By MARK GOODSON — I am skeptical of the media. With the presidential election approaching in November, I am reminded that mainstream media dilutes politics into personal interest and polls, nearly avoiding policy altogether.

It’s hard to scroll the news today and feel better about the state of life in America. I’ve always had a theory that there is a disportionate amount of good things happening to bad things reported. Our tabloid culture loves to watch heroes fall, while forgetting that we were the ones who deemed them heroes in the first place.

The America I experience as a citizen of Hyattsville is much different than the America portrayed in the news.

I joined the Hyattsville Life & Times (HL&T) in January 2015 to sharpen my writing skills and support my family financially while my wife Miranda finished graduate school. I was unsure how the new role would suit me. As with all worthwhile endeavors, the benefits of serving the paper as print editor exceeded expectations.

People — whom I worked with and wrote about — made the difference. There are great things happening in this city every day. The local government is responsive to citizen concern. Our booming arts district is bolstered with a foundation for smart growth.There are new events to bring our diverse population together every month.

People make this paper. It is filled with your stories; stories of good people doing good things — hard working people, talented and creative people, considerate and intelligent people. It is the people of this city that make our local news fascinating.

It is the people who run this paper that bring the news to your mailbox every month. The HL&T board and editorial team work to ensure that each citizen stays informed. I have been inspired by their work ethic and impressed by their fastidious attention to detail.

While I am leaving the HL&T’s editorial team, I am not leaving the paper. I am remaining as a staff writer. I am proud to bring you the original HL&T comic strip in this September edition with the help of artist Wenceslao Almazan and Vigilante’s Diane Contreras. You can also visit my writer’s website — www.MarkGoodson.com — called “the Miracle of the Mundane”.

Don’t consider this a farewell, but a tribute to what we are building in the city of Hyattsville. Support your local news. Let it serve as a mirror to this passionate community we share.