Sunday, December 17, 2006

This is the last column I will write as editor of your newspaper.

On Friday, I will retire as executive editor of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel, ending a 42-year career in journalism.

The last five years have been here in central Maine.

It has been a wonderful experience leading the talented staffs at these two newspapers, and getting to know our community and our readers.

I'm looking forward to retirement, but -- please excuse the cliché -- parting is, indeed, sweet sorrow. I'm eager to do new things, but it's hard to let go.

Looking back, I can think of no career, no craft, that could have been more rewarding than journalism. Every day has meant new stories, new challenges and a renewed opportunity to be creative and to accomplish something worthwhile.

I'm as excited about newspapers today as I was on Jan. 2, 1966, when, as a new college graduate, I reported for my first day of work as a reporter at the Wenatchee World in central Washington State.

The newspaper in Wenatchee has much in common with the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel. They are about the same size. They are located in rural communities. And, most importantly, they are family-owned newspapers.

In Wenatchee, it's the Woods family. Here, it's the Blethen family.

At both papers, independent family ownership fostered journalistic excellence, more so, I believe, than is true at major newspaper corporations where the need to produce quarterly earnings for stockholders can lead to financial pressures that bring compromises in news coverage.

In 1966, I had no idea my career would involve criss-crossing the country, to newspapers in Hartford, Conn.; Milwaukee and La Crosse, Wis.; Newport, R.I., Washington, D.C., and -- finally -- Maine.

Each stop has been exciting and rewarding. None has brought more pleasure or professional fulfillment than the five years here.

People often ask what an editor does. It's easier to explain what he does not do.

The editor does not write stories or take pictures. He does not write headlines or design pages.

The editor's job is to make it possible for the people who do those things to succeed. He sets standards, plans projects, talks to readers and guides the creativity and energy of the news staff.

We've made a lot of changes at the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel in the last five years.

We redesigned the paper, changing the typography and design to make it easier to read.

We've added a weekly page on books and doubled the amount of coverage of the outdoors -- hunting, fishing, bird watching. We've expanded coverage of auto racing.

We've emphasized enterprise reporting -- in-depth coverage of issues that goes beyond the daily news. The series on immigration in central Maine that begins in today's paper is an example.

One of my most important and rewarding tasks has been serving as the spearhead for the papers' efforts to keep government open. We have not hesitated to use the state open meetings and open records laws to obtain information courts and officials have tried to keep secret.

A few examples: We fought for access to information about a suicide at the Kennebec County jail. We petitioned the court to open hearings in a murder case in Waterville. We objected when a judge tried to order the newspapers not to print information that had been presented in testimony in open court.

We have filed open records demands in cities and towns, with law enforcement officials and state agencies to obtain documents that never should have been kept secret.

We have also fought against secrecy with editorials reminding officials that government belongs to the people, not to those temporarily holding office.

Sometimes all it takes is a phone call from the editor -- a reminder of the law -- to persuade a reluctant official to release information that should be public.

Much of my focus has been on our opinion pages, which are designed to be a forum for discussion of important issues.

We've added several local columnists with differing viewpoints to stimulate that discussion, and we offer our views in editorials.

I have never expected everyone to agree with all our editorials; they are a success if they help focus the discussion.

Much of that discussion takes place in letters to the editor. I am proud that in my time as editor the number of letters we receive and print has more than tripled.

We've also met with what seems to be a never-ending stream of candidates for the Legislature and other offices. I come away from this process with the conclusion that Maine is fortunate to have so many dedicated men and women willing to serve in government, in offices ranging from selectman to governor and U.S. senator.

I began writing this Editor's Report column soon after I became editor. It has been my way to chat with readers, to keep you informed about what we're doing and how we make our decisions. Many of you have responded; some agree with what we've done. Others differ. In almost every case the dialogue has been thoughtful and worthwhile.

It has been a great privilege to be editor of your newspapers, to be part of the lives of many wonderful people in Maine.

This has become home for my wife and I. We'll travel some in retirement, but when it's time to unpack, this is where the suitcases will be emptied.

The lampshade on the light next to my favorite chair at home is smudged with streaks of blue ink. That's where I often sit in the morning reading the newspaper. I hold a big, blue felt-tip pen while I read, using it to circle things in the paper: A great story, a well written headline, a terrific photo. A spelling error. An incomplete job of reporting. A poorly designed page. I take the marked papers to the office to share with the staff.

I hold the blue pen in my left hand. Occasionally it brushes the lampshade.

I won't need the blue pen when I retire. (Maybe we'll replace the lampshade.)

I look forward to being a reader, just like you, enjoying the work of a fine, dedicated staff who I have been privileged to lead.

I began this column by noting it is the last I will write as editor.

But that does not mean it's my final column.

In February, I will begin writing a weekly column for the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel.

I'll offer my thoughts about issues in Maine and the country and about the state of journalism in this changing Internet world. I'll also have things to say about the problems facing people of my generation as we move out of the workforce and into retirement. For example, the outrageously complex process of figuring out what kind of medical insurance to buy to supplement my new Medicare policy will certainly be worth a column or two.

I leave with thanks to my colleagues, the publisher and owners of these newspapers and most of all to our readers.

You have enriched my life in many ways I can never repay.

David B. Offer is executive editor of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel. E-mail doffer@centralmaine.com