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Our purpose
It will be my aim to see that this newspaper presents
in a concise and truthful way the news of
which 010* history is finally made. History is really only masses of day-to-day gossip but what people cannot read and hear they are likely to fear and misunderstand. We will report the news without prejudice on the news pages and attack it where a constructive purpose can be served on the editorial page.
Significant change is underway here. The wide highway corridor, not the plowshare, has become our locomotive of history as urban eastern America pushes out from Washington and into Rappahannock County. Everyone will not like this, but it is a fact of outside forces at work. Growth in our times here will probably be greater than that all the combined history of Rappahannock County. It has the promise of creating opportunity for work and careers for young people here which have not always been present. This change must not and shall not happen at the price of destroying this county’s beauty, natural heritage and its farm industry.
It is a future which may lie beyond our vision, but it does not lie entirely beyond our control.
For our part, this newspaper will fight for progress where progress means wise change and attractive controlled growth. It will resist change where “growth” is no more than a developer’s magic word for destruction of our land, water, air, and air resources.
As we have harshly learned in recent years, with criminal deception of the people in the nation’s highest office, our liberty often depends on freedom of the press. This newspaper here will expose injustice or corruption; it will battle political demagogues; it will insure the right to each political faction to be heard, but will itself belong to no party.
On all issues, it will defend individual rights and will support existing laws while advocating better ones. This newspaper will also be a conscience to those in public office. We will not seek controversy, nor will we avoid it. Freedom of the press is the bulwark of civil and religious liberty and one of the most precious legacies left us in this troubled world.
A newspaper consists of about the same number of words each week whether or not there is any big news in it. Words can be razors , or they can be idle, or they can be as the warmth of a summer’s morning. They will in this newspaper reflect our times in Rappahannock County.
Arthur Arundel became President and Publisher of the Rappahannock News 29 years ago in 1977.
Letters to the editor
The Rappahannock News welcomes Letters to the Editor from its readers as a forum for discussion of local public affairs subjects.
WRITE: Letters to the Editor. P.O. Box 59, Washington, Va. 22747
EMAIL: asherman@timespapers.com
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