I have a pretty steadfast rule against putting our staff or our staff’s families in the paper, extending as far as no pictures of family pets.

However, even the most constant rule may be bent from time to time if the situation warrants.

On July 23, I accepted one of the most humbling awards of my professional career, a Golden Dozen Award from the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE).

Pronounced is-win-E or ice-wine depending on who you ask, the organization itself has a long, storied history and has members mainly from the United States, but also from Canada, Nepal, Ireland and more.

Founded in 1955, the organization’s mission is to promote independent editorials, news and leadership; assist in the exchange of viewpoints of community editors; advocate for ethical, community journalism; champion continued vitality and responsibility of a free press; promote and support research to improve community journalism; and develop community journalism to help foster mutual understanding and freedom of the press in all nations.

Phew, that was a lot of typing “community journalism.”

ISWNE has been housed at three other universities, but its current home is at Missouri Southern State University. My involvement stems partially from that, as my former boss and current designer both attended MSSU and were taught by Chad Stebbins, executive director. Who really got me in the door though, are two of my Ozark Press Association peers — Gary and Helen Sosniecki.

These two have a long history of small-town newspaper ownership in the Missouri area, and Helen’s persistence each time I saw her finally convinced me to use the one-year trial membership and enter the editorial- writing contest.

I entered the maximum two pieces, and the one that caught the judge’s eye was my column on the Barry County Sheriff’s Office’s need to pass a law enforcement sales tax.

A good column does a few things. First, it presents a problem. In this case, the column leaned heavily on the Sheriff’s Office’s biggest challenge — staffing.

The second piece to the puzzle is the why. What are the contributing factors to this problem and how severe is the problem overall?

Finally, a fleshed out opinion piece has to end with the most important thing — a solution.

According to the judge, my piece titled “When you call, will they come?” addressed a question nearly every rural journalist has faced at one time or another. However, he said the way I presented the issue and called for a direct way to fix it made my piece stand out among the rest.

Out of 118 total entries in the contest, mine placed in the top 12.

The recognition, deserved or not, is as humbling as it is satisfying. More satisfying, as it turned out, were the professional connections I made during the two days I was at the conference.

The lifetime achievement award this year went to Paul MacNiell, owner of a newspaper on Canada’s Prince Edward Island. Most notable was his recent 40,000-word investigating report on drug use and mental health in his coverage area.

I interacted with MacNiell during our editorial critique session, where five or six papers’ editors trade issues and give one another feedback. His advice for each paper, ours included, was spot-on, and you could tell from the time he walked in the room he knew what he was doing.

It’s journalists like MacNiell that serve as an inspiration to me these days. We are here first to report the news factually and fairly, and when the opportunities arise, we can be a force for progress within our communities.

MacNiell’s coverage of the drug issue was journalism that led to greater mental health funding on Prince Edward Island and, hopefully, long-term gains in the battle against addiction.

I hope that same long-term success finds Barry County, as the tax measure I wrote about passed last year and is now in effect.

The press plays an important role in rural areas, and I hope to continue to use this space to provide perspective and analysis of news, to call for action when needed and to know when things aren’t broke, don’t try to fix them.

Kyle Troutman has served as the editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014. In 2017, he was named William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers, and in 2022, he won a Golden Dozen Award from ISWINE. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or ktroutman@cherryroad.com.