Passionate intensity

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

I’m writing this note on Tuesday, Jan. 17. This edition will hit the stands on Thursday, Jan. 19, and then the next day will be the beginning of a new era of American political life.

I imagine that the inaugurations of new presidents almost always feels momentous (I’ve only been alive for a handful), but this date seems seismic.

It’s not just the new commander in chief or his administration. It’s a tonal shift of our entire culture. I keep thinking of William Butler Yeats’ poem “Second Coming,” and more specifically the lines “The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity.”

The internet trolls have been emboldened to come out from under their bridges. The nominee for secretary of state is an oilman who doesn’t understand conflicts of interest. The nominee for attorney general is a racist.

And many of the best and brightest people I know are scared about the future—about what will happen to health care, education, peace, prosperity, science, the arts, climate change and more.

This is an important time for people who believe in these things to make sure our voices are heard.

The presence of alternative journalism is especially important in this state, where the largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is owned by a multi-billionaire casino magnate who has a sycophantic relationship with the new president, promotes his own agenda regardless of the wishes of voters, and doesn’t hesitate to meddle with editorial content.

Well, in this time of great change, I’d like to renew my commitment to Northern Nevada to publish solid news journalism, well-informed opinion voices, and critically engaged arts reporting.

We will remain vigilant. Come what will.