"If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out."

I have a long-standing love affair with print journalism. It hasn't always been easy, being in love with the news media: I've experienced the highs of late-night high school paper production meetings and the lows of trying to stay loyal to the increasingly lousy San Francisco Chronicle. And then there is the ink that always, always gets on your fingertips and your clothes. Still, I love the smell of that gray newsprint, the look of the seraph font, the drop caps, the photo captions and of course, the awesome, sometimes ridiculous headlines. Especially now, when the Internet is so clearly kicking print media's butt, when it seems like online news is increasingly the best source for up-to-date information, I feel a nostalgic pull for the feel of the morning paper in my hands.

My intense love of all things print makes me wonder, then, how I never heard of this woman. Nancy Maynard was the first black female reporter for the New York Times. She founded an institute to train minority reporters, editors, and publishers. She freaking OWNED the Oakland Tribune for nine years. OWNED. I don't think I've heard of a single person (as opposed to a corporation) owning a newspaper since William Randolph Hearst. Not only was Maynard obviously an awesome feminist hero, she was a damn good reporter too. She was famous for her adherence to journalistic objectivity and accuracy, saying, "if your mother tells you she loves you, check it out."

Now obviously this blog isn't much for journalistic objectivity and accuracy, but I just wanted to bring your attention to this amazing lady. Maybe y'all already knew about her - I am often late to the party when it comes to social heroes. And speaking of heroes, I wonder if Nancy Maynard and Helen Thomas knew each other?