The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 51, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 19, 2002 Page: 2 of 28
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Hemphill County Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Hemphill County Library.
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2
THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER 2002
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opinion
page
NOtyMKS. GWJWOSH-
THE. GUN'Wt MUST msuwt
W& HELJ> OK VOUTQ OWfcLYQUR
COW1NUN. FEEWH& W WkVCm&&-
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Sta/t of the Avalanche
Part 4 in a series on water in Roberts County
By Seth Davidson
The water deal in roberts county
began with a bureaucracy. You know that old joke
about the two guys who show up at the rancher's
place and say, "We're from the government and
we're here to help." In this case, for the most part,
they did.
The Canadian River Municipal Water project has
been around since Lyndon Johnson was in Congress
and Sam Rayburn was Speaker of the House. Its
goal was simple: dam the river and provide water to
Panhandle and South Plains cities. Like virtually ev-
ery other long-term project costing tens of millions
^"Me @attadia*t
RECORD
INCORPORATED FEBRUARY 1998
USPS 087-960
P.O. BOX 898, CANADIAN (HEMPHILL) TX 79014
TELEPHONE: (806)323-6461 FAX: (806)323-5738
E-MAIL: canadianrecord@canadianrecord.com
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
$25/Year in Hemphill County
$30/Year in adjoining counties
$35/Year elsewhere
Periodicals postage paid in Canadian, Texas.
Published weekly
in Canadian, Texas, by Nancy M. Ezzell.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
The Canadian Record, Box 898, Canadian, TX 79014
BEN EZZELL Editor & Publisher 1948-1993
NANCY' EZZELL Editor & Publisher
LAURIE EZZELL BROWN, Editor
editor@ canadianrecord. com
TONYA FINSTERWALD, Advertising Manager
advertising@canadianrecord.com
CLAUDIA HERNANDEZ, Advertising Assistant
CATHY RICKETTS, News & Features
news@canadianrecord.com
MARY SMITHEE, Office Manager
circulation@canadianrecord.com
Design & Production: KIM McKINNEY
Cover Design: TONYA FINSTERWALD
photography LAURIE BROWN, CATHY RICKETTS
SETH DAVIDSON
MEMBER
2002
Ttt
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
by laurie ezzell brown
of dollars, it didn't quite work out as planned, al-
though the project currently provides water to more
people than live in the state of Wyoming. The Au-
thority is also unique in that it doesn't depend on tax
dollars for its existence: it operates on budget de-
rived exclusively from the water that it sells.
A few years after damming the river, building the
pipelines, and turning on the spigots, studies showed
that water in Lake Meredith was being contami-
nated upstream by salt water. In addition, the initial
estimate of how much water the project would pro-
duce was off by almost 40%,
Continued an Page 4
Buying and selling
WE LOST AN ADVERTISER last week. It's not quite like losing a
loved one or a favorite pet, but it's a pretty close second in the
newspaper world and—like any death—caused us to ponder a bit. This
advertiser actually fired us, which shortens the mourning period some-
what, though it is still a grave matter.
Our offense was an editorial opinion with which the advertiser dis-
agreed. Hard not to plead guilty to that, certainly. The Canadian Re-
cord has historically found itself at the unpopular end of many a public
debate, and has more than once had the unpleasant job of shedding
light on a subject or two that some might prefer left in the dark.
Near as we can tell, that means we were fired for doing our job, and
doing it effectively enough to rile some people.
The advertiser has every right, of course, to withdraw his advertis-
ing. We'll not argue that all-too-obvious point. Nor was this the first
time The Record has been boycotted by an advertiser or group of ad-
vertisers hoping the mighty dollar will buy our silence, or at least a
good, solid change of heart.
This is probably a good time to explain what effect his action will
have, and what effect it will not have.
Our former advertiser said his decision was not intended to harm
our business. Whether intended to do so or not, it will. The newspaper
business receives at least 80%: of its revenue from advertisers—not
from those three shiny quarters our readers plunk down at the news-
stand. What our readers do provide is a basis for selling our advertising
to businesses who are eager to get their attention.
Without the readers, we'd be ashamed to ask advertisers for their
support. But without advertising, we'd just close the doors and go
home.
So here's the plain truth, like it or not: the loss of any advertiser does
hurt our business.
Here's another plain truth, though. The Canadian Record has never
allowed our advertisers or the welcome revenue they provide to deter-
mine our editorial stance on any subject, nor has an advertiser ever de-
terred us from addressing any issue or reporting any story. Ever.
The Ezzell family has published The Canadian Record for over fifty
years now. We have not acquired great wealth, nor do we expect to do
so. That's not what this is about, and if it were, it still wouldn't be worth
doing.
What makes this job worthwhile is the certain knowledge that we
have served the truth, and advanced the cause of an informed and en-
lightened public. We've fought some battles—won a few, lost a few,
haven't really kept a tally sheet—and rarely regretted the effort re-
gardless of the cost.
We've remained an independent voice in an era of
bought-and-paid-for ones. We've remained a family-owned newspaper
in an era of chain-operated ones, whose owners live far enough away
from the community they ostensibly serve that they feel little or no ob-
ligation to it.
We think, above all, that Canadian and Hemphill County have bene-
fitted from the work we do—even when, occasionally, our readers and
advertisers don't much like us for doing it—and may even have gotten
some pleasure from it along the way. All in all not a bad legacy, and one
we think is worth protecting.
We may go broke doing it, but we sure as hell won't sell out along the
way.
We think our readers deserve as much. We even think they demand
it. Our opinions have rarely ever gone unchallenged over those 50-plus
years, but our credibility has remained intact.
When it comes right down to it, that's about all we've got that's
worth anything. Opinions are a dime a dozen, but the trust and confi-
dence of our readers is something we've worked hard to earn and
sustain.
The day we consider which advertisers might be offended by what
we write, and how much revenue we stand to lose.by publishing our edi-
torial opinions, is the day we close the doors of The- Record, and offer it
lock, stock and barrel to the highest bidder.
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Ezzell, Nancy & Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 51, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 19, 2002, newspaper, December 19, 2002; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth220558/m1/2/: accessed March 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hemphill County Library.