I'm grateful to say that I've been doing what I do for 16 years now.
That part-time copy-proofing gig that started in March 2007 managed to blossom into a career that's lasted a decade and high change, and it's been quite the ride.
It's also a role that's provided me with a lot of views, opinions, and general commentary about the places that we call home here in the west central region of the province. Thoughts on everything from the communities themselves, the people who call those places home, and the various ways in which I perform my journalistic duties.
May I share with you a number of those views, opinions and thoughts of general commentary with you, dear reader? Okay then.
I'll start this off by saying that I believe that I have one of the most fun jobs I think you could ever have in this part of the province. If you hacked and slashed at the very nature of what it means to carry out this work, it pretty much means that I report to the public the goings-on of, well, everything that happens in the community and regional area. Did your team make playoffs? It's in the paper. Did someone win a prestigious award? It's in the paper. Did a local council meeting take place? It's in the paper.
I love what I do, but on the flip side of the coin, the state of the media in 2023 is also something that can't be ignored. Donald Trump supporters love to hold onto that comforting blanket of a statement, "Fake news!" for all its worth. Read something that you didn't like? It's fake news! Read something that you don't agree with? It's fake news! Read something that presented a solid argument on a topic that you're vehemently one-sided about? It's fake news! Read something that dared to make you think of the other side of the proverbial fence? You guessed right, that too is fake news!
I don't hate many things in my life, but I hate the term "fake news". Truly, I do. What it does is demean actual journalism, all because one section of Western society doesn't want to get the whole picture of a story or event. They only want to cherry-pick items that support their side or argument, and in their eyes, the rest of the article can take a long walk off a short pier. It's asinine, and it borders on downright childish behavior, but that's the world that people like Donald Trump have helped to create.
Now, that being said, I do have to say that things like social media and the internet in general have created an inflated, ego-driven and bizarre sense of what is truly journalism in 2023. These days, anyone with a website can call themselves a journalist, even if all they do is post YouTube videos and provide a little bit of commentary to them. As well, those same people with those same websites can once again cherry-pick items from *actual* media sources and provide their own opinions on it, and once again, they'll have the gall to call themselves journalists.
I'm sorry to be the one to have to break it to you, JohnnyBoy643, but you're not a journalist. You're a Gen Z'er with too much disposable income and not enough drive to get out there in the world and get yourself a real profession.
The problem with people like this is that they end up muddying the waters of journalism, and the real actual journalists can sometimes get lumped in with them, casting a negative light on the true work being carried out by actual professionals. It's one of the reasons why I've come to detest social media; it has the ability to make any Joe Schmo come off as legitimate, and it lessens the credibility of people like myself or thousands of others who actually DO THE WORK.
I love what I do. There's nothing I would rather do.
I love going to your kids' football games and covering all the action. I love heading to the rink and covering the championship game that sees the local team win the big one. I love checking out the local theatre scene and what people are showing off their impressive acting chops. I love sitting in on local council meetings and learning all that is being carried out in our community. I love watching local bands take to the stage and put on a hell of a performance that has the people wanting more. I love talking with the people who are making a big difference in their communities, helping to make lives better on a daily basis.
I love talking with industry leaders about what makes Outlook stand out as the Irrigation Capital of Saskatchewan. I love watching outdoor concerts in Conquest, with the sounds from the stage reverberating over the Caragana Capital and beyond. I love talking with people in Dinsmore about the local sports scene. I love talking with Beechy teachers about the interesting projects that their students are carrying out. I love driving down to Elbow and getting that all-too-unique feeling I get as that village makes you feel like there's nowhere else that exists.
I love it all, and I love writing about it all, and I hope that I continue to write about it all for a long time to come.
Those of us here in the weekly news biz are residents of this community area just as you are. So if you happen to catch one of us capturing the events of the day, stop in and say hi!
This being a weekly opinion column, it should go without saying that my views are certainly up for debate, should anyone feel the need to banter back and forth about them.
If so, hit me up and let's talk.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
