This is the mission statement for the Yakima Herald-Republic:

“To provide the most relevant news and information essential to promoting civic engagement, public accountability and ‘quality of life’ for our Yakima Valley community.”

It’s painted on a wall outside the newsroom. When I interviewed at the Herald about a year ago, I stopped to admire it.

Journalists walk past it several times a day. And during their journeys, they’ve clearly absorbed it.

Why else would you spend months re-examining the suspicious death of an 18-year-old Yakima girl?

Why else would you spend hours listening to the anguished stories of Native families whose mothers, daughters and sisters disappeared?

Why else would you make dozens upon dozens of open records requests from the city government in Wapato?

You do it because it’s your mission.

You do it because you live here. Because you care desperately about the health and well-being of your family, friends and neighbors.

You do it to provide them with the news and information they need to make informed decisions on election day, to make sure their tax money is spent responsibly, and to hold elected and civic leaders responsible for their actions.

You do it so they can share in the community’s victories and mourn its losses.

The Herald is a local newspaper. We cover the Yakima Valley. So far this year, more than 70 percent of the front-page stories we’ve published have been generated by Herald journalists.

But sometimes, as a result of our mission, we carry state, national and international news stories of vital importance to the Valley. Stories about the trade war with China, for instance. Or immigration. Because agriculture and trade drive this economy.

When that happens, we are invariably accused of publishing fake news.

By definition, fake news is a deliberately false story masked as news in order to influence political opinion.

We don’t publish fake news. We identify our sources, provide multiple voices whenever possible, and tell you how we know what we know.

The news services we carry adhere to the same journalistic standards.

Herald reporters, photographers and news editors don’t care about influencing political opinion; our mission is to provide the information the people of this community can use to influence political opinion.

Unsubstantiated claims of fake news hurt local newspapers. They give readers a reason to walk away, depriving newspapers of financial resources.

What happens when papers make deep newsroom cuts or go out of business? People suffer — real people who work at those newspapers.

When they’re out of work, they can’t afford to buy cars at your dealerships, eat at your restaurants or splurge on a night out at your brewpubs.

But they’re not the only ones who pay a price.

Research shows that when newspapers decline or close, people become less engaged with their communities, rely more on national news outlets and become more polarized.

Fewer candidates run for office, governments spend more and become less efficient, and corruption increases.

Is that what you really want? Or do you want a community where Phil Ferolito’s reporting prompts the Yakima Police Department to review the death of Sofia Ramirez?

Where Tammy Ayer’s reporting on murdered and missing indigenous women gives voice to the voiceless?

Where Lex Talamo’s reporting on Wapato city government uncovers unethical behavior by the city administrator and ultimately leads to his removal?

Our mission at the Herald is to provide the most relevant news and information essential to promoting civic engagement, public accountability and quality of life for our Yakima Valley community, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.

There’s nothing fake about it.

Greg Halling, a former Kansas journalist, is managing editor of the Yakima Herald-Republic in Washington. This was a talk he delivered to the Sunrise Rotary Club on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Street Fair is Sept. 28 in Salina

The Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair takes place Saturday, Sept. 28 in and around the Smoky Hill Museum at 211 W. Iron Avenue in downtown Salina. The Street Fair is a free day of celebration with music, participatory crafts and activities, demonstrators, food vendors and the museum itself.

The celebration begins at 10 am with the traditional parade. Due to construction on Santa Fe, the parade will go down Seventh Street from Elm to South Street by the Masonic Temple. The parade will feature bands, dancers, businesses and much more.

Watch the Sept. 26 issue of the I-R for more information.