Editorial: We are the communities we cover

Posted 2/4/20

Those of you who peruse what is written in this space on a weekly basis likely can and should discern that we here at the East Bay Media Group, its editors and staff, have a diversity of opinions on …

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Editorial: We are the communities we cover

Posted

Those of you who peruse what is written in this space on a weekly basis likely can and should discern that we here at the East Bay Media Group, its editors and staff, have a diversity of opinions on a whole swathe of issues. It’s what hopefully makes the company dynamic and the papers it produces compelling reading for our readers 52 times a year.

Some of those who write the editorials are more fiscally and socially conservative than others who are more progressive. Some support either or both of the current presidential and gubernatorial administrations, some don’t. Some back unions, while others would like to see the collective bargaining process more heavily controlled. Some see climate change as a crisis and others see it as something that can be managed.

What this says about us is that we’re just like you. The residents in the eight communities we cover, our readers, have varied thoughts on just about each of the aforementioned subjects and many more not touched upon here specifically.

And that’s fitting because the EBMG chain pretty much encapsulates the state of Rhode Island and nation as a whole. The demographics of the municipalities in it range from the well-off to the lesser-off, from the affluent to the average or below earner, from blue collar to white, from places with significant minorities to ones that are more homogeneous.

It also says we, much like the rest of the media, are not a place solely composed of “left-wing liberals.” It’s a tired, trumped up charge. Our backgrounds, our interests, our lives are as different and divergent in nature as in any other profession, any other locale in the area, state, region and nation.

In the end, what is penned in this space each week shows the company is a reflection of the people and places we record through our pictures, stories and editorials. We share the same concerns, both personally and professionally, as you do.

And that’s a good thing because we’re in this thing together, through the good and the bad, when we agree and disagree. That’s what a free society, which has a free press, is all about.

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Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.