“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. — Hebrews 13: 1-3
On the eve of Oklahoma Newspaper Week (Oct. 5-11), community newspapers across the Sooner State are busy doing what our nation’s founding fathers envisioned that they must, so the new Republic and its focus on freedom could withstand the certain intrusion of corruption and misdirection. Newspapers seek out truth and shine a light on both good and bad deeds, ensuring that the citizens they serve are truthfully informed.
Well before our Constitution was ratified, its authors argued for the necessity of a free press. Our fourth president and co-author of the Constitution, James Madison, wrote: “A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
Even today, as our technology has introduced new options for the distribution of “knowledge,” the underlying point of Madison’s battle for a free press remains true … that knowledge will forever govern ignorance … and people, who expect to remain free, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
In today’s Oklahoma, and perhaps throughout the world, citizens must seek out the truth amid a sea of social media posts that are rife with ignorance, deceit, and even hate. To this day, newspapers and good journalists dig through mountains of public information, seeking ways to report to their readers with both accuracy and concision. In many cases, Oklahoma’s newspaper journals date well before Statehood, and the state’s History Center is packed with stories of Oklahoma citizens who demonstrated a great deal of grit in forming the 46th state and followed their vision to build a wonderful state in the American Midwest.
Even though evolving technologies and information delivery systems pose challenges to today’s Oklahoma Newspapers, more than half of Oklahoma citizens continue to turn to their local newspaper because it is their “trusted source” of information … the kind of quality information that James Madison envisioned to be so vital to all citizens seeking to “arm themselves with the power that knowledge gives.”
Newspapers offer their “thanks” to our customers and to all state citizens who understand the importance of knowledge that is built upon truth … and how it gives leaders the power to make informed decisions for everyone. Because you are reading this very missive in an Oklahoma print or online newspaper indicates that you are among those who understand and appreciate the value and the necessity of knowledge in all endeavors.
Your Oklahoma Newspapers are among the state’s greatest supporters. Support them, encourage them, hold them accountable, and they will continue to seek out the truth … and the knowledge Oklahoma must have to continue its quest to stand among the pinnacle of states our forebears envisioned.
( EDITOR’S NOTE: Stan Stamper has been owner and publisher of the Hugo News since 1980. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2012. He previously served as chair of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission and was named Oklahoma Aviator of the Year in 1997.)
