The power and importance of local news is sometimes overlooked and often misconstrued. We live in a culture dedicated to the proposition that bigger is better. Ergo, national news must be more important. In Stockbridge, a village that still operates under the town-meeting form of government, an informed electorate is crucial. For the self-governed, local news is paramount.
Some misconstrue. They think because local news is overlooked by other outlets, it is an opportunity, and that is the reason to provide a local paper such as Stockbridge Updates. It is more than that.
Sociologists tell us that the smallest unit of society, the family, interprets the meaning of events for its members, and defines the possibilities. In a similar way, the smallest political unit, our locality, lends identity. Locality centers us, and in some cases, defines us. Local news lends perspective.
On the local level, we realize that each of us can make a difference. What is possible is revealed; inability and impotence are set aside. We know we can act. We know our actions matter. We understand the power and importance of the individual.
No matter your politics, there is no denying this period is fraught. Equally there is no denying the anxiety is mitigated by living where we do. Be well, keep yourself and your loved ones safe, and protect this very special village in which we live.
