Jill's Journal: I get by with a little help from my friends ...

If you didn’t see me out and about much last week, that’s because I wasn’t.

I’m not sure what bug bit me, but it bit me hard, so I opted to stay home to keep the others in my office from getting whatever it was that I got.

While I hate to admit it, I self-diagnosed myself on this one: Strep throat. I had just about every symptom mentioned, so I stayed home. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it – today’s technology allowed me to continue to work from the confines of the recliner.

As one may anticipate, I had to put a few of my stories on the shelf that I had planned for this week’s edition. So, I’ll ask for your forgiveness here.

As one may also anticipate, when your weekly newspaper editor goes down for the count, someone needs to step in. As you can see, producing a community newspaper is sometimes like raising a child: It takes a village.

Later this week, I’ll be sitting next to three of my colleagues on the South Dakota NewsMedia Association Board of Directors. We were asked to consider – and how can you say no – to being a panel at our Association’s convention in Aberdeen. Ironically so, the topic: “I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends.” Each of us are publishers of community weeklies with limited editorial staff, and so we do rely on help from outside the walls of our newsrooms. Over the years, you’ve seen plenty of bylines on stories or photos tagged to someone else not listed in our staff box.

Well, this week’s column is a prime example. With the clock ticking down to press time, I turned to one a column that I saved written by Hamlin County Republican publisher, LeAnne Dufek. While she’s been in the publisher’s chair for 30 years, this year marks my 20th in Brandon. As LeAnne wrote, “I hope you appreciate the product that is labored over every week – most of the time it’s a labor of love.  Here’s the recipe:

• A tablespoon of a perpetual smile (necessary to play the poker game while attending school and city meetings or when being told how you screwed up). 

• A pinch of patience (to endure endless phone calls and emails). 

• Seasoned with self-sacrifice (for giving up a lot of personal time, ). 

• A large cup of progressive attitude (needed to keep the newspaper moving forward with the changing times). 

• Wrapped in a thick skin (not too many things bother me anymore – I make mistakes. What can you do after it’s printed right there in black and white?). 

• Sprinkle with understanding (many don’t know how a newspaper is run but one common mistake, which I chuckle to myself about, is when someone comes in wanting to refill their prescription. No, I’m not a pharmacist but I can renew your subscription). 

• Top it off with love of community (it’s the driving force behind the local newspaper.)

To better days ahead!