This week is National Newspaper Week. In honor of the occasion, News staff writers share what they love about their jobs.

DARBY HINKLEY, NEWS LIFESTYLES EDITOR

I became a journalist for a variety of reasons, but I’ll just bore you with the top three here.

1. I find people highly amusing. We are all little colorful moving parts in this kaleidoscope of life, each contributing something odd or interesting or unique. When I meet someone, my first thought is, “What’s your story? What makes you unique?” I love painting word pictures about people. It’s my art form.

2. From a young age, I’ve always loved writing. I find it therapeutic and, thus, necessary to my existence. It comes naturally for me, and it helps me get all those words out of my head. Ask anyone who knows me: I talk a lot. Those words need somewhere to go. I write poetry, and I write articles. One day, I’ll write a book.

3. I’m passionate about justice. Being a journalist is exercising the right to free speech and the freedom of the press. It is the taxpayer’s right to know what’s happening behind the scenes with their money. They deserve to know about corruption or chaos. That’s our job, and we do it with pride.

I could probably think of 47 more reasons. I’m happy to say that I love my job as Lifestyles editor at The News, and I can’t imagine being anything other than a journalist.

JULIE RIDDLE, NEWS STAFF WRITER

I go where you can’t go.

As a journalist, I listen to courtroom testimony, dig through files, ask hard questions in politicians’ offices. I visit jails and ride in the back of police cars in the middle of the night. I get to know drug addicts in recovery and people struggling with mental illness, talk to sexual assault victims and watch mothers’ hearts break as their children are sent to prison.

The people in my community are busy working, playing, and taking care of each other. They don’t have time to sit in courtrooms to be sure people’s freedom isn’t being taken away unjustly. They can’t interview police chiefs and undercover agents. Doors that are open to me aren’t open to them.

Truth? I don’t always want to listen to the testimony and see the hurts and hardships of the world up close. But I need to be in those places, see those things, ask those questions, so the people around me can go about their lives knowing what they need to know.

It’s a deep, beautiful privilege.

Plus, every once in a while, I get to jump out of an airplane.

JAMES ANDERSEN, NEWS SPORTS EDITOR

In a town like Alpena, there’s never a shortage of great stories to tell. Whether you’re a local coach or athlete, a restaurant or business owner, or a local politician, everyone has a story, and newspapers provide an avenue to tell stories that matter.

Newspapers get to report everyday news that matters in communities all over the U.S. Regardless of whether the news is light-hearted or more serious, papers like The News are sharing important stories every day that get people talking, lets them know what’s going on, and maybe even puts a smile on their face.

I consider myself fortunate that, every day, I get to help chronicle history in our local community, providing a snapshot of life for future generations.

STEVE SCHULWITZ, NEWS STAFF WRITER

The term “journalism” invokes many different emotional takes from people these days, some good and some bad. Many deserved and others not.

To me, journalism is a source of education for myself and newspaper readers who depend on me to understand my subject matter.

In the last 20-plus years at The News I have learned more than I ever imagined, and I am able to use that knowledge not only at work, but also at home in my personal life.

I have learned much from people who are rich and poor, young and old. Those who have college degrees and others who never made it through high school. I have learned facts from both men and women, straight and gay, religious and atheists, and healthy and sick.

I have become a more well-rounded and educated person because of my ties to journalism and all those people.

I thank God every day for that.

My primary goal is to present what I learned or experienced and share it with readers.

How they comprehend or utilize that information is up to them, but my hope is it will make them more well-rounded and current on what is transpiring around them, and act accordingly.

CRYSTAL NELSON, NEWS STAFF WRITER

When you walk into the office at 9 a.m. as a journalist, you never truly know what the day has in store for you. Sure, you have an idea of what you’re going to write based on what’s scribbled on your calendar, but you’re also just one breaking news story away of having your day upended.

In the last two years I have been back at The News, I have found myself at the scene of several of the fires that have changed the face of downtown Alpena — covering not only the fire, but capturing images of the firefighters as they fought it, and following up with business owners in the aftermath.

I have also written stories that have brought awareness to issues occurring in local governments, written pieces that keep public employees accountable for their decisions, and was able to meet those essential workers on the front lines of the earlier days of the coronavirus pandemic, when so many things were unknown and uncertain.

Journalism is a job that is meaningful, helps bring awareness to issues in our community, and initiates change.

The job has helped me grow as a person, learn new things, and go places or do things that I haven’t or otherwise couldn’t.

JUSTIN A. HINKLEY, MANAGING EDITOR

My name, Justin, comes from the Latin word for “justice.” My parents picked it by chance, the only name in the book they both agreed on after they abandoned Jason because I was born on Friday the 13th.

But it seems to fit.

I have an inherent, deep-seated belief that every person on this world — regardless of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, or where they were born –are entitled to a few things in life. They’re entitled to a fair fight. They’re entitled to freedom unless they’ve done something to void that right. They’re entitled to legal counsel.

And they’re entitled to have a voice.

Newspapers stand by all those rights, pointing out who’s David and who’s Goliath, and giving every David of this world a chance to say their piece to the powers that be.

I was born to do this, and I’m so grateful for the chance to do it every day.