Context, understanding and connection in pursuit of strong communities

Hello, my name is Jim Burke and I am the newly named president of Iowa SourceMedia Group. As president, I fill the roles of publisher of The Gazette newspaper and general manager of KCRG-TV9, and am responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of each.

Iowa SourceMedia Group is one of the three business units within The Gazette Company. Chuck Peters remains the CEO of The Gazette Company and will focus his efforts moving forward on acquisitions and corporate governance.

I grew up and worked most of my career in small communities in northern New York. I married a Midwestern girl who wanted to live closer to her family in Iowa. I wasn't sure we could make it happen but promised to visit often (which we did). Six years ago, I was fortunate enough to find a job with The Gazette Company and we moved to the Corridor. We are thrilled to be here and part of this vibrant region that is big enough to have all the amenities of a larger city with the welcoming charm of a small town.

I believe our region is stronger together and am energized by the pursuit of continuous improvement of self and community. I am a member of several local organizations including Downtown Rotary, Willis Dady Emergency Shelter Board and the Iowa City Chamber Education Committee. Today, I am writing as the Publisher of The Gazette newspaper.

Editorial Board Changes

Joe Hladky, Elizabeth Schott and Chuck Peters are leaving our editorial board to focus on corporate activities. They will be replaced by myself, our Executive Editor Zack Kucharski and our Community Networks and Engagement Manager Quinn Pettifer.

What can you expect from The Gazette?

The overarching goal of The Gazette is to help our communities to improve, with the understanding that most, if not all, 'improvements' require some trade-offs. Every person and every community has limited resources of time, money and energy. Our objective is to provide context, understanding and connection to facilitate informed decisions as we pursue a better place to live.

Trust

Our business model depends on trust. The folks we interview must trust us enough to provide context and transparency, our audience must trust that we will present information from appropriate sources to ensure context and understanding, and our advertisers must trust that we will provide solutions which meet their needs. Trust is hard to earn and easy to destroy. The Gazette is a wonderful product made by talented, dedicated and caring employee-owners who try hard every day to earn your trust.

We welcome your feedback when we do something well and when you feel we have missed the mark. Both are important for our continuous improvement. We look forward to many years of collaboration and growth as we collectively pursue a stronger community. Thank you for your loyal readership and contribution to our community.

Sincerely — Jim Burke, Publisher

• Comments: jim.burke@sourcemedia.net

Opinion content represents the viewpoint of the author or The Gazette editorial board. You can join the conversation by submitting a letter to the editor or guest column or by suggesting a topic for an editorial to editorial@thegazette.com