From
the Editor
The
Very Existence of Kingspark News
I was hesitating if I should contribute yet another editorial to kingspark
News , knowing that its days are numbered, and that the snapshots will
take over.
But I felt compelled
to make a few points after reading remarks from Webmaster John and other
members. I wonder if any members have read the last editorial on Council
on Legislation, but it probably was the first time I got feedback from
outside, and most of it not at all complimentary.
But any feedback
is better than no feedback, if you would imagine Kingspark News has
been in existence for years and if it's any good, it's only two or at
most three articles including the President's Column. No frills, no
visuals, no graphics. that's it. You can say people like us or hate
us for the same reason.
I would not
delve into details of the feedback which was relayed to me by YK who
was our District Representative at the Council, but to be fair I owe
him an apology for writing about his family which he was not amused.
But apart from that, I stand by my words. There were those who thought
I was not qualified to write about the Council, those who thought it
was irrelevant , and those who claimed YK's official article was enough.
This indeed
raises the fundamental issue of editorial, and it's all the more relevant
as we see our bulletin at the crossroads. Webmaster John said he had
high hopes on this article. The subject can be examined from various
angles, and with different premises and arguments. The article did contain
a few typos and factual errors. Yes, they were factual, not fatal, errors.
I learnt afterwards that there was indeed some confusion regarding the
$1 levy for the RI convention, and regarding the appointment of the
district representative to the next COL.
Undesirable
as these errors were, they won't affect the nature of the editorial.
My focus was different, and readers can always make their own judgements.
It's unfortunate
if my writings got on their nerve, but I am a writer-editor, not a reporter;
and it was an editorial, not an interview. if some readers are able
to read between the lines and get something out of it, then it has more
than served its purpose. And if for that matter, they continue to read
other materials or want to get involved with Rotary, it will be a bonus.
Pie in the
sky? not necessarily.
Kingspark News
has always existed as a platform for discussion, but sadly it's terribly
underused. Some say we must move with the times which, in my understanding,
means no articles but only messages. Perhaps the Facebook mentality
has it all - now it won't publish anything with more than 140 words.
Or shall we ask them to follow us on Twitter?
As Charter President,
John has always been critical about club affairs. Michael Eyles once
even used the term fearful. When Stephen showed me the new homepage
of our new bulletin, it was clear he had the younger generation in mind.
But would they take the trouble to click into our site and read? And
if they do, what can we offer, spiritually and intellectually?
On the eve of
our new publication, I would still wish to reiterate that it's important
that our bulletin let members see a sense of direction. And for any
publication worth a name under Rotary, it must be more than a calendar
and event reminder. It's not a question of PR work, and it takes time
to establish our credibility. When less than 10% of our Rotary clubs
run a regular newsletter, the very existence of our club bulletin is
called into question.
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