Some thoughts on Christmas

By now, the presents have all been opened, their wrappings and ribbons that have so gaily decorated many a Christmas trees reduced to tatters and stuffed inside trash bins. The Christmas dinner painstakingly prepared for the midnight revelry has been reduced to leftovers, to be warmed up for today’s breakfast. And the kids are now busy trying on their new clothes, playing with their new toys, or tinkering with their newest techie gadgets. Most of us are with our beloved families, sharing the joys of the holidays in a way that only Christmas could bring about.

As we celebrate Christmas Day today, let us not forget the memories of those who are no longer with us, because it is their memories that will keep them alive in our hearts. I would especially like to honor the memories of SPC Derence Jack and Sgt. Wilgene Lieto, who gave much of themselves and made the ultimate sacrifice in efforts to help build the bedrock of democracy in Iraq. Their memory will surely forever live on in the hearts and minds of the people of the Commonwealth and the selfless example they showed will always be worth emulating by future generations.

We at the Saipan Tribune have much to be thankful for this holiday season. The continuing support of our readers and advertisers is the raison d’etre and the driving force behind our continued efforts to improve the newspaper. Like much of what is happening with other companies in the CNMI, we are faced with enormous challenges—challenges that do not promise to fade away any time soon—but, with your constant support, we will always strive to meet your expectations for our paper: factual, fair, and up-to-the-minute reporting. A lot of things are in store for the paper in the coming year, many changes that we believe will further improve the paper’s overall content and presentation. As we slowly work on improving the Saipan Tribune, it is with the ultimate goal of being able to provide our readers with a community paper that they can embrace and truly call their own. We welcome all your comments—positive, negative, and all things in between—and we fully expect our readers to call our attention if we fail to meet their expectations.

I would particularly like to extend a joyous Merry Christmas! to all our advertising clients, who have shown faith in the power of the Saipan Tribune to bring their messages to their intended audiences. Despite the many economic challenges that have beset the CNMI in the last five years, our advertisers have never wavered in their support for the paper, standing steadfast beside us as we forged a path through the stormy waters and safely navigated our way to where we are now.

A wish for much blessings in the coming years goes out to our loyal readers, who have honored us with their patronage and who have always kept us on our toes. Journalism has always been a very taxing vocation: Reporters are expected to get the freshest stories every day, get their details absolutely right, present their stories in the most balanced manner, and all to be accomplished within strict daily deadlines. Yet the satisfaction that reporters feel is incomparable when they see people reading the newspaper and reacting to our stories. That, essentially, is our reward. When you read our paper, when you form opinions based on our stories, when you are moved to act because of our stories—these are the intangibles that give us the courage and strength to go on and go at it everyday. We acknowledge that we do stumble from time to time, that we make some mistakes in the details, but we assure our readers that these are not intended and we will rectify any mistakes as soon as we spot them or as soon as these are brought to our attention.

And to all the people of the Commonwealth, let me extend my holiday wishes and may you all have a blessed Christmas!

(Strictly a personal view. John Pangelinan is publisher of Saipan Tribune.)