Schaumburg: Journey to DeKalb comes full circle
By JASON SCHAUMBURG
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jschaumburg@daily-chronicle.com
Sixteen years ago, I made a decision that has brought me here today.
It was August 1993. I was a wide-eyed high school graduate with the rest of my life ahead of me. With two tuition payments sent, I was headed to the University of Iowa to pursue my career in sports broadcasting.
I got sidetracked, however. And a high school sweetheart was to blame. She was attending Northwestern. I was going to Iowa. This was never going to work.
So, I stayed home. Hello, Elgin Community College. By the end of September, our relationship was through. By the end of October, my patience for community college had worn thin. Hello, Northern Illinois University.
In August 1994, I arrived in DeKalb. Three-and-half years later, I left with a degree in media studies and a warm place in my heart for the area.
Nearly 12 years later, I've returned to become editor of the Daily Chronicle.
It's funny how a silly high school romance can alter life's direction. Had I gone to Iowa, I wouldn't have fallen in love with journalism – or my wife – at NIU. It's safe to say I probably wouldn't be here today communicating to you through the written word in print or online.
A lot has changed in journalism since my time at the Northern Star, NIU's student newspaper. News and information is no longer reserved for ink on paper. Now news is posted online, sent to you via a text message or hits you via a "tweet" on Twitter.
What hasn't changed, however, is the importance of local newspapers.
Local newspapers always will have an advantage over the bigger newspapers. The local paper is in your backyard. The local paper is intimately familiar with the issues in your community. The local paper serves as your watchdog. The bigger newspapers tend to practice drive-by journalism when it comes to stories on a local level.
The Daily Chronicle is a local newspaper. And Daily-Chronicle.com is a local Web site. Every day, journalists are busily working right here on Barber Greene Road and out in the county gathering news.
This is an exciting time to be in journalism. Technology allows us to tell stories better and faster. It allows us to get stories to you in a number of different ways. It allows you to become part of the discussion.
The Daily Chronicle will continue to use technology and old-fashioned reporting to bring you stories of importance – to keep you informed and updated – whether it concerns local politics, local schools or local sports.
In the coming months, it is my goal to learn more about what you want the Daily Chronicle to be and how we can best serve DeKalb County. Call me (815-756-4841), send me an e-mail (jschaumburg@daily-chronicle.com), write me a letter (1586 Barber Greene Road, DeKalb, IL 60115) or stop me if you see me out and about.
Let's work together to make the Daily Chronicle your local newspaper.
• Jason Schaumburg is Editor of the Daily Chronicle. E-mail him at jschaumburg@daily-chronicle.com. You also can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DC_Editor.
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