Abby Parker | jrnl4970

Randolph Leader Column

By Abby Parker

Leaving Auburn, I embark on an unfamiliar road. I pass houses and random gas stations. For almost an hour, I drive by farms and rolling hills as I head north. It’s fitting that I recognize no roads as I head into this unfamiliar town, unsure of what awaits me. My destination: Roanoke, Alabama.

I almost miss the turn into Roanoke, but my GPS’s voice reminds me before it’s too late. Driving into town, I’m fascinated by the small town. Historic houses line the streets, and random stores distract me.

A couple of wrong turns later and I’m headed down Main Street. A mural on the side of a building boasts the motto “Roanoke: Small Town with a Big Heart.” I am already excited to learn what makes this small town special.

After my quick detour downtown, I turn back around to find the building of The Randolph Leader. A bright reddish-orange building greets me, and I’m unsure of how I could have missed it earlier.

I park my car in the gravel lot by the building and see newspapers on display as I enter. Walking in the home of The Leader is like walking back in time. I can almost feel the years of journalism that have happened here.

John Stevenson, the editor and publisher, greets me and allows me to follow him to his office. There, I spend the day getting to know him and his view of the place he has called home for almost all his life.

Throughout our interview and my time at The Leader, two cats would run in and out of Stevenson’s office. Creating a lighthearted atmosphere in the office, they helped show me the heart of Roanoke.

But more than just showing me the heart of Roanoke, Stevenson showed me the true meaning of community journalism. He helped me put a face to the definition of the term I had been studying over the past few months.

He showed me an actual community, where the local paper may be the only way people hear local news. As we checked out copies of The Leader, he pointed out the positive definition of “refrigerator journalism” by letting me see the many local faces that scatter each page of the newspaper.

Stevenson talked about Roanoke with a passion that only someone who truly understands and cares for the town can have. And this love of Roanoke is evident through his commitment to The Leader and desire to better Roanoke’s downtown.

If someone were to ask me for a definition of community journalism, I would just hand him or her a copy of The Leader. I would tell them those pages and a visit to Roanoke could help them understand why community papers are still around and prospering today.