Writer's Block

The opposite of apathy

Can we call it "voter pathy"? Because what we saw Tuesday night was the opposite of apathy.

After years of covering low turnout and ho-hum elections, how great was it to see people -- not politicos, but real, everyday people -- care so much about a race that they were actually crying when their candidate won?

For so long, we've blamed low turnout on the voters. We shook our heads, believing people didn't bother to cast a ballot because they just didn't care about their community. I think Tuesday's election should disprove that myth once and for all. People were just waiting for the right candidate. If you put strong, inspiring candidates on the ballot, people recognize that and they really will turn out.

I took almost the same message from my experience with my Maui Pine story last month. After working months on this story, trying to do my very best reporting, I wondered if people would even care. After all, the conventional wisdom is that you're lucky if a reader makes it beyond the first two paragraphs of a story. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who told me they appreciated the stories and read every word. It was a reaffirmation that readers recognize and want in-depth journalism.

The lesson? Voters care. Readers care.