Gail Spector’s final edition as editor of the Newton TAB is landing in driveways today but her classy farewell column is online now. (And I don’t just say that because she gave me a generous shout out and she even plugged Village 14.com.)
I don’t have to tell you about the fantastic job Gail did as editor for 5-plus years, I’m sure you’ve already decided if that’s true or not yourself. But today’s column is apoignant reminder of what the job entailed, how hard it is and how fortunate we all were to have Gail at the helm.
Over three decades, the Newton TAB has had good years and bad years, great editors and not-so-great editors. (I was lucky enough to work for founder Russel Pergament in the early days and what I learned from him motivates me to this day.). Meanwhile, the economics of the business keeps getting harder and the latest news from the TAB’s parent company is upsetting, to say the least.
The medium may change — it has changed. But the demand for solid journalism and responsible opinion-makers won’t. As daunting as this may sound, we have to hope there will be many more generations of journalists who step forward and demand the best from Newton and its people — just as Gail Spector has.
As one who got her start in journalism 40 years ago (argghhh!) at a Newton newspaper (the Newton Times) started because the old one (the Graphic) wasn’t responding to the community, I can say that the coverage under Gail Spector took the paper to a new level. She will be sorely missed!
Gail’s final editorial is online now too.
Sad and maddening to see what Gatehouse is doing – huge bonuses amidst lay-offs? We were lucky to have Gail and Greg – you both are/will be missed.
As usual, it was a great editorial. Gail’s editorials were the highlight of the paper – always thoughtful, timely, often courageous.
Unfortunately, the level of commitment, insight, and talent that Gail and Greg provided for Newton for 5 years is not what Gatehouse is looking for. It’s a sad day when a city the size of Newton doesn’t have a newspaper whose mission is to provide a forum for a discussion of local issues. From Greg, we have the quote of the day: “The medium may change … But the demand for solid journalism and responsible opinion-makers won’t.”
I wish Emily well, and hope she can do something with a tough situation but she has big shoes to fill and not a lot of corporate support.