By Jeffrey A Poole

Published: March 27, 2008

To the editor,
Hearty congratulations to you Jeff and to Phil Audibert, John Strader and Hannah Wever on your numerous Virginia Press Association awards ("Review recognized by Virginia Press Association,” March 20).  They are all well deserved.  The Insider that Phil writes is a rare gift to readers of a weekly newspaper.  The quality of Phil’s writing and photography are the best and being a native of the area gives him a unique insight into the people who make up our county.
We are fortunate to have you as a very dedicated editor and your commitment to the community.  As a young journalism major in the late 1950s at Iowa State University, I got a taste of what you do when I did my internship at the weekly Pella, Iowa newspaper.  In those days, much of our education was focused on community journalism although one of my classmates, Robert Bartley, went on to become editor of The Wall Street Journal; win a Pulitzer Prize and the President’s Medal of Freedom before he passed away several years ago.
The people of Orange County should really appreciate your commitment, particularly given today’s economic challenges that we are seeing all across the newspaper industry from The New York Times to the Orange County Review.  Advertising revenues are declining across the board for the larger newspapers, because of the onslaught of the Internet for news delivery and advertising.  And when you are part of a newspaper chain, as you are with Media General, when the larger papers in the chain catch a cold, the smaller ones get pneumonia.  I understand you lost photographer Kevin Lamb last year over budget cuts after he loyally served the Orange County Review for many years.  Now you have to make do without a full-time photographer.
As chairman of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication advisory council at Iowa State, I am well aware of the challenges facing traditional journalism today which makes me all the more appreciative of your efforts and your fine but very thin staff.  We’re fortunate to have all of you.
Lou Thompson
Orange