Memorable remarks from Stan Tiner

One of the best moments of the recent ASNE convention for me came at the very beginning, when I sat with editors of smaller newspapers at an opening luncheon to hear Biloxi's Stan Tiner deliver a rousing, stemwinder of a speech. I got a copy and posted the whole thing here, and I recommend it.

Here's a sample:

If you come here today expecting to hear more depressing news, I suggest you have come to the wrong place – for this day we are going to cast off the sackcloth and ashes, we are going to forget the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and the voices of gloom and doom, and we are going to celebrate the wondrous past, present and future of journalism and the opportunities for public service that we are blessed to have as editors of American newspapers, with the emerging power of our websites, and all other platforms available to us, which extend our reach and possibility far beyond that of any preceding generation.

Are we challenged as never before, have we had to learn to multi-task and to carry heavy loads we never thought possible, have we had to learn new technology, and have we had to do more with less than editors in the recorded history of our profession – you betcha. But there is something liberating in knowing that not only have we survived all of this, but for those who have survived, we are smarter, more capable, and more nimble than we thought possible. That which does not kill us makes us stronger, and all of we brothers and sisters of ink on paper and the internet, video, podcasts, and niche publishing are powerful managers of news content and information. Never forget that!