Friday the 13th.

Let’s do this.

Launching a publication on Friday the 13th seems appropriate. The first edition is on deck and the calendar already has a reputation we’re supposed to respect.

Superstition can take a number. It gets the same scrutiny as everything else. Let’s see what happens.

Welcome to On the Rim, from Upland Folio. This is an independent publication about Arizona’s White Mountains: the decisions being made, the people making them, and what those decisions mean for the rest of us.

Before we get too far, you should know something about the person behind it.

I have friends on both sides of the aisle. Some are confused about where I stand. Occasionally, so am I. I’d rather admit that and do the work than borrow a position from a team and spend the afternoon defending it.

That’s the approach here. No party allegiance. No requirement to agree with the people I like. No automatic opposition to the people I don’t. And no pretending that independence means planting ourselves halfway between two opinions.

Sometimes one argument is simply better supported than another.

Our guiding principle is this:

No privileged narratives. No privileged dissent. No obligation to reach a conclusion where the evidence doesn’t support one.

That sounds a little academic. Here’s what I mean.

An explanation doesn’t get a free pass because it comes from town hall, a familiar name, an advertiser, or me. It also doesn’t become more credible because somebody calls it the truth they don’t want you to hear. Disagreement is useful. It isn’t proof.

We’ll ask questions, examine records, and give people a fair opportunity to answer. We’ll distinguish what happened from what somebody thinks it means. When we don’t know, we’ll say so. When the evidence supports a conclusion, we won’t hide behind an empty “both sides.”

This goes beyond politics. I love Jesus. I may not go to your church. Does that make us enemies? Does belonging somewhere require handing over the right to ask questions?

I don’t think it should.

That independence will build trust with some people and disappoint others. I’m comfortable with disagreement. I’m less comfortable with the idea that agreement is the admission price for belonging to a community.

None of this puts me above bias. I have relationships, business interests, convictions, and blind spots. Relevant conflicts need to be disclosed. Mistakes need to be corrected where readers can see them. You should be able to question our work without being treated as the opposition.

A letter can explain the intention. The reporting has to earn the trust.

So, here we are. Friday the 13th. A new publication, a familiar place, and plenty of questions.

Let’s do the work.

DJ Westley
Publisher, Upland Folio — On the Rim