The recent announcements that The Arizona Republic has been hiring more journalists and expanding the Sunday edition was welcome news, especially since newspapers across the country are closing down and print journalism is clinging on by its fingernails. The Republic may at times be stodgy and lack humor generally but it is fighting the good fight to make sure people get to know what is going on. The coverage of Senator Fann's shenanigans with the audit nonsense has been excellent. So, I learned with some disappointment from an article in The New Times, that those recently hired journalists were replacements for journalists who had left the newspaper, some citing a toxic work environment. Since The Arizona Republic is virtually the only kid on the block, this is worrying. Clay Thompson's death was a sad blow, then came the departure of the cartoonist Benson. Their replacements try hard but are not Arizona voices. Bland's departure removes another voice and AP reports on environmental challenges are a poor substitute.

Though we have been promised more diverse voices, reflecting the changing population, the old voices continue to predominate. There's a glaring disconnect between the news and editorials versus the letters published, so there's never any follow-up or countering voices as you expect to find in other national and international newspapers. The selection of letters in The Republic often seems arbitrary and disconnected. It's difficult to guess the reasons for their inclusion other than someone is just arbitrarily blowing off steam about their pet peeve. Sticking assiduously to the rule of one letter per person per month limits discussion to the point where letters with relevant ideas may never surface.

My criticism in no way diminishes my respect for an inadequately paid profession struggling to find a voice amid the clamor and cacophony of the internet and TV. Electronic voices can be temporary and insubstantial, print journalism on the other hand is the first draft of history and we desperately need it if we are to continue to have meaningful and substantial discussion of the issues which will decide our future. We need a newspaper where journalists and those who produce the paper from day to day feel appreciated and valued, where encouragement and respect are central tenets of management's philosophy. A better newspaper, one which Arizonans can feel proud of will be the product. As we face the continuing challenges of the pandemic, economic recovery, and the terrifying and burgeoning effects of global warming, the clear incisive voices of our journalists may very well determine our survival.