From time to time someone may be very kind to me and offer a compliment or a few words of praise about this modest weekly writing enterprise. My “Write Again.”

Well, now. Like most, I’m not immune to liking an encomium on occasion. That someone is thoughtful enough, kind enough, to say something nice probably means more to me than the actual compliment itself. This is probably especially true of those in the world of performing and visual arts, and those who put words to paper.

Now, do I consider myself one who has valid “membership” in such a world? Not really. Barely, at most. My talents are meager. Oh, I love to perform (as a barbershop harmony enthusiast), and I enjoy writing. In the former, I’m more enthusiasm than talent, and as a writer I often fall woefully short of those with genuine gifts. This I readily acknowledge.

All of which is a much too lengthy preamble to today’s topic. The Washington Daily News.

I’m not an employee of our paper. I’m an unpaid contributor (and would not have it otherwise), and probably visit, albeit briefly, the good folks at the paper no more than a couple of times a year.

People do — also on occasion — say to me things such as “There’s nothing in the paper.” “There’s not much really in the paper.” And the like. Sometimes they do this when passing along a personal compliment. This makes me a bit uncomfortable, and not really sure how I should respond.

Let me say this. For a small market, the Daily News does well to even survive. The competition for advertising dollars in today’s multi-media market is fierce. Never, ever, before have we had so many diverse sources for news, weather, sports and all of the subsets of the information sphere. To a traditionalist like myself, I find this world bewildering at times.

However, if you want, are interested in finding out about local and regional news and events, then the Daily News really is an excellent source.

The reporters at the paper, headed by news editor Vail Rumley, do a very, very good job providing this for their readers. They really do.

The photography, the very clever headlines, and graphic creativity in layout are consistently done quite effectively. Are there some things I might do differently? Possibly. Not that there’s a right or wrong way, as such.

I would not use prominent photos of incumbent office holders in the “How to contact . . .” feature during the political season. I feel this gives them an unfair advantage. Free publicity.

Then, in the sports realm, I would probably not use 2-3 days old game stories. I understand the challenges inherent in having early press time deadlines, but still, old news is old news.

Perhaps I would shift at least some of the features on musical entertainment off of the front page. There may be an over-emphasis, as to placement, on this.

Do any of these observations suggest that I think I could do a better job were I the “man”? My answer to that is easy: No way. Thinking of all that such a small news staff does — and does well — almost every day, is little short of amazing. It’s impressive, at the very least.

So. To conclude. I believe our local paper is true to its mission. It’s not my only news and information source, but it is a very important — much looked forward to — part of my morning. My very early morning.

I anticipate starting each new day with my morning “Joe” — and my paper.

The Washington Daily News.