Our Viewpoint

As we approach the Fourth of July, it's important to think about the principles this country was founded on. We are the United States of America and the Constitution was an effort to bring people together in a new country.

Despite the continued division in our country, we are still the UNITED states. It couldn't have been easy writing the Constitution and taking into account the needs and priorities of different colonies.

One of those founding principles was the first amendment guaranteeing the right to free speech. As a news organization, we take that right to heart and strive each day to ensure everyone has a right to have their thoughts and opinions heard. We have regular columnists with different backgrounds and viewpoints. We accept letters to the editor from anyone. Our policy states that preference may be given to letters regarding local issues and from local authors because we aim to provide the best coverage for our local area. It doesn't matter if their views align with our own or not. We are an outlet for Sanders County residents and visitors.

As a news organization, we report on events and happenings throughout the county and have varied sources. This year we have covered the local March For Life and reported on the "What Unites Us" series presented by the Sanders County Democrats. We've written articles about elk populations and about groups who raise funds to reimburse costs of hunting wolves. We write about efforts to protect public lands and also about local timber sales. Our coverage isn't dictated by what someone tells us to do or by our personal beliefs. We aim to provide accurate information about what is happening in our county.

You see opinions on this page, in our columns, letters to the editor and in this editorial space. But throughout the rest of the paper, we are striving to provide information from all sides of a topic.

Newspapers have played an important role in this country's history. Our hope is that newspapers and journalists remain free to tell the whole story and provide a place for all opinions. Happy Independence Day.

— Annie Wooden