Notes from the Editor’s Desk: Introduction

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, March 26, 2025

The job of introducing oneself to a new community is a daunting task — one possibly even more difficult for a journalist — after all, in normal, day-to-day journalism, it goes against every tenet of our profession to talk or reveal anything about ourselves within our written word — news is never about the newswriter.

Which is one reason I am placing my introduction on the editorial page as opposed to masquerading as a news story.

Yes, I suppose it is “news” that I am now the managing editor at the Dalton Daily Citizen (DDC). And my “professional pedigree,” so to speak, would also be considered news, I suppose. After all, it is a fact that I entered the journalism industry in 2002 after graduating from the University of Oregon with a dual degree in journalism and photojournalism. The degree was my second one, having earned a business degree more than a decade earlier.

Equally factual is information that, following graduation, I was offered a reporting job at a Scripps paper in Naples, Florida, and spent the next year covering everything from frog jumping contests to Hurricane Wilma before moving to Toccoa, Georgia, to join the Toccoa Record staff. After serving as a reporter and news editor at the Record, I was transferred as managing editor to the company’s Franklin, North Carolina, paper, and also worked at the company’s Fernandina Beach, Florida, newspaper.

In 2016, I elected to shift gears and was self-employed for the next seven years, providing contract design services to magazines and newspapers all over the country while acting as a staff and industry photographer for several watercross (jet ski) race tour promoters, traveling throughout the country and world to report on and photograph races and freestyle events.

Finishing up the factual “news” of my tale, two years ago I re-entered the official world of journalism, this time as news director at WNEG Radio in Toccoa; a wonderful learning opportunity and a chance to expand my skillset within the journalism industry.

However, I missed the written word, and my first day at the DDC editor’s desk felt like coming home — I’m a newsprint girl at heart, and apparently, as my friends say, I have ink in my blood.

And there ends the “news” part of my introduction; the reminder of this Note from the Editor’s Desk — like all future Notes — is less news, more “chat.” It’s where I can speak directly to you — our readers, and residents of this community.

What you will find in the Notes from the Editor’s Desk column (scheduled for every other Wednesday) will run the gamut, from personal opinions on noteworthy news, to details of the latest recipe I tried or a recounting of my latest weekend motorcycle ride (yes, I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was 16, including 15 years as a daily rider).

Notes from the Editor’s Desk will also, at times, try and give our readers a glimpse into the inner workings of a newsroom — how we select which stories to cover; how a reporter tracks down the facts and details essential to the report; what projects, policies, procedures guide the DDC newsroom; and what changes or new features are in the works — news is all about requiring those in power to be transparent — I figure we should be, too.

One change I hope our readers will notice within the first month of my time here at the DDC is a more local focus. I am passionate about the importance of community journalism. It is here in this community where government officials make decisions that most directly impact your life. It is here where school board members decide major policies that will impact your child’s education. It is here in your community where you, your friends, your family and your neighbors make contributions and take actions that influence your life on a daily basis.

Whether it is information on public safety, economic development, planning and zoning, or recreational activities and sports the Dalton Daily Citizen will keep you informed on the things that matter to you, and we will not only describe what happens, we will endeavor to show how those news stories will impact your life.

My pledge, going forward, is front page stories written by our local reporters, about local news; sports pages that will talk of our local athletes and teams; community pages that will feature stories about local citizens, local businesses, local matters. The tagline at the bottom of any of my emails — News From Your Community – Because Local Matters — is more than, as my brother put it “some corny catch phrase” — but is, instead, my promise to you, and the mission and motivation for the Dalton Daily Citizen.

And to steal a phrase from my recent radio stint, stay tuned to DDC and Notes from the Editor’s Desk in the coming weeks for more information about upcoming changes in our pages, and our policies, and how you can be involved.

Jessica Waters is the managing editor of the Dalton Daily Citizen.