In almost every way imaginable, 2005 was a banner year for all of us here at the Reporter, probably the best since we began publishing back in 2000. As a lot of people in town can attest, there are easier things you can do than launching a startup business in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Back then, Bill Clinton sat in the Oval Office, Alphonse D'Amato was a senator, John LaFalce was the city's congressman and Irene Elia had only recently taken the mayor's office. Times change, but the goals of the Reporter remain the same as they were when we delivered those first 5,000 copies to 34 stores, bars and restaurants around the city.
We wanted to give our readers the kinds of stories and analysis they couldn't find anywhere else. Our views on the Iraq war, branded as treasonous by many not that long ago, are now the views of a majority of Americans.
Just this past year, Reporter articles and columns on topics as diverse as the phony reporter in the White House briefing room, the pathetic decline of the Niagara Gazette and the Anello scandal have gotten us interviewed or cited by the Washington Post, The New York Times, Salon, CNN, Court TV, "Editor and Publisher," the Chicago Reader, "Toronto Life," "PoliticsNY," the Buffalo News and more.
We'll take that kind of national exposure over the phony awards handed out by wire services looking to keep their customers happy any day of the week.
Another objective dear to our hearts is having fun, because if you're in the newspaper business and not having any fun, nobody's having any fun. Here again, and for reasons too numerous to mention, 2005 paid off big time. Each and every attack by a politician or petty bureaucrat added to the general mirth around the newsroom, only to be outdone by the numerous threats of legal action directed against the paper by any number of bigshots.
Finally, we wanted to make a little money, at least enough to pay our printer and our rent and the health insurance. While it's always a challenge, we've done a bit better each year than we did the year before, thanks to a solid cadre of loyal advertisers.
None of this would have been possible without the 80,000 of you who read the Reporter every week in print and online. Ultimately, it is to you we owe our loyalty and our thanks.
Happy New Year!
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Dec. 27 2005 |