Saying goodbye to a friend and community asset

Today, I would like to say goodbye and best of luck to a friend and former colleague who has left the Palladium-Item. He is Jason Truitt, a man of character and quality, and, though he’s not really going too far, he has left the local newspaper where he spent more than 20 years.

I worked with Jason for a number of those years and was always inspired by his single-minded, no-nonsense approach. He took his job seriously and performed his tasks at a very high level. As a leader, he was second to none.

In recent years he has been pressed into the role of head reporter and “team leader,” though the team has shrunk to fewer than fingers on your hand.

There was a time when, during a newsroom luncheon, the pizza boxes would arrive in stacks. For the past six or seven years, a lone pizza would feed every employee with, perhaps, a slice or two to take home for later.

Through the years, Jason has weathered the storm and faced the adversity of a burgeoning work load, constant community criticism and a diversity of tasks and assignments with incredible expertise.

In recent years, his reporting on the pandemic, on city and county government, on school board issues and construction projects, downtown development and a myriad of other topics has been extraordinary from my view point.

Through it all, Jason was a shining light in an ever-dimming medium. Beyond that, he was a huge community asset since I firmly believe that informing the public of the workings of their government and of things going on in their community is of utmost importance to every citizen.

Jason carried the torch as only he could, with diligence and dedication.

So goodbye my friend and congratulations on a job well done. We as a community will miss your reporting, your hard-edged approach and your dedication to accuracy, fairness and quality.