Alcohol coverage hits home in Nome; paper is firm

Last week, the headline atop The Nome Nugget in Alaska was "Community bands together to tackle underage drinking." The story by Diana Haecker began:

Imagine your life like this: Your parents are drunk most of the time. You are cold and hungry because nobody really cares for you. Your mom whacks you with a baseball bat because you drank her pop. Your sister punches you in the face and gives you a black eye. Your brother hits you so hard that your wrist is broken. And still nobody cares.

Sometimes, at night, you're forced to watch scary movies to keep you in bed. Your brother has brain damage from being hit and neglected just as you are. You are eight 8 years old. And you already tried to take your life because the pain gets so bad that you just want it to stop.

Without any help, you'll turn to alcohol or drugs as soon as possible to numb the hurt. And then there will be agencies holding town meetings about what to do with kids like you who are "minors consuming alcohol" and have a court record before you turn 21.

Such is the cycle of alcoholism in Nome, aggravated by the lack of any long-term alcohol treatment program or facility in the region . . .

Haecker's story and an editorial by Editor-Publisher Nancy McGuire were the latest in a series of hard-hitting pieces about alcohol problems in Nome, one of the farthest-flung towns in far-flung Alaska. One of the stories named victims of the plague, and that didn't sit well with one reader, whose letter was among several published this week in the subject.

The Nugget's editorial page this week is a model of rural journalism. The readers have their say, and so does McGuire, in a firm but short and caring editorial, worthy of relaying in its entirety:

Silence can be deadly. We have problems— problems with substance abuse, domestic violence and sexual abuse. It may be a cultural thing to not want to talk about these problems. However, the fallout from these problems destroys communities, families, friendships and lives.

The time has come to speak out. It takes courage and resolve. These are problems that will continue to cycle from generation to generation and the toll gets higher and the pain more intense. It is not without deep concern that newspapers report on the problem. We care about our community and the well-being of our readers. We are part of the same community.

To solve the problem we must first recognize it and voice our concerns. We must resolve to listen and react. We have a lot of resources at our disposal and we have strength in numbers. Letʼs stop screaming in silence and break the chain that hurts so much.

Here's to McGuire for a great example of editorial leadership in rural journalism.