Bringing (positive) changes to The Herald’s Squawkbox

ALBANY — Here’s a trivia question for regular contributors to The Albany Herald’s Squawkbox feature: When did the feature first run in the paper?

We’ll take a “Jeopardy!” theme moment for you to think about it.

Dun-da-dun-dun dun … dun … dun. Boom-boom.Time’s up. The first Squawkbox ran in The Albany Herald on Sept. 11, 2001. That’s right, on 9-11. And while the powers that be at The Herald at that time worried that there might not be enough contributions to keep running the feature daily as readers got used to it — they even had a backup ready for such an occurrence — they need not have worried.

As we continue to deal, each of us in his or her own way, with what has become an ideologically divided country, many contributors have used the Squawkbox to offer their take on what’s wrong or right in the country, of course proving — at least in their own minds — that their way is the right way.

With that in mind, The Herald, as part of The Georgia Trust for Local News, is altering the way the Squawkbox is presented. No, contributors still won’t have to reveal their identity (a detail that, when planning of the feature was initially discussed, made me oppose the feature, though I was the only one), but restrictions now will be placed on content.

To wit: Contributors should have something to say about life in Albany, Dougherty County and southwest Georgia. We definitely do want to hear it. The Squawkbox is, after all, a space for community voices: praise, frustration, questions, and everything in between.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

1. Keep it local. Submissions should focus on issues, people and places in Albany, Dougherty County and southwest Georgia. We are not the right venue for commentary on national politics or public figures outside our community.
   
2. Be civil. Personal attacks, profanity, and hate speech will not be published. Criticism is welcome; name-calling is not.
   
3. Stick to the facts. Submissions must not contain false statements of fact about identifiable individuals or organizations. We cannot publish content that is defamatory or exposes the Albany Herald to legal liability.

The Albany Herald reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity, and to decline any submission at its sole discretion. Submission does not guarantee publication.

There you have it. Sure, it will be hard to refrain from calling the president — or the enemies of the president — names, and while we all think we have the solutions that will make things right with the world, let’s focus on our own little part of the world for a change.

Trust me, there’s plenty going on around here — and plenty of characters who deserve closer scrutiny — to keep this feature going for another 25 years. Let’s focus on them and on issues that impact us here in southwest Georgia.

As an additional note, we’ll mention here that The Albany Herald’s office will be closed Friday so that the newspaper’s staff can enjoy the Independence Day holiday. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and the July 6 editions of the paper will be published. Now whether the post office … well, never mind there.

Everyone have a great holiday, and let’s all remember what we’re celebrating.