At Folsom Times, we believe community journalism is about more than just headlines. It’s about people. It’s about telling the stories that matter to our neighbors, our businesses, our schools, and our families. It’s about showing up—whether it’s breaking news, a ribbon cutting, a city council event or a local student doing something amazing and of course, a once-in-a-generation gathering that turns our town into a national stage.
This past week, Folsom was the backdrop for something very different to this community: a political rally headlined by Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Whether you supported them or not, their visit brought thousands to the streets and stirred the kind of public conversation we rarely see in our city. It was historic, and we were there to document it—not to promote an agenda or oppose it, but to fulfill our role as your local news outlet.
We take this responsibility seriously. Despite being a small team, we made sure to cover the different angles of the rally: the cheers and the jeers, the energized crowds and the snarled traffic, the voices of passionate supporters and the concerns of thoughtful dissenters. We published photos that reflected varied perspectives—not just one side. That’s what journalism is. It’s not always clean or comfortable, and it rarely pleases everyone, especially when it comes to political coverage. This coverage was no exception.
As our coverage went live online, we heard from many of you. Many praised the coverage as fair and comprehensive. Others felt we should’ve focused more on one side or the other. A few took issue with our photo selection, pointing out that we captured both the attendees and those in protest in one main photo. That was deliberate.
Because here’s the thing: in community journalism, fairness doesn’t mean choosing a side. It means showing all sides. Our job isn’t to tell you what to think. It’s to show you what happened and trust you to make up your own mind. If you disliked that Sanders supporters were shown in the photo, that’s okay. If you didn’t like that Trump supporters were in the photo, that’s okay too. It’s an opinion—and everyone has them. However, when those opinions turn into angry, explicative rants or threats on social media or emails without a real name from what is often referred to as “keyboard warriors,” then such input often becomes null for good reason.
As for those accusing us of only telling just one side of the event, those claims couldn’t be any further from the truth, we did just that and we are very aware that many that read the news see a photo, a headline and fail to read any further for the whole story.
I’ve worked in media long enough to know this: you can tell the exact same story and still face criticism from both ends. And that’s okay. It means we’re probably doing our job. The fact that a few other news resources around here frequently share—or “borrow”—our content with and without permission kind of backs that up.
When I was a kid growing up, I had a neighbor who was a semi-professional race car driver. He won just about everywhere he went, and yet, often when he showed up at a competition, he was met with boos from the crowd. One day I asked him if that bothered him. I still remember how he explained it—he said it wasn’t what he was doing wrong that made him disliked, it was what he was doing right, but many just didn’t like that. People have their heroes and their villains, and he figured he was both at the same time.
That simple bit of insight has stayed with me for years, and in this business, it still applies.
Our goal isn’t to win a popularity contest. It’s to serve the public honestly. That means showing up for the tough stories as well as the easy ones. That means being transparent, accurate, and inclusive—even when we know it won’t win everyone’s applause.
To those who supported our work this week—thank you. To those who challenged it—thank you, too. Your voices matter, and your continued engagement helps make us better. We’re not perfect, but we are always listening, always learning, and always striving to reflect the community we’re proud to serve. That said, if you tell us you dislike something we do, does it guarantee we will change and do it as you desire? Absolutely not and for a few reasons, first, because everyone’s likes and dislikes are different, especially when it comes to news and especially political topics.
Second, well, we pay the bills and operate the resource, so it’s ultimately up to us and our stakeholders as to how we do things. We will always consider input and suggestion, but will not ever guarantee making a change only because it’s been suggested, that’s basic common sense in business.
Folsom is a vibrant, growing, and today, it can be a divided community at times like many others in our current times. But that diversity of thought and experience is what makes us stronger. And as the only locally owned daily news source dedicated solely to this community, Folsom Times will continue to report on what matters here—with balance, with care, and with heart. At the same time, we know we can’t make everyone happy all the time—and it’s not our job to even try.
Bill Sullivan is the co-founder and managing publisher of Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC operated in Folsom, California.
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