Chelsea Update is now four months old, and I’m so thankful to the community, readers and local businesses for all of your support.
Each day, new community members contact me with ideas, news and requests for stories, and I’m only too happy to write as many of them as quickly as I can. For those who are still waiting for their request to post, thank you for your patience. I’m typing as fast as I can.
This week someone asked me if I ever sleep — because I publish so much news on Chelsea Update. Yes, I do sleep. Very soundly, thank you.
Although I will say that I’ve had to make some tough decisions during these first four months; ones that hadn’t crossed my mind before I re-launched Chelsea Update.
Most of them involve whether or not to chase a story that I know about, or, which another news source had published. Sometimes those decisions are easy; other times, not so much.
Being the first one to report every story isn’t the goal of ChelseaUpdate. I’m one person, and I’d drive myself crazy trying to make that my mission. So no, you won’t see me blast stories out there without being fair to both sides. Or without having all the facts. If I “get beat” on a story, so be it, because either I didn’t know about it, I don’t have all the facts, or I’m not comfortable with the information I have.
It circles back to sleeping soundly at night.
As publisher of this news site, I’m very protective of it, and my hard-earned reputation is on the line with every story that’s posted.
There will be mistakes, and I correct them as soon as I see them, or they are brought to my attention. But, there are little mistakes, and then there are life-damaging mistakes. Things that are published and can’t be corrected once they are out there.
So yes, there have been stories that I’ve chosen not to publish – because I don’t know all the facts, and if I was wrong, they are the kinds of stories that would keep me from sleeping at night.
Also know that after 32 years in this business, there are very few stories I won’t pursue. But, with a few exceptions, I’m also not comfortable publishing stories that I didn’t do the reporting on myself.
So, I hope you’ll trust my news judgment and if you have a question about why I haven’t written a specific story, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or call me at 433-1052.
And in closing, as much as I hate to stick my hand out and ask for money — contributions of any amount and advertising support are what keep this daily news site going. Please consider sending a check to Chelsea Update, 18829 Bush Road, Chelsea, MI 48118.
And if you have a small local business — please consider joining the growing list of advertisers that support this local news effort with their ads. They are only $50 per month.
