A few years ago, someone told me of an old hometown newspaper report about a petty crime that read, “Officer Jones is a ‘defective’ on the local police force.”
The next day, the local newspaper printed a statement of correction: “Yesterday, we said Officer Jones is a defective on the local police force. We apologize for the error. We meant to say, ‘Officer Jones is a detective on the local police farce.'”
On the following day, the newspaper printed yet another correction, stating, “Two days ago, we erroneously called Officer Jones a defective on the police force. Yesterday, trying to correct the error, we called him a detective on the police farce. We wish to correct this error, as well, and say with all sincerity, ‘We’re sorry we even mentioned Officer Jones or the original story at all!'”
Now, I have no way of knowing if this story’s true, or if it was just a farce. But I do know that I miss those small-town, local newspapers so very much – even with crazy mix-ups such as this one.
As a high school student, I distinctly remember sitting with my friends in the library during break time and reading our local newspaper aloud with pride over every mention of our alma mater’s wins and achievements. What an honor it was to see our names and the names of our classmates in print for the entire county to see. Sadly, most kids today miss out on that feeling of personal accomplishment and community pride.
Back then, local newspapers truly were the lifelines for many small towns in Mississippi. And to be honest, I miss hearing about Officer Jones and everyone else back in my small hometown of Vardaman.
That’s one of many reasons why I love writing for Our Mississippi Home. We offer our readers an extensive, well-rounded collection of news and information about real people and places from all over the Hospitality State.
In fact, I may be a bit biased, but I think OMH is one of Mississippi’s greatest resources. So, everywhere I travel, I encourage folks to not only read OMH’s daily features but share them online as well and help get the word out about all the amazing things that are happening here at home in our great state of Mississippi.
And for those who do miss those hometown papers, take heart! Here is a list of Mississippi Press Association newspapers that are still available to read via print and/or online.
