OG listening sessions: Or how I lost $37.38 trying to find common ground

One of the things I’ve learned after five years of running a local newspaper is this: information and ideas exchanged inside a vacuum are a great way to miss the story entirely.

If people generally listen only to people who already agree with them, why would they need a newsroom for information?

So, in late 2024, I started something informal that I jokingly call “OG listening sessions.” No microphones. No agendas. Just breakfast, coffee and a willingness to sit across from someone who may see the world very differently than I do.

At the time, Donald Trump had just been elected president and I was sorting through my own feelings about it. We had reported extensively on locals involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and it has always been clear, at least to me, that the violence at the U.S. Capitol was unredeemable. But I’m not judge and jury — I’m a journalist. And journalists are supposed to seek understanding, not just affirmation of their positions.

That’s how I found myself at breakfast with local retired corporate executive turned philanthropic leader Stan Hanson.

If you know Hanson from Marion County’s Political Forum, you know he’s a frequent pot stirrer — heavy on the rhetoric, light on the chill. But he also showed up. Regularly. And despite our disagreements (plural), those breakfasts became a place where ideas were exchanged instead of thrown.

There were some funny moments.

At one point, Hanson advised me — with great confidence — to invest in Trump bitcoin. I knew very, very, very little about bitcoin, but in the spirit of common ground, I bought one Trump bitcoin on Jan. 20, 2025, for $43.

One year later, it is worth $5.62.

I still own it, mostly so I can continue reminding Hanson that he has given me exactly one piece of financial advice and it could have been catastrophic.

Despite our differences — and yes, despite the occasional annoyance I worry he feels when I don’t agree with him, we keep meeting. We check in on each other’s well-being. We’ve had more than one conversation about using our voices responsibly and being more careful with words, so we don’t further fracture a community that already feels stretched thin.

Fast-forward to the morning of Dec. 31, 2025. We’re back at breakfast, talking about New Year’s resolutions.

“I want to be less controversial,” Hanson said.

I paused, then asked, “Do you mean less divisive? Or maybe more intentional about bringing people together?”

“Yes,” he replied. “All of that.”

That moment stuck with me.

I asked Hanson if I could share these conversations publicly and he agreed there was value in it.

So, here’s my proposition to the community:

I want to hear what you care about. What confuses you. What frustrates you. What you think we’re missing. And just like Hanson did, I invite you to ask me questions, too. Trust works both ways and transparency has to be part of the process if I’m going to ask for yours.

Going forward, I’ll be hosting “OG listening sessions” around town for whoever wants to have a conversation. Sometimes it’ll just be me. Other times, members of our team will join.

Here are the first two:

• Tuesday, Jan. 13, starting at 5 p.m.
  Midtown Station — bar area (with me)
• Thursday, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m.
  Sipping Grounds — with me and Susan Smiley-Height

Both locations are at 235 NE Watula Ave., Ocala, with plenty of parking nearby.

If you want to talk to us, but need a different time, email me at [email protected]. We’ll do our best to accommodate your schedule because you’re doing us a favor by connecting with us to share your thoughts.

When we understand what’s on the minds of our community, we can do what local journalism is supposed to do: report the news our community needs and values.

I hope to see you.

Jennifer Hunt Murty
Reach me at [email protected]