“Where do you sit at? … I bet you print 505 million newspapers. … Do people work hard here? … How long does it take to make the newspaper? … Do you have any candy?”

Those were just a few of the questions-slash-statements that the nine excited members of Tiger Scout Pack 541 of Buchanan offered up Tuesday night during a visit to Leader Publications and the Niles Daily Star.

The funny thing is, it wasn’t that long ago that I was on their side of the conversation. OK, maybe it was more than 30 years ago, but in some ways it seems like almost yesterday.

My parents didn’t subscribe to a newspaper, but it was an institution for which I had great interest from a very young age. I think it started with reading vintage comic books, where fictional publications like The Daily Planet and The Daily Bugle almost became integral characters as much as Superman or Spider-Man, respectively.

I often joke that, after I learned I probably couldn’t be Spider-Man when I grew up, I decided to try to be Peter Parker.

Another powerful memory I have of the newspaper was visiting my hometown publication, The Independent in Ashland, Ky., as a member of the local Webelos Boy Scout Troop.

I remember being fascinated by the press itself and how the hard work of just a handful of men and women turned roll after roll of blank paper into the information people needed.

I still have a copy or two of some elementary and middle school newspapers I worked on.

By the time I saw movies like “Citizen Kane” and “All the President’s Men” as a teenager, I was hooked. I knew that my career was likely going to involve writing and the media.

Was there another me in the group of Scouts that visited the newspaper earlier this week? I do not know. Will newspapers be around 15 years or so from now when they are making career choices? No one can predict the future, but my money is on yes — even if the format, delivery or production is vastly different from what we have now.

Only time will tell. The kids of Pack 541 will have to follow their own paths.

Those questions they asked now may have planted a seed that will grow into a substantial branch of their future. For me, just that possibility even means this was time well spent.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.