Great communication is built on asking good questions — and really listening to the answers.  

That’s what I want to do here at The Interior Journal.

We have a tremendous foundation already and a team dedicated to producing the quality journalism. While I could share my vision for what makes a good community newspaper, the most important question is: What do you want The Interior Journal to be?

Without a doubt, newspapers have to evolve and change, as does every business in today’s economy. But newspapers also continue to fill vital roles in the communities they serve.

Ideally, newspapers showcase the community, celebrate its victories, hold its leaders accountable, help its businesses grow, as well as inform, educate, entertain and connect readers.

It’s almost a foregone conclusion that readers want local information about Stanford and the surrounding area, but here come the questions:

What type of news interests you the most?

Do you want human interest stories?

Is business news something you want to read?

Do you want niche content about health, recreation or other topics?

Do you want more public records and content like courts and crime?

Is a strong community calendar important to you?

Are the daily and weekly comics and puzzles something you look forward to reading?

Do you rely on our TV listings?

Do you enjoy our website, which is now mobile friendly, and our e-edition that you can subscribe to if you want digital-only version?

Would you pay for access to exclusive digital content?

We truly want to hear your feedback and value input from each and every reader.

There is no question that newspapers have to adapt to the world we live in, one that is becoming more digital than ever before.

It is important to remember the Internet is simply a tool for delivering information. That content has to come from somewhere, and when it comes to accurate and balanced reporting our local communities, more often than not it is coming from newspapers.

One of my favorite quotes is “saying you don’t need newspapers because you get your news from the Internet is like saying you don’t need farmers because you get your food at the grocery store.”

We want this to be your newspaper.

That means it must feature content relevant to your lives worth the hard-earned money  you spend on it.

The first step is making sure we know what our readers, and potential readers, want in The Interior Journal.

Michael Caldwell is interim publisher of The Interior Journal. He can be reached at (859) 469-6452 or by email at mike.caldwell@theinteriorjournal.com.