A caller the other day wanted to talk about our articles on the Sept. 11 attacks and their aftermath. I went into the classic editor’s pose, feet planted firmly on the floor, ready for anything. Of all the coverage she’d read, she said, ours put her in touch with her own feelings and moved her to tears. Moments like that are among the most gratifying in journalism. Not that we thrive on praise alone. The calls and letters and e-mails that have disagreed with us, in part or in whole, tell us a lot too. What’s important is that our readers know their opinions and feedback are part of a dialogue.
That whole matter of feedback comes to mind as I sit down to craft this note with two other objectives. First, I want to say thanks to metro Detroit as we begin our 22nd year of publication. We’ve made it only because readers like you have embraced a paper that set off in 1980 to be more than “another entertainment booster.”
“We take our arts seriously. But no more seriously than we take our news,” said Metro Times’ first editorial. “The arts are only one facet of the multi-dimensional lives that Detroiters lead.”
And we still believe metro Detroit is a diverse, vital community to be part of, that there are things to do, issues be involved in, fun to be shared, food to be savored, that the events of the day, the culture we live and the arts that reflect them are all important.
I wanted also to remind readers of the various ways you can get in touch with us. Virtually every article in this paper is followed with a specific e-mail address for a staff writer or, for freelancers, the generic [email protected]. [email protected] is also the address for submissions to our letters to the editor page. Don’t hold back — let us know what you think, good or bad, about what we’re doing.
Beginning this issue, we’ve set up a new e-mail address and phone number solely for tips, anonymous or otherwise, about stories you think we should be digging into. Call 313-202-8064 or zap a note to [email protected] to tell us what you know that we should be reporting on. You’ve given us great tips in the past, readers. We thought we’d remind you and make it even easier in the long future we’re looking forward to sharing.
W. Kim Heron is Metro Times interim editor. Send comments to [email protected], or call
