Recognizing the Retirement of Mark Bliss
Floor Speech
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Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of journalist Mark Bliss, who is retiring after a 40-year, distinguished career in journalism, which included over 30 years spent reporting for our local paper the Southeast Missourian. For my whole life--literally--Mark has been a stoic reporter of news both local and national, and our community has been made better off by his work.
I was fortunate to work with Mark as he reported on politics in Missouri and Washington, DC. He accompanied me to many farm visits and trips to local businesses, and I knew to expect his call when issues affecting our country arose. At every meeting, his sharp thinking and dogged determination to find the best story for his readers was apparent, and he challenged me to work harder, ask more questions, and match his incredible tenacity and enthusiasm for the people around us.
Before he ever shook my hand or typed my name in one of his columns, however, I, and many in our community, knew him intimately. He tempered his no-nonsense reporting of the news with a tender, emotional, humorous weekly column titled ``Mark My Word,'' which touched on topics including politics, business, family, and food--in one word: life. He introduced himself to readers at the same time as he informed them about the goings-on of their town, state, and world.
Mark's reporting is a perfect example of why a healthy, local press is essential to the flourishing of any community. Because of Mark's natural inquisitiveness and wealth of historical knowledge, his columns put events in context and made them matter to his community. He not only reported on current events but understood them, and he was able to report the news in a way that helped his readers understand them as well. At a time when it felt as if a different local paper was closing every other month, Mark reminded us of what local news could and should be--and why it is so important to support these vital organizations. For this reason and many others, I am sad to see him retire, but I am thankful for the long record of service he leaves behind.
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