Letter to Readers: The values a good newspaper teaches

A lot of memories fade over the years, but a warm image from my childhood still clear in my head is being sprawled out on the living room floor with the color comics spread out in front of me.

I grew up in a large family, and the newspaper ritual was particularly acute after church on Sundays.

We passed sections of the newspapers between us. I say newspapers plural because while Mom and Dad had their brand loyalties, on Sundays, we got all of them.

Newspapers were the place I started to read. Later, I'd add comic books and Little Golden Books and then children's fiction.

(“Good Field, No Hit” by Duane Decker is one of the fiction works I still remember. I saw the other day where you can get a vintage copy of it for $895. If only I'd known.)

But my reading started with newspapers. First the comics, then when that stopped being enough, I think the TV book to chart the week's viewing. After that, sports.

And well, once I got the sports habit, there was no holding me back. I was hooked. Couldn't get enough. And quickly after that I moved to other sections of the newspaper.

What a glorious habit. What a glorious ritual. Taught by a heavy newspaper-reading tradition in my family.

What did I get from that habit? Well, it informed me, of course. But it also taught me. Strengthened my reading and my vocabulary, all the communication skills.

But also taught me critical-thinking skills. And broadened my perspective.

Without me realizing it, newspapers challenged me with a variety of issues and points of view and stories that never would have occurred to me if I was simply Googling what I wanted to know, what I thought were the limits of my interests.

But you know, those benefits are not something I remember. Those benefits are not something I even recognize until I stop to think about them.

What I remember is relaxing with the newspaper. The break in the day the newspaper provided.

That's what's sadly in jeopardy in my grandkids' frenetic never-a-dull-moment lives.

Newspapers, as we're all aware, are under assault. Particularly with younger readers. And there are a number of reasons for that.

My personal theory is that the origin of that challenge is the decline of the family dinner and the assorted cultural factors that were behind that.

The loss of the family dinner really represents a loss of family intimacy and family interaction.

I learned to love newspapers because my parents loved newspapers. I suspect I ended up working for newspapers largely because my mother, in particular, was such a voracious reader of them and that, subliminally, I've been writing to her all these years.

I'm very proud of this profession I chose, this profession that in many ways defines me and gives purpose to my life.

Whether in print or digitally, we play a meaningful role in the literacy of the community, and that literacy is not limited simply to language skills. It is a literacy that is much broader than that.

And in our coverage, we always have made education one of our pillars. Good communities are built on good schools. Life's opportunities are opened with educated minds.

We highlight, more than most, the good our young people do. More than most, we promote these success stories.

We do so not simply to reward those achievements, although that is reason enough. But also to hold them up as role models to inspire others.

That's what a good newspaper does. That's what we strive to do.

But beyond all of that, we allow you to take a breath. Beyond all of that, a good newspaper also supplies the break in the day.

Why the newspaper industry hasn't marketed that benefit, well, it's beyond me.

That attribute — that chance to relax with the newspaper — is one of the true blessings of life.

It's one that I've enjoyed and appreciated all these years.

And one that I wish for my grandchildren and yours.

• John Lampinen has spent most of his long career at the Daily Herald and is a past president of the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors. Friend him on Facebook by keywording John Lampinen Daily Herald or follow him on Twitter @DHJohnLampinen.

National Newspaper Week

A variety of Daily Herald editors and writers discussed their views on the role of the newspaper in their lives, especially as it relates to the futherance of literacy and education. All of their stories and many others can be found in a special section published Oct .5 and in PDF format at dailyherald.com.