Good journalism is, at its best, a conversation about life, community and aspirations.
Every day, our staff interview people from all walks of life about all manner of subjects for stories that run in The Forum. Many of you call, e-mail and write letters to the editor when something strikes your interest or offends your sensibility. Many of you chat about stories on our Web site.
And yet, too often the conversation is one-way. So, back in 2000, we created the Readers Board, a group of 10 or so people from the area who meet with us each month to talk about the paper and other things on their minds.
Over the past year, we've had sessions where we focused on particular areas of the paper, such as the business section, how the editorial page works or local news play, and we did a little exercise I called "You make the call," where we discussed two ethical questions we were grappling with.
Unfailingly, our conversations with these "real people," as we sometimes call them, give us good food for thought and ideas for stories we can pursue. They'll be the first to tell you, we don't all always agree, but the conversations are lively.
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But those conversations and ideas are only as good as the people participating - and that's where you come in. We're looking for five people to replace those going off the board next month. Board members serve for a year and we generally meet the second Tuesday of the month at 4:30 p.m.
If you're interested, please send a letter about yourself - family background, where you live, how you make your living - including details that would help us assemble a diverse group that represents a cross-section of Forum readers. Please send your letter, by June 1, to Angie Wieck, public editor, 101 5th St. N., P.O. Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107 or send her an e-mail at awieck@forumcomm.com .
To make room for the five new people, we have to say goodbye - and thank you - to some old friends:
- Dana Anderson, Wahpeton, N.D., grew up on a family farm near Sheldon, N.D. She is a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead, where she studied mass communication and English. While at MSUM, she was a reporter and features editor for the student newspaper, The Advocate. Anderson lives and works in Wahpeton, N.D., with her husband, a police officer.
- Keith Bellefeuille, Detroit Lakes, Minn., worked for 40 years in the insurance industry in North Dakota, Minnesota, Indiana and Wisconsin. He and his wife of 47 years retired to Detroit Lakes. Bellefeuille is a Chippewa tribal member and a veteran of the Korean War.
- Earlyne L. Hector, Fargo, owns and operates Seasons at Rose Creek restaurant in Fargo. She is a longtime area resident who has volunteered many hours to local groups such as the Fargo Youth Commission, Fargo Planning Commission and the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre. Earlyne is a married mother of three.
- Leah Heide, Fargo, was raised on a farm in northwestern North Dakota. She married and spent 16 years at home raising four children before earning her undergraduate and master's degrees from North Dakota State University. Since then, she has spent the past 17 years as a teacher at West Fargo's middle school.
- Scott Steinmetz, Fargo, is a Concordia College graduate. He works at Microsoft and teaches confirmation at Fargo's Olivet Lutheran Church. He enjoys spending time at the lakes in the summer.
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E-mail Bellows at pbellows@forumcomm.com
