Staff

We are all aware of the power of the New Year’s Resolution. It is a promise we make to ourselves that normally stays in effect for at least two weeks, but sometimes even less.

For example, a typical resolution is one regarding some sort of special diet, (keto, vegetarian, intermittent fasting). They all usually last as long as it takes to walk past Harvest Bakery.  

Most of us have a yearly resolution that we are definitely going to straighten out the garage, or maybe the basement, or perhaps our golf swing–how are those working out?

Maybe you have promised something more achievable, like reading a book a month instead of watching so much TV. But that first novel is still gathering dust on the end table, bookmark on pg. 37.

Or maybe you have promised yourself that you will stop watching Donald Trump on TV, something you did far too much in 2020. But then you hear he is on tape telling the Secretary of State in Georgia to produce 11,780 votes for him so he can win the state. Or even better, he delivers a speech inciting an insurrection. It’s like driving by a 10-car accident or a five-alarm fire; you just have to look.

Finally, maybe you made a resolution that you would write a column about New Year’s resolutions, but you didn’t get around to it for two weeks.

You get the idea.

Nevertheless, we, the editors of The Bristol Edition, have some resolutions for this new year that we would like to share with you, our loyal readers.

The first item on our list is that we would like to expand our number of subscribers and readers, so that TBE is a more powerful presence in the lives of the people of Bristol. In effect, we plan to cover stories and write articles that are meaningful, useful and entertaining (at times) to you. We aim to produce a product of excellent quality that people start talking about and recommending to their friends. If you agree, you can help by spreading the word.

You can help with the second item, too: to entice more people to contribute leads, or important information, to TBE. We may even ask a “contributor” to write something up. Our staff is small, and most of us (except for one semi-comatose retiree) are working full-time jobs. To cover the city of Bristol the way we would like is not only going to require more readers, but also more citizen journalists willing to learn about how things work here and pitch in.

Maybe you have gone to a Council meeting or a cultural event in town or seen something in your neighborhood. Something catches your attention. A question occurs to you. We would love to know what these are. Send them to us. Keep in mind our paper’s mission statement, posted atop each story or post, “The Bristol Edition, an ethical citizen-driven community journalism project covering Bristol, Connecticut. One model for communities where news coverage needs attention.”

Please note: We are looking to report news, not be an outlet for complaints and gossip. Sometimes distinguishing news from gossip is a fine line; other times, not so fine. Distinguishing trash talk and garbage are much easier to identify. We all know the difference. We don’t intend to be an outlet for either.

So, there you have it, two simple resolutions from us for 2021. We hope we can make significant progress in both. At least, we are going to try, but it will be much more successful with the help of the informed citizens of Bristol, Connecticut.

If you have any comments to make, or would like to pitch in to our cause, please contact us at editor@bristoledition.org. We are eager to hear from you.