Did you know that you can send in news or tips to The Express?

We have a virtual newsroom, through which many people — of all stripes and persuasions — send us summaries and photos from local events. This helps us collect and provide more local content to our readers.

Sometimes, we get people — and organizations — who will send us content for their own aggrandizement.

Here’s the catch: if the work they are doing in the community is good enough, we take the stance that their motivations are, at best, secondary to the deed itself.

It could perhaps be considered suspect if someone sends in a news item and a picture of themselves doing something.

But, if it means helping someone continue to improve the community, we err on the side of helping those people to continue to make those improvements regardless of their reasoning.

That is the path of the greatest good.

To be explicit, we are referring to the “Dems get stuff done” items that have been submitted to The Express the last few months.

Perhaps they should not need to feel the drive to call attention to their actions. Yet, it is a performance that is at least understandable, since the sentiment against big-stage Democrats has trickled down to small-stage, local grandmothers and community members who, frankly, do not deserve the level of vitriol that is frequently pointed at them.

Save that for the Chuck Schumers and Nancy Pelosis of the world, who have more than enough to answer for.

Ultimately, one of the chief functions of a community newspaper is to highlight people who are doing good work locally. It is one of the aspects of our jobs that we take the most satisfaction in, and we want — very badly — to be able to do it more.

If something as simple as “local organization does a good thing” must be politicized, we would note that many people whose stories and deeds should, by right, be included in the paper simply do not submit their news to us.

As you can tell from any time we have a staff event and post photos from it, we are a small group. We simply cannot be everywhere, and as a result, working with us, instead of against us, will result in the paper resembling your values more.

If members of the Clinton County Republican Party — or any other organization — want to go out and do volunteer work in the community, and then send that news to us, far be it from us to disallow that.

Generally speaking, we do not like to comment on things like this, but in this case, if it results in us being able to highlight people who deserve it more, it can only make The Express better for all of our readers.

Regardless of whatever other failings, perceived or otherwise, we may have — we care about this community deeply and seek to uplift the good that happens within it.