Is the Washington Daily News in trouble? It’s an understandable question I’ve been asked following the decision to eliminate our Monday edition and partner with the United State Postal Service for home delivery.

The answer is no. That’s true because we’ve made changes — sometimes difficult ones like above — to evolve with the times.

Most people don’t like change. We grow comfortable with habits and routines. A break from the familiar can be difficult, irksome even.

We don’t take changes lightly when it comes to your community newspaper. Some of those changes are gradual, like the shift from more world and national news covering our front pages during the 20^th century, to the stronger focus on local news in the 21^st.

The changes made this week may seem more abrupt, but they were carefully considered and implemented only to position us for stability in the years to come. They allow us to continue to produce the best online and print news products our community can support.

Our audience today is as large as it’s ever been, when you consider the readers of our products in print and in digital form. And while we must continue to evolve to remain viable, like any business, there is one thing you can count on to stay the same — our commitment to keeping you informed.

For a community to thrive, its citizens must be informed and engaged.

Community newspapers, like the Washington Daily News, employ professional journalists who live in the community they serve. They work tirelessly to hold those in power accountable and dutifully report on the good, bad and, when necessary, ugly.

In 1990 your community newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for revealing the city’s water supply was contaminated with carcinogens, a problem local government had neither disclosed nor corrected over a period of eight years.

The honor is one of journalism’s highest and it stands as a proud moment for the Washington Daily News. But ultimately, the newspaper was simply doing its job.

Our pledge is to keep doing our job, to play our role as we all work together to improve our community.

The first step in doing your part is to stay informed. Equip yourself to meet that obligation by subscribing to your local newspaper. Encourage your friends and family to do the same. Encourage businesses to invest their marketing dollars locally, where it makes an impact on our community. And encourage your fellow citizens to shop for goods and services locally, right here in Washington and Beaufort County.

Ashley Vansant is publisher of The Washington Daily News. He can be reached at ashley.vansant@thewashingtondailynews.com.