In my first column last month, I told you where I’m coming from — both personally and geographically — as chairman of the board of Lee Enterprises, the parent company of your local newspaper.
David Hoffmann
If you read it, you know that I’m from a tiny town in northeastern Missouri, and so the following shouldn’t surprise you all that much.
Yes, I’m a country boy. All day long. Through and through. And so it’s perfectly logical that I should find some inspiration and enjoyment in country music. I think that if we take time to take in the lyrics, we all can find that inspiration.
When you grow up listening to the Grand Ole Opry, it definitely puts a mark on your musical tastes. And when you grow up without a lot of the things many of us take for granted today, in a family where the love was a lot bigger than the bank balance, that puts a mark on you, too.
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Hello, I’m David Hoffmann. Like many of you, I’ve been thinking a lot about our country, our communities and how we find our way back to one another.
So when Scotty McCreery sings of wanting “Five More Minutes” with a cane pole on the creek, or with his Friday night date, or with his football helmet after the last game (that one hit me hard) or with a dying grampa, I feel every bit of that.
“I wish I had me a pause button / Moments like those, Lord knows I’d hit it.”
In the news industry, our reporters, photographers and editors are always bumping up against deadlines, and “five more minutes” means “I’m almost done, quit bugging me.” I’ve been there too in the business world. We’re all busy — which makes the message behind this song all the more important.
For me, McCreery’s classic song is a reminder to savor every minute on this earth with the people you love. And that’s a lesson all of us can take to heart.
Then there’s the song “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw and Byron Gallimore — and it means a great deal to me:
“Hold the door, say 'please,' say 'thank you' / Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie / I know you got mountains to climb / But always stay humble and kind.”
For me, this is about remembering where I came from: helping Dad with his milk route, waiting tables to get through college just like my mom did all the time we were growing up.
These are truly words to live by for all of us — certainly including those of us in the local news business.
The news media are widely perceived as arrogant, talking past their readers, playing fast and loose with the facts. That’s hogwash. Our talented, dedicated journalists are members of the communities they serve. They care about outcomes for towns, for schools, for businesses, for local people. More and more, I’m seeing that ethos reflected in the pages of our newspapers and on our websites.
We have a big mountain to climb in making clear that bashing the media isn’t just obnoxious and pointless — it’s wrong. Plenty of folks out there are willing to take up the idea that what’s wrong with the world is the media’s fault. But we will keep showing our value, to our readers and advertisers, with every local news story we produce, and every interaction of kindness with our readers and customers.
Truly, these are words that ring with meaning for every one of us, regardless of where our own mountains are — where aspirations and our successes are played out. There’s just no substitute for kindness and basic human goodness.
I’ll leave you with a few words from one more of my favorites: “My Wish,” by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson and recorded by Rascal Flatts:
“My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to / Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small.”
If you’ve ever had a child, or goodness knows a grandchild, or even a kid brother or a good friend, you’ve wished this for them. It’s universal.
And I wish this for all of you, our readers and business partners.
Hoffmann is chairman of the board of Lee Enterprises, the parent company of this local news organization.
