Our newspaper, unlike many companies, doesn’t have a mission statement. Perhaps we need one.

We do, however, strive continually to define and reduce to writing the values and principles that guide us as an organization.

I share them with you, our readers, and ask that you help hold us to them.

■ Our customers — readers and advertisers — are our reason for being, and we will treat them with utmost respect, courtesy and service no matter their size or impact. We will bend over backward to meet their needs.

■ Our employees are our most important resource. We seek to work with the best and brightest, then to see that they are fairly to generously compensated, provided with good equipment, a clean and organized working environment and competitive benefits. They should be encouraged to grow, to learn and to say what they think.

■ Our stockholders deserve a fair return on their investment. We must operate with total efficiency and seek to sell everything saleable in our marketplace. Quality profits mean quality products, quality equipment, quality facilities and good employee rewards.

■ Our products must be focused on our local community and the things that impact our readers. We must strive to produce the best newspaper our community can support with a heavy focus on local news, commentary and sports and a heavy emphasis on local names and faces. We want to be “clipped” — to be in every scrapbook, on every refrigerator.

■ We will produce exciting, top-quality news publications focusing on people and events that affect our communities.

■ We will report the news accurately and without bias or exclusion.

■ We will edit and publish with integrity and with the best interests of our community in mind.

■ We will operate at a profit level that allows us to fairly compensate our employees, reinvest in our organization and stand independent from outside influences.

■ We will take an active leadership role in our communities.

■ We will do what we say we will do.

■ Above all, we will treat our readers, advertisers, employees and coworkers as we would like to be treated ourselves.