An apology to grandma
By Duane A. Beyal
Navajo Times
WINDOW ROCK, July 22, 2010
A caller asked why a story about the high court denying President Joe Shirley Jr.'s attempt to run for a third term was not in last week's paper.
"Are you not mentioning the court's decision because you supported Shirley's effort to run again and had planned to endorse him?" the caller asked.
Is that why the Navajo Times waited until Saturday to come out because you were waiting for the court's decision?
That's the way it looks out here, he said.
My response was that the story about the Navajo Nation Supreme Court saying no to Shirley had happened the Friday before our July 15th edition and was old news. Also we posted the story ("High court to Joe: No") on the Navajo Times Web page on July 9, the day the court issued its opinion.
And no, we do not endorse anyone in any race because that is not our role. Our role is to inform the people so they can make their own decisions.
The caller said, "Some of us don't have access to the Internet. It just looks kind of funny how the Navajo Times acted."
He raises an excellent point.
For years as editor, I had resisted the allure of the Internet and the new technology despite the wishes of my staff. I did this for a simple reason: Grandma up on the mesa does not have the Internet.
While the vast majority of Diné youth, college students, urban dwellers, professionals and almost anyone living off the reservation has access to the Internet, a large population on the rez do not have this luxury.
Until grandma and grandpa have the Internet, I used to say, our main focus will be the newspaper and not the Web page.
With the story about Shirley's attempt to run again, we failed to serve the many people who do not have computers or even electricity to run them. We should have included the story in our July 15th edition for all those who do not have Internet service.
For that we apologize.
As for the newspaper coming out on Saturday, July 10, two days late, the reason was our press broke down on Wednesday night, July 7.
After printing the two inside sections of the paper, the machine came to a halt. What followed was familiar to any rez resident who has had their vehicle break down somewhere far away from service stations.
Our press crew - Willie, Leonard, Ron, Lawrence and Carmichael - tore apart the machine that broke down and tried to fix it.
Just like a rez car stalled beside the road with the hood up, they tried everything. The floor of the pressroom was littered with pieces of machinery and tools of all kinds.
They labored all day Thursday and Friday. Red-eyed and exhausted, they finally got the machine going just after 5 p.m. on Friday. The paper flowed off the press, our carriers did their job inserting the sections and ads, and the paper began arriving at stores.
So our press crew deserves a tip of the hat as well as our carriers who deliver the paper to all corners of the reservation - Marsha, Ed, Peggy, Georgia, Betty, Clarita, Ryland, Nellie, Joneson and Ursula.
No doubt the new technology that brought wonders like the Internet may bring more in the future. But the Navajo Nation lags behind the rest of the U.S. in basic services such as roads, public safety, health, running water and electricity.
As our next election nears, this reality continues for many of the people. So far, the current Navajo Nation Council and president have hardly made a dent in the situation.
Whether our next leaders need new ideas or simply to roll up their sleeves and go to work is debatable.
However the voting goes and whoever wins, our role as a newspaper is still vital, as was underlined by the caller. While our leaders preach the same rhetoric and continue the same habits, they should also remember the many people who lack what others take for granted.
Again, we apologize and promise not to make the same mistake again.
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