'Aldrig Bättre!'
With this issue of Nordstjernan and Vestkusten, we bring you something new and different: a combined, truly nation-wide newspaper—the largest independent Swedish-American periodical in the U.S. (Actually, competition is scarce these days.) This combined periodical will have a slightly different format, remain tabloid-size, is printed on better paper and on both coasts to avoid a postal delay. Indeed, the latter change will bring advantages to the growing national audiences of both newspapers.
I wrote this in 2007 after it had been decided that Nordstjernan, founded in 1872, was to continue the legacy of Vestkusten, founded in 1886, after publication of Vestkusten ceased in San Francisco.
The way I see it
Nordstjernan is and always has been an institution. Institutions have no owners, no principals other than their audiences, their constituents, who in essence "own" them. That makes me, for instance, more of a caretaker, just as Barbro Sachs Osher was a devoted, hard working caretaker of Vestkusten for so many years. We have equally hard working help to accomplish the task of safeguarding these institutions, but they (the institutions) will in reality never be stronger than their audiences, the real principals—you, the reader and fellow Swede or Swedish American.
It brings me immense joy with this issue to once again tie together the histories of Vestkusten and Nordstjernan—always part of the same universe. Muriel Nelson Beroza’s article on the Alexander Olsson family, truly a dynasty in the west will put our contributing editor Ted Olsson in perspective. Ted, a third generation Olsson involved with the Swedish American newspaper business, is an immense resource for all of us, as is Muriel herself.
Never better!
In calendar years, we’re entering our 142nd consecutive year of publishing in 2014. Things have changed drastically since our start but never faster than since that issue in December 2007, and they will continue to change. Change, as we all know, isn't necessarily good or bad, but it becomes what we make of it. We live in fascinating times to make the best of change, a time when we can share our thoughts and actions easily. It’s never been easier to communicate over state or country borders, over generations, groups or organizations—there truly is “… neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,” to use a relevant fraction of Rudyard Kipling’s Ballad of East and West of 1895. We have the tools today to reach out and make our institution a forum for our interests, for ourselves, for what matters to us. We just have to continue to raise the bar and look beyond what is today.
At no other point in time did the individual—person or organization—possess better means to communicate his or her opinion fully and freely to a large group of recipients.
Nordstjernan is no exception. In addition to offering the framework of summaries of Swedish and Swedish American news and a selection of columnists that together bring a variety of viewpoints to the pages, we’ve successfully launched easy-to-use platforms to share stories and images, communicate with readers, friends and contributors, and have simultaneously over the last few years created an unequalled presence in a variety of rich and social media.
I took some of the words above from my original message of 2007. It was easily done—I ”own” the words, and besides, I still feel the same. The difference is that we now reap the benefits of all the work that went into setting up new platforms and systems to engage the many people we interact with, these days on a daily basis. Whether in print or digitally we reach more people today on a daily, weekly and monthly basis than Nordstjernan has since the 1940s or 1950s.
Publishing has never been more fun, and to use a greeting by the late Franklin Forsberg, former Ambassador, successful publisher, creator of grand institutions, friend and supporter, rest assured and in peace [for it’s truly been] never better!
Privilege and obligation
The road ahead won’t always be easy, but then again, happiness is really about the anticipation along the way. Everything we do, we do to make it easier to deliver a better publication, to create new means of contact and to support the individuals and organizations in Swedish America. And at no point in history were the tools more appropriate or the times better than right now to make good things happen for the preservation of updated traditions and the safeguarding of our heritage into the 21st century. Upholding this is indeed both our privilege and an obligation.
“One for all …”
There are many different kinds of interest groups in Swedish America. Nordstjernan is there for all of us, not just the few. Nordstjernan is a forum for discussion and a living bulletin board for Swedish-America, and one thing is certain: We will continue to increase our coverage of life in Sweden and Swedish-America today.
At the pace things change these days it is our wonderful fate to be at the beginning, in all areas. “Most things still remain to be done—a glorious future!” is one of the phrases coined and lived by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, a role model for us all. (Excepting chocolate and a few other items in the shops ...)
We hope you’ll enjoy our upcoming changes as much as you seem to have enjoyed what we’ve done so far. Let me know what you think, in a regular letter or via email, through editor@nordstjernan.com.
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson
Publisher, Swedish News, Inc.
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The Editor & Publisher
Inte som andra bloggar.... this entry will be sometimes in Swedish, sometimes 'på svenska' - Just så händelsrikt är livet som utgivare av Amerikas äldsta och numera enda Svenska tidskrift.
Här ovan poserar jag “on location” kl 6 på morgonen i Minneapolis St. Paul för två år sedan. Henrik Olund tog bilden som förberedelse för en porträttbild av Vice President Walter Mondale. (Det var en bra intervju med en bra person) Jag skriver sällan med byline i Nordstjernan men jag är alltid ansvarig för innehållet, även om jag inte alltid håller med om allt.
(PS. Intervjun med Mondale hittar ni på nordicreach.com DS.) |