Observations
Dustin White

For two years, I worked as the editor of a weekly newspaper. Being a small community paper, I quickly took on many roles; reporter, photographer, copy editor, designer … While my official position was as editor, the other roles I began to take upon myself ignited a spark.

The spark turned into a passion; a passion for the history, the culture, and blossoming art scene in the Bismarck-Mandan Metro area, as well as for the Midwest. Working for the weekly newspaper, I was able to pursue that passion, but early in 2016, that began to change, as new restrictions were put on my job positions; restrictions that would negate the work I had done over the last two years.

Faced with a decision to either sit and watch the quality of the paper devalue, or be forced from my position, I took the latter. From that decision, the Midwestern Scout was born, as a way to not only continue the work I was doing, but to build upon it.

It’s been nearly a year now that I’ve been on this path. It’s been a challenging endeavor, but finally seeing this paper go to print has been worth the effort. 

There have been numerous hiccups, and in general, it has been a learning experience. But I believe that it is a worthy challenge to undertake. And hopefully the community finds it worthy of support as well. 

The purpose of this paper is to serve the community, and as such, I want to hear from the community. I want to hear about what you would like to see in the paper, what stories you’re interested in. And, if I publish something you disagree with, I want to hear about that as well. 

I’m always open to new suggestions and comments. Please feel free to send me a line at editor@midwesternscout.com or to P.O. Box 217, Mandan, N.D. 58554. I look forward to serving this community, and bringing to print what hopefully is seen as a high quality product.