Celebrating five years — and a future of accountability

I won’t sugarcoat it: delivering local news has come with its share of learning curves—many of them directly tied to the reasons I started the “Ocala Gazette” in the first place.

Over time, I’ve realized people—not just our readers, but also the people and institutions we cover–want to understand those motivations.

The truth? This paper was born from love and a deep sense of duty to my community. Some of my male counterparts might wince at that mushy explanation, but that’s been one of the lessons, too. Hedge funds and big corporate chains that own newspapers across the country can’t afford to talk about “love” as a motivation.

I can. And I will.

You know the “Gazette” family. You see us at the grocery store, at football games, at city hall. We live here, like you do. That proximity means you get to decide for yourself whether we’re sincere in our mission.

And that mission remains unchanged: to provide hyperlocal journalism focused solely on issues affecting Marion County. From the beginning, we aimed to inform citizens, connect the community, and hold local power brokers accountable.

We launched our publishing plans before COVID-19 struck. Thinking the pandemic wouldn’t last long (ha!), we moved forward with our first issue on July 6, 2020.

The summer of 2020 was turbulent. Anti-media sentiment, stoked by then-President Trump, showed up in my inbox right away—accusations that we were just another cog in the liberal media machine.

I responded to every email, asking skeptics to give us time. “Local isn’t as partisan,” I often wrote. I still get those kinds of emails from time to time, depending on what’s happening nationally. But they’re rarer now.

When someone accuses us of being too hard on conservatives, I’ve replied more than once: “Test us. Elect a few Democrats and watch how evenhanded our scrutiny is.”

So far, no takers.

I like to think we’ve shown our reporting isn’t influenced by partisan noise. In fact, one of my favorite things lately has been calling both local party chairs and asking for their positions on local issues. I’ve found more agreement than you might expect. We’d do well to remember we’re Marion County neighbors first—before any of our differences come into play.

Did I know how hard this would be? Definitely not. Here are just a few of the biggest challenges:

1. Producing real journalism is expensive.
   The kind of work that serves the public interest doesn’t come cheap. Despite its value to democracy, journalism no longer enjoys the funding it once did. That’s a conversation for another day. But let me be clear: I didn’t start the “Gazette”to make money. Still, we need it, and there’s never enough. It’s frustrating. It means we can’t do every story we want to. And yes, it keeps me up at night.
2. Finding the right reporters.
   We need journalists with guts, integrity, and skill—willing to work hard for modest pay. They have to believe in a mission that includes writing about both the beauty and the blemishes of our community. Some of our best reporters have been fresh out of journalism school. It’s been an honor to be part of their first steps. I worry I may have pushed a few too hard, but this kind of work isn’t for everyone.
3. Becoming a reporter myself.
   This is a second career for me. My background as a paralegal has given me a good foundation, but I had a habit of delivering more information than readers sometimes wanted. I’ve worked to be more concise. I’ve also been fortunate to learn from talented editors who aren’t shy about using a red pen—or, in some cases, a flamethrower. To Tom, Greg, Nick, and Susan—thank you. I’m forever grateful.
4. Competing with misinformation.
   Social media and, yes, some government agencies, spread information designed to control narratives rather than reveal truth. This is particularly prevalent with law enforcement agencies. Sometimes their clickbait wins. It’s disturbing to watch misinformation take root. In other countries, propaganda spread by social media has fueled injustice. If we’ve made people just a little more skeptical about what they hear, then I count that as success.

This job tests my humility every day. I’ve had to ask for help. I’ve had to learn fast. I’ve continued to knock on doors—some of them belonging to people who’ve made it clear they don’t like this newspaper, or me. But I keep showing up to ensure they know we’re committed to fairness, even when the respect isn’t mutual.

I’ve been told we file more public records requests than any other local media outlet. We wear that as a badge of honor.

While some news organizations publish only what spokespersons provide, we try to get the underlying records ourselves. Some officials have taken offense. But it’s not personal—it’s due diligence. That’s how you build trust around complex issues. That’s how you ensure facts are independently verified.

Do I regret anything we’ve published? No.
Do I regret stories we didn’t have the resources to pursue? Absolutely.
Every story has a cost, and we can’t afford them all.

To every public official who’s been transparent: thank you.
To those who haven’t: I hope you come around. We both answer to the public. Mutual respect for our respective roles is a good place to start.

How do I hope the “Gazette” is viewed in our community? As a public servant—your public servant. And a defender of basic human rights, when it needs to be, especially for those most vulnerable among us: our children, the elderly, the disabled, and anyone who doesn’t have a seat at the table where decisions are made.

To everyone who’s subscribed, advertised, donated, or even just picked up a copy and read it—thank you. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Please keep supporting us. Help us make it to 10 years.

Marion County’s future depends on its people knowing what’s at stake—both the external threats and the ones closer to home.

That’s why you have us.