About Our Purpose, and Yours

Purpose Statement of the Cape May County Herald
The Cape May County Herald’s news pages exist to accurately cover and impartially analyze events and trends, which impact the lives of our readers. We endeavor to report not only events but, where applicable, to give wider focus to the events so as to make our reporting relevant to our readers.
We believe that facts are facts, not points of view. In reporting the facts, independence is essential, as we cannot sacrifice our credibility in order to avoid offending an advertiser, a political figure or others known or unknown. We recognize that truth is sometimes painful and thus doesn’t always please everyone.
Our editorial coverage exists to filter events through our philosophic and moral screen, and then to express our opinion; these expressed opinions are not influenced by our news coverage. The tenets that govern us are based upon our belief that a God-given moral compass must guide us all.
Being a community newspaper is a trust that we take very seriously. We are blessed beyond measure to live in a nation where the people govern themselves. What makes it work is the people’s ability to speak freely, enabling ideas to be tossed about and the best of them to rise to the top. Media which facilitates this provides an important function in the preservation and advancement of our country.
Media is not held in high esteem currently, because of its failure to honorably perform the functions entrusted to it. We recognize the failure within the profession, and strive to ensure that we are not also guilty. We will be the first to admit that free speech can be a messy and offensive matter, and we come under ongoing criticism for our execution of it. I can assure you that we strive to do our best, and we don’t exempt ourselves from the public criticism which flows to and through us.
Any business worth its salt is not in place first and foremost to make money. By doing one’s job with the person being served in mind, the one providing that service can usually find a way to make a living and stay in business. If one puts what is in it for himself first, his service usually suffers, and the one being served is short-changed, and over time, pulls away. If that is true of any business, it is doubly true of a newspaper. The public’s expectation of us is that honesty, integrity and fair play are our highest priority; this is rightfully so. You deserve no less, and we desire to provide no less.
We solicit your suggestions on how to serve you better, and do receive them via your phone calls, letters to the editor and Spout Offs. One suggestion we receive is that we do more investigative reporting. In that line, we are embarking on creating ongoing articles on our community college, Atlantic Cape Community College. Our former editor, Joe Zelnik, believed that our lack of a college in our county was a factor holding us back economically, and crusaded for the creation of our college.
Atlantic Cape is now celebrating its tenth year. Our series will look into its performance over that decade, to assess its successes and areas needing improvement. Everyone benefits by taking a candid look at himself in search of ways to do ever better. If you have other suggestions, please let us know; we will seek ways and means to pursue viable suggestions.
Cape May County’s citizens cannot solve all the world’s problems, but gratitude for our heritage compels us to bloom where we are planted. We all have a role to play, and we thank you for the support you accord to us in our role.
Art Hall