My favorite thing about Lebanon so far is the engaged public conversation I found when I arrived. New neighbors, I hope you can see how special that is. I’ve spent a large portion of my career attempting to drum up interest in civic affairs, only to watch in frustration as the public reacts in dismay after local government made decisions.
But here in Lebanon? My goodness, you folks are paying attention! It’s extremely encouraging for a profession that can sometimes feel like yelling into a void.
I’ve been saying since my first column that a strong local newspaper should hold up a mirror to the community it serves. Like a real mirror, the reflection can sometimes be unflattering. But mostly, it’s indifferent. Sometimes? It’s beautiful.
As I get more at ease with the newsroom and staff at the Record, I’ve had more time to be out and about in town. The experience I have of physically existing in Lebanon is vastly different from the impression I get reading about it online.I had the privilege of sitting down with some community leaders last week whose plans and love for this community impressed me very much.
My observation is this: the silent majority of the people who live here are extremely proud of this town and are generally happy with its elected leadership. In real life, I’m encountering private citizens who find Lebanon inspiring, who talk about it like a solid foundation to build dreams at any scale.
If I tried to get to know this town using only the internet, I would assume there might be regular protests outside the Ice Cream Factory or City Hall.
Backing off for a second, part of the reason feisty online conversations get traction is because of the way algorithms are designed. A controversial story will spread online much faster and farther than a soft, positive one. That’s not any user’s fault.
Here’s the thing -- this town does have everything it needs to succeed. We have multiple media outlets jostling to perform a government watchdog function. We have an engaged citizenry. We have city leaders who, in my professional opinion, are doing well at providing transparency and responding to stakeholder feedback, even if their decisions are unpopular. We also have the silent majority taking it all in and making up their own minds. And finally – we have a mechanism in America for replacing leaders who make grave errors in judgment.
Next week is our general election. There are many statewide issues on the ballot, and only a couple local races, so in a certain sense, my call to action isn’t immediately applicable.
Bellyaching online, in person, or in print never fixed anything. Certain successful political movements may have started that way, but only when they leapt off the page into real life.
Pay attention to the conversations around you as you make small talk in the grocery store, cafes, or post office. What do we care enough about to carry into real life?
Are those conversations in person about tearing something down or are they about building something here? That’s the true reflection of Lebanon. Those are the opinions of people who vote in local elections.
And I just bet – they’re also the opinions of the people who read the newspaper.
Amanda Mendez is the publisher and co-owner of the Laclede Record. She is the Missouri Press Association's 2025 Journalist of the Year and winner of the 2024 Golden Quill, awarded by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors. In 2023, Mendez earned the Tilghman Cloud Memorial Editorial Award from Missouri Press Association. Mendez serves on the board of the Ozark Press Association and the Missouri Press-Bar Commission. Along with her husband, Ron Mendez, Mendez has owned and operated the Laclede Record since September 9, 2026. She is an enthusiast of all things Ozarks and old-fashioned.
