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Among the continuing lessons we're learning from COVID-19 is that information, strong leadership and a sense of community are vital in times of trial. We at The Intelligencer have decades of experience in providing all three.
Today we proudly celebrate our 169th birthday. Your local newspaper was published first on Aug. 24, 1852, nearly 11 years before West Virginia's creation as the 35th state. The Intelligencer -- as is noted daily on our front page -- is the oldest continually published daily newspaper in West Virginia.
Since our founding we have recorded events of enormous consequence: a civil war, creation of our new state, battles for racial and gender equality, a global depression, two world wars followed quickly by the Korean War and then the Vietnam War. And, of course, the influenza epidemic of 1918 was reported on our pages.
For the past 18 months we've informed our community on the challenges of COVID-19. Our comprehensive coverage of the pandemic and its effect on all of us was judged to be the best in West Virginia in 2020. That's work we're extremely proud of -- providing our local community members with the information they need to make the best decisions.
Our reporters ferret out the truth and, in ways much changed since 1852, get it to our readers during a time when facts can be the difference between life and death. Our focus, as always, has been on keeping readers up to speed on local news, including our communities' experiences in battling the coronavirus.
Leadership also is vital. Our heritage at The Intelligencer is one of challenging ideas we believe do not serve our communities well and suggesting alternatives. Our allegiance is reserved to our readers, not special interests or rigid ideologies. At the same time, our editorial pages attempt to present a wide range of viewpoints. We believe you want facts and opinions on them -- not to be force-fed diets of political correctness from anywhere on the ideological spectrum.
We strive to bind our communities and people in them together rather than adding to divisiveness. We provide a forum where ideas can be discussed, we hope, without rancor.
Perhaps even more important, our stories and pictures of local people and their activities are reminders that even those with whom we disagree are people much like us, coping with tribulations, celebrating victories and always striving to protect those we love and build promising futures for children and grandchildren.
For months, there has been discussion of what the future "new normal" holds. And now, the "old normal" we've experienced since the beginning of 2019 has started to setback in, causing concern among parents, business leaders and government officials as to how this latest COVID-19 variant will affect our way of life.
As always, we have covered this issue factually, giving our readers the information they need to be educated on the issues currently facing our nation and world so they can make sound decisions for their well-being.
We plan to continue serving our readers in the best ways we can, just as we have for 169 years. Today, then, we invite you to join us in wishing ourselves a happy birthday.