I began my journalism career at the oldest continuously published newspaper in Tennessee, The Herald-Tribune in Jonesborough, not long after I first read Mark Twain's hilarious account of "Journalism in Tennessee."
My office was across the street from the county courthouse, which housed not only the criminal and civil courts but the sheriff's department, the superintendent of schools, the tax assessor, and the rest of the county's government. On the other side of the courthouse was the town's only drugstore, with a lunch counter that stayed full most of the day as lawyers, clerks, elected officials, and deputies slipped in for a sandwich or a cup of coffee.
There was no better place to find out what I should be writing about.
And no better place to learn the most basic skills needed to report the news: How to listen, and build trust.
My job depended on my ability to protect my sources without becoming complicit in hiding something the public needed to know.
That's something no journalism school can teach.
Think of this page as our virtual lunch counter, where we can gather to share our thoughts about what concerns us.
Back then, the sheriff, the county chairman, and the head of the school board could share grilled cheese sandwiches with a young reporter while debating the pros and cons of borrowing money to hire more teachers or deputies.
Today we don't even have newspapers that cover such things in most places. The national news sources are so far removed from the day-to-day cares of most that even their most earnest attempts to address them too often come across as patronizing, condescending, or frankly, clueless.
That doesn't mean we don't have things to discuss. Immigration. The economy. Taxes. Regulations. Conservation. Food safety. Access to health care. The way we pick the people paid to represent us. The laws they pass.
These are things that show up in practically every poll. These are things that elicit opinions that range from knee jerk through informed to outright wonky.
We hope the Diner can be a place where people can discuss these issues in good faith, regardless of how they vote, who they support, or what their belief. We know social media is overflowing with opinions and memes that reflect all of those positions. We know, too, that Facebook has been contaminated so thoroughly by bad actors, outright liars, trolls, and foreign interests seeking to sow dissension that it has lost its ability to provide a common forum for discussion.
So, like the Little Engine That Could, we're firing up the grill, putting the coffee on, and inviting your opinions.
All it takes to join the conversation is to sign up here.
There'll always be a seat open for you to discuss the issues of the day. Bookmark this site to keep up with our Weekly Specials.
Today's Weekly Special: Most Americans agree that the nation's immigration policies have failed. Does the Trump adminstration's campaign to deport "millions" offer the needed improvements?
Our economy evolved over decades to depend on immigrants to provide labor for the agriculture, hospitality, and construction industries. What impact does the current deportation effort have on those segments? What can be done to remedy the disruption taking place?
Please share your thoughts in the comments box.
Mark Twain wrote "Journalism in Tennessee" several years after the Civil War to satirize the culture of journalism and as a humourous critique of Southern culture at the time. Although Twain was a reporter early in his career, his account of taking a job in Tennessee is fictional.
You can read Mark Twain's story by following one of the following links.
http://fullreads.com/literature/journalism-in-tennessee/
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19484/19484-h/19484-h.htm
https://americanliterature.com/author/mark-twain/short-story/journalism-in-tennessee
