Cindy E. Allen: Seeking individuals to serve on our community advisory board

Feb. 26—When I decided to accept the position of publisher and editor of the Enid News & Eagle, one of the primary reasons for my decision was my desire to drive more conversation about why communities still need a vital and reliable local newspaper.

As I've noted earlier, the changing media landscape, as well as the very noisy and rhetorical political landscape, have been challenging to community newspapers. As fast as things change, we know that in order to provide value to our readers, our newspaper has to be reliable, responsible, relevant and relatable.

And, most importantly, we have to do more listening.

The Enid News & Eagle wants to provide coverage that is reflective of our community. Our franchise is our ability to cover meetings, events, elections, sports and be a watchdog. But, we know there is more to covering the community, and we need good ideas. With that in mind, we are establishing a community advisory board and asking our readers and community members to become a part of what we do. With this endeavor, we hope to gain insight into ways we can better serve our readers and the community.

The News & Eagle has had an editorial board for several years, and these community members offer ideas about editorials and stands the newspaper should take regarding issues critical to our communities. The community advisory board will provide us an additional layer of individuals who can help us with good story ideas as well as perspectives on issues that matter to Enid and Northwest Oklahoma

So, here's what we are asking:

We are looking for individuals who are involved with and pay attention to what is going on in Enid and Garfield County, as well as our Northwest Oklahoma coverage area.

We are also looking for people who read the Enid News & Eagle regularly, either in print or online.

We want people who will thoughtfully present ideas and who have a passion about our community. We are looking for diverse perspectives, and we also want people who are willing to listen and provide ideas without being rude or confrontational. We want people who are interested in listening as well as speaking. I'll just say that if your communications approach is Facebook trolling, this role probably isn't for you.

We are not looking for politicians or government officials — we want people who are involved on a grassroots level.

And, finally, we want people who are willing to show up. Once we establish our community advisory board, we will agree on an appropriate meeting schedule. I would like this group to meet once a month, either in person or by Zoom. These meetings will last about 45 minutes.

We do have a few requirements. You must be at least 18 years old, live in the community and have a vested interest and knowledge of Garfield County and Northwest Oklahoma. Again, you must be able to meet monthly.

If this role interests you, please reach out to me at callen@enidnews.com by March 9. Please include your name, age, city of residence, phone number, email address and a brief description about why you want to be a community advisory board member.

This board will not be a large one — about five people initially; however, we will occasionally seek new members as time goes by.

So, if this opportunity interests you, shoot me an email. I am eager to hear from you.

Allen is publisher and editor for the Enid News & Eagle.

Have a question about this story? Do you see something we missed? Do you have a story idea for Cindy? Send an email to callen@enidnews.com.