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Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

 

The past two or three weeks have been interesting for our staff at the Albert Lea Tribune.

About half of our employees are working remotely from home, while half of the employees have continued coming into the office each day.

Regardless of where we are working, however, our staff are continuing their jobs in what I believe is a critical role for you, our readers.

Whether it is to help spread the word about the services local businesses provide through our advertising department or finding out the latest information about the COVID-19 situation through our reporters, the newspaper is a vital source that readers can rely on at this time.

Rest assured that though some of us are working from home, we are working day in and day out to seek answers and bring you news you can trust and to separate the rumors from the facts.

Over the past few weeks, for example, I received news tips from three people in the community who each told me they thought someone they knew or someone at their workplace had tested positive for the coronavirus. I have been in contact with the Freeborn County Public Health director to discuss further, and as we can see from the latest numbers from the Minnesota Department of Health, Freeborn County still does not have any confirmed cases of the virus.

I received a call a few days ago from a distraught woman who was concerned about whether she would continue to receive her Social Security checks during these times. After some research online, I confirmed that Social Security payments will not be affected.

I am proud that each of these people trusted us with their questions or concerns and that we are able to find out the answers for them.

At this time of uncertainty and chaos on social media, I encourage you to continue to count on us for reporting based on facts.

It is easy to come across information that is biased or that is not founded on facts, but at a time when the health and economic well-being of our families and communities are at risk, trusting those sources can be risky.

If you have questions you’d like us to look into, give me a call at 379-3433 and we would be happy to do so.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.