GLENWOOD, Iowa (KMTV) — While some reporters are known nationwide, many journalists are ordinary people who bring reliable and relatable stories to their neighbors. That includes Joe Foreman, the long-time editor of The Opinion-Tribune in Glenwood.
- "Joe's always there,” said Glenwood State Bank CEO Larry Winum. “The Opinion-Tribune's always there and if they weren't here, we'd really miss them."
- "I've always seen my role, or the role of the community newspaper, as keeping the diary or the journal for your community," Foreman said.
- Along with an assistant editor, Foreman does most of the jobs at the paper: "All the writing, the editing, the layout of the newspaper, we take all the photos, we manage our website."
- RELATED | KMA strives to bring neighbors reliable news in a 'wild west' media environment
WATCH HERE
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Southwest Iowa Neighborhood Reporter Katrina Markel.
It's news literacy week and, because of that, I'm visiting my hometown newspaper, the Glenwood Opinion-Tribune, which has been keeping neighbors informed and connected for decades.
"I've always seen my role, or the role of the community newspaper, as keeping the diary or the journal for your community."
Newspaper editor Joe Foreman has been a fixture in Mills County for 37 years, covering school sports, concerts, celebrations, breaking news, crime, and local government meetings.
"Was hired and thought, well, I'll probably work there a couple of years,” he said. “You know, that's pretty normal for community newspapers."
But, Foreman and his wife stayed. Glenwood State Bank CEO Larry Winum arrived in town about the same time.
"Joe's always there,” Winum said. “The Opinion-Tribune's always there and if they weren't here, we'd really miss them."
Along with an assistant editor he does most of the jobs at the paper.
"All the writing, the editing, the layout of the newspaper, we take all the photos, we manage our website," Foreman said.
The Omaha South and UNO graduate is now a Glenwood guy, which can be hard when it's time to ask his neighbors tough questions. But, he told me, most people understand it's his job.
"We want to be fair, but we want –- we want to be accurate, and sometimes that means stepping on somebody's toes that you work with on a pretty regular basis," he said.
Winum told me Foreman's commitment to the facts is 'refreshing' in today's complicated media environment.
"You know, maybe some of the things that go on at the coffee shop may not always be totally accurate so it's nice to have somebody like Joe,” he said.
Always on call, writing the 'first draft of history' for his neighbors.
In Glenwood, where the newspaper work sometimes never stops, I'm your Southwest Iowa Neighborhood Reporter Katrina Markel.
