed true to The N&O's franchise as watchdogs over the affairs of
We've advocated for schools that give every student an equal, and ample, chance to learn, and we've called for a well-supported, affordable university system that has its priorities in order.
We've spoken up relentlessly against the corrosive effects of special-interest money and influence when laws are being written and policies are being set. We've called for stringent environmental protections and for fairness in the courts when it has seemed in short supply. When officeholders of either party have stumbled ethically, we've called them out. We've celebrated our exemplary civic leaders and our communities' successes.
It could be said that we've tried to hold a mirror in which all of us can see ourselves. There are things to be seen in that mirror that should warm our hearts, encourage us that people of good will are making headway against deep-seated problems. And there are things that should appall us as they reveal our own self-centeredness and failure to treat others as we'd like to be treated.
I envisioned this weekly column, which I assigned myself in 1992, as a complement to our editorials. I wanted to let our readers see some of the thinking that lay behind our editorial positions and to use the discipline of writing to develop and test my own views. When I had a chance, I liked to give the column an investigative edge -- for instance, helping connect the dots when some of our politicians broke bad.
Beyond those meat-and-potatoes kinds of topics, I liked to carve off little slices of interesting history, or bring a fresh set of eyes to places in our orbit that are part of the
I spotlighted the
The column occupied the same spot on the Sunday editorial page where for many years The N&O's editor,
To the extent I've succeeded here, huge credit goes to my valued colleagues, especially in recent years
Allen, whose retirement coincides with mine, edited our op-ed pages, wrote perceptive editorials and helped ensure the quality of our opinion section in more ways than I can count.
I'll miss my friends and miss this connection with The N&O's readers. Thanks to all who have offered their good wishes -- and their warnings. And don't worry: As a conscientious Southerner, I'll take care not to let the screen door hit me in the butt on the way out!
Editorial page editor
___
(c)2012 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
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