BY EMILY KRATZER
SPECIAL TO PASCACK PRESS
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J—My love of the First Amendment and newspapers informs much of who I am. I’m an avid reader of Pascack Press because of its professional coverage of local news.
My newspaper addiction began with the Los Angeles Times, which covered the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War—and had a fantastic comics section. My own newspaper career began in high school after the outspoken adviser I admired was tossed out by a vindictive principal and replaced by someone who didn’t have a clue. So the inmates—er, students—ran the operation.
We wrote stories and opinion pieces, created the pages, laid in the printed galleys, and took the blue-line sheets to the printer. I was hooked.
Over the years, covering local boards gave me an understanding of the human element in government and considerable sympathy for the people elected to serve. Sometimes we need to thank them for the work they do, though many people prefer to peaceably assemble, exercise their right to free speech, and seek redress of grievances.
Before the internet, newsrooms had wire-service printers whose bells alerted us to breaking news: “Patty Hearst Captured!”
The business has changed enormously since then. Newspapers lost major sources of advertising revenue just as they faced the cost of building online operations and the expectation that stories should be posted for free. Publishers also had to persuade local businesses to buy digital advertising, which was a new and uncertain proposition.
For those who complain about paywalls, remember that dependable reporting requires reporters, editors, fact-checking, and time. Many hyperlocal newspapers, including Pascack Press, depend heavily on advertising revenue. Please support their advertisers.
If you think “the media” is bad, read what has been printed since the founding of this country. Partisan attacks, exaggeration, and innuendo are hardly new.
Decades ago, however, an Australian family figured out how to turn innuendo, fearmongering, and attacks on the credibility of ethical journalism into a highly profitable business model. As a result, many people have lost the ability to distinguish news from opinion and have retreated into comfortable information silos.
Working in Southern California, I learned that celebrities are regular people who are trying to get on with their lives outside public scrutiny. Ask me sometime about Susan Marx, Betty Ford, or astronaut Edgar Mitchell, whose view of Earth from space helped make him an environmental advocate.
In Southern California, I also met a guy. Eventually, I drove my four-cylinder van across this amazing country to be with Fred Voss.
We built a family and became Little League parents and theater parents. We appreciate the work the Woodington Players put into their productions at Westwood Regional Junior/Senior High School. Through our sons, we became involved with WCTV, the all-volunteer public-access television station at the Township of Washington town hall.
Serving on the Township of Washington Community Emergency Response Team from 2015 to 2020 helped me prepare to help during disasters. I strongly recommend the program.
Our local libraries have also enriched my life through conversations, activities, and friendships. Shout-out to the Township of Washington Public Library.
With help from its Friends of the Library, residents were offered CPR and first-aid training. The library also helped organize a community walking group years ago. Some of us still stroll around Schlegel Lake on good-weather days. Exercise and good conversation are precious to us.
Our walk takes us past the home where teenagers Kevin and John Frazza were killed in July 2006. It is always difficult to contemplate. Kevin was in one of our sons’ classes at Westwood Regional, and I saw John working as an usher at Westwood Cinemas the afternoon before he died.
Kudos to the high school, which opened its doors for counseling even though the school year had ended. Our community was united in terrible grief then, as it had been following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The sadness and anger of that day, nearly 25 years ago, remain raw.
A more hopeful effort brought the community together after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Residents came to town hall to sort and pack clothing and supplies for people affected by the war.
That kind of camaraderie is why I value this township, Bergen County, New Jersey, and the United States, along with the opportunities we have here.
Ask me about the summer I spent cleaning hotel rooms in Switzerland. It is a wonderful country, but it was good to come home.
All these experiences taught me to listen and to act with compassion, in keeping with the principles of my Unitarian Universalist faith. I am thankful that the nation’s founders rejected the establishment of a government-sanctioned religion.
Enough about me. If you see me around, say hi. I would love the chance to listen to you.
Knowing other people enriches my life, and I am always looking for more riches.
Editor’s note: Pascack Press continues “In My Experience,” an occasional series offering first-person reflections from people with stories and lessons to share.
Our first contributor was Jimmy Wagner, who spoke on self-defense and the relationship between physical training and mental health.
Last week we heard from Anthony Rizzo, publisher of Pascack Valley City Lifestyle and Northern Highlands City Lifestyle and president of the Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce, on the relationships that have shaped his career.
Now we bring you Emily Kratzer, a longtime Township of Washington resident, journalist, civic volunteer, and advocate for local media. She and her husband, Fred Voss, support student theater through the Kratzer-Voss Giving Fund and volunteer with WCTV, the township’s public-access television station. Her community service has included the Township of Washington Community Emergency Response Team and local library programs.