Today is officially National Newspaper Carrier Day. What once was a celebration of young boys and girls delivering the daily news to your doorstep each day is now more of a vote of respect for a bunch of loyal hard-working people who function as independent contractors and contribute a vital role to getting real news into the hands of people like you who want to know the truth about what is happening in your neighborhoods.

They still serve individual homes with the same vigor once provided by the kids, but because almost all newspapers are delivered in the early hours of the morning, it is now an adult workforce.

But regardless of their ages, they provide a service that is not replaceable. They bring a product that is not tarnished by the trash that is social media. They bring you the product that can still be trusted and relied upon.

Do newspapers make mistakes?

Of course they do, but the best part of the written newspaper is that once that ink hits the newsprint it is there forever.

Social media bloggers and opinion writers can delete their messages after they have spread enough lies and hate and have done as much as they could to damage people, businesses and families. They live by the creed that if they say it often enough it becomes true. The newspaper carriers really feel they have some skin in the game, and they hold the newspaper to a higher standard.

The carriers are also one of the best sources of news as they are out in the community and frequently call into the office to report anything from car accidents to road conditions or fires.

Most people only know them as the person who puts the Eagle into the delivery tube, but they are truly an asset to us and very deserving of the special day of praise.

We appreciate all the extras they bring to us every day. There couldn’t be a local newspaper without the outstanding service they provide.

— RV