Newspaper to host tours of printing press for school groups

The Washington Post Super Bowl ad aimed to remind people across the country the importance of journalism in a free society.

From the civil rights movement, to terrorist attacks to international journalists who were killed for reporting the news, the ad served as a reminder journalists are placed in the middle of controversial and sometimes dangerous stories. There are sacrifices involved in bringing information to the masses. In the case of the Washington Post, many conservatives saw this ad as political, but that’s simply because of the source of the ad. The conservative Wall Street Journal could have run the same ad, and it would have been perceived differently.

The message of the ad, however, rings true, and it’s important for journalism outlets to do a better job at reminding people of the role they play in a free society.

One way we do that at the Southeast Missourian is to offer newspaper tours to Scouts and school groups. The tours offer not just a reminder of our role in the community, but also to introduce young people to the work that goes on behind the scenes. We give tours of the printing facility and of our Broadway facility, where our news staff, advertising staff, circulation employees, marketers, digital staff and executives work. Each subgroup works as a spoke in a wheel to keep the public informed. And not just about national crises, politics, disasters and issues. But information on local government, events and activities, birth and death notices, locally-owned businesses, sports and warm stories about people in your community. It takes a team of folks to bring you this information on a daily basis.

If you are interested in bringing students by the Southeast Missourian newspaper for a tour, please call (573) 335-6611. Tours of the printing facility will be given from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 19, on a rotating basis every 15 minutes. Tours of the news operation can be scheduled on a case-by-case basis.

If you read and subscribe to the Southeast Missourian, and find the information useful, we thank you and ask that you help us by sharing the importance to future generations.