By Harold J. Pemberton III, Editor-in-Chief
Citizens of Bethel,
It is with the utmost gravity and a freshly pressed bowtie that I, Harold J. Pemberton III, assume the helm of The Bethel Truth Teller. For too long, our community has been awash in rumor, innuendo, and Facebook threads written in ALL CAPS. For too long, the truth has been obscured by the fog of conspiracy, petty squabbles, and whatever is happening at the intersection of Greenwood Avenue and PT Barnum Square this week.
No more.
This paper exists for one noble purpose: Because Someone Has to Tell Bethel What’s Really Going On. Not what your cousin’s neighbor “heard from a guy.” Not what your barber claims “they don’t want you to know.” Not what the loudest commenter insists in the “Bethel Community Chat (Uncensored!!!)” group. But the truth — carefully sifted, lovingly polished, and delivered to you by professionals who have sworn an oath (mostly to themselves) to uphold journalistic integrity.
I bring to this role decades of experience — experience that includes my years covering groundbreaking events for the Danbury Bargain Shopper Weekly and my Pulitzer-adjacent reporting on a zoning board meeting that stretched past 11 p.m. Without exaggeration, I can assure you that no one in this county — nay, this nation — is more prepared to chronicle the affairs of a small Connecticut town with the seriousness usually reserved for Watergate.
In the days and weeks ahead, you will find within these digital pages stories of immense importance: a full investigative feature on misplaced Caraluzzi’s carts, a hard-hitting exposé on the scourge of driveway snowblowers operating past curfew, and perhaps even an opinion piece or two about dogs off-leash at Meckauer Park. These are not small matters; they are the lifeblood of a community. And we will cover them as such.
So I invite you, dear reader, to join us on this noble journey. Together, we will navigate the tumultuous seas of local politics, cultural clashes, and the occasional PTA bake sale. For truth is not always easy, nor is it always pretty, but it is always necessary — and here at The Bethel Truth Teller, it will always be printed.
Yours in eternal journalistic vigilance,
Harold J. Pemberton III
Editor-in-Chief
Harold J. Pemberton III
Editor-in-Chief, The Bethel Truth Teller
Harold J. Pemberton III has devoted his life to upholding the sacred traditions of journalism, from his early reporting on the lost-and-found section of the Danbury Bargain Shopper Weekly to his current role as the fearless steward of Bethel’s most important newsroom. He has been telling Bethel what’s really going on since 1978, whether the town wanted to know or not.