During the last two weeks, our new “In-Depth Look” feature has provided facts, statistics and comments by officials and others to give context to issues facing Prince Edward County’s new school superintendent and the role — and tax implications — of regional airports.

The goal of the regular feature in our Friday edition is to provide readers with enough information to draw their own conclusions on issues facing the communities we serve. Features such as In-Depth Look, You Asked and our regular reporting often look at issues that are of interest, if not concern, in the community.

Recently, a few government officials have criticized The Farmville Herald claiming we are sensationalizing things to sell newspapers. We believe a stable print and growing digital audience are evidence our work is being well received by the community.

We have been — and will continue to be — a cheerleader for our communities. However, cheerleading is only part of our job. Good community journalism acts as a mirror, reflecting both good and bad.

We should, and do, report on good in our community, even offering “Way to Go” nods to those who have contributed to the community’s success.

But we also should — and will continue to — investigate, report and, as appropriate, comment on topics that create concern. Such things may, and should, include stories about and commentary on any governing body attempting to hide what it’s doing from the public it serves.

With this mission, we strive to keep opinions out of news stories and base our opinions in this space on facts available at the time.