This is why he's the editor of the nation's leading daily newspaper.

Bill Keller, editor of the New York Times, says the worst thing that can happen to daily newspaper journalists today is that we can lose faith in ourselves. All the pundits, all the bedroom bloggers, all the post-ers and critics can't replace what we have: honest-to-gosh reporters out there, covering the actual news. Not commenting on it. Not cutting-and-pasting from it.

Covering it.

You can link to a story about Bill Keller here.

The next time Bill O'Reilly covers a school board tax increase vote on deadline will be his first.

The next time you see an "expert" Maine blogger covering your nephew's high school football game in the rain — that'll be the first time. Or standing along the turnpike with a camera shooting a fatal accident. Or gently interviewing kindergartners about their first day at school.

Yet this is what our local newpaper reporters do — for print and now on the Web. Our circulation numbers may be gradually eroding (our Web readership numbers are increasing faster) but local journalism is here to stay. Our 40-odd reporters, photographers and copy editors work hard on deadline each night to tell you what you need to know.

Are we good enough? Not always. Can we be everywhere? No. Are our newspapers perfect? Forget about it.

Are we trying our best to bring you the truth — quickly, accurately, responsibly? You bet, every day, from right here in central Maine. Bill Keller's right. It may be easier than ever to doubt ourselves. But no one else does what we do.