The ringing telephone surprised me as it broke the quiet night some 11 years ago.

My then new Gulfport apartment still seemed a bit foreign then. I hadn&8217;t lived there long, a couple of months, perhaps.

From a professional standpoint, I arrogantly felt I was on fire. I&8217;d left my job in Natchez, having earned more awards and accolades than I deserved and I was thrust into the Mississippi photojournalists&8217; equivalent of the &8220;prime time.&8221;

Lucky enough to have gained a spot at the prestigious (recently Pulitzer Prize-winning) newspaper The Sun Herald, I was feeling on top of the world &8212; until that telephone rang.

(The shock of the call surprised me a bit so I&8217;ll paraphrase from my memory of the exact words.)

&8220;Hello,&8221; I said.

&8220;Hello, is this

Kevin Cooper

?&8221;

&8220;Yes, it is,&8221; I replied.

&8220;Are you a photographer?&8221;

&8220;Yes I am,&8221; I said.

&8220;Did you once work at The Natchez Democrat?&8221;

&8220;Yes, I did,&8221; I said, thinking, perhaps the woman was seeking a copy of a photograph I&8217;d taken.

&8220;I think you may have taken a photograph of my son,&8221; she said.

&8220;Bingo, a reprint request,&8221; I thought.

&8220;Really, where at?&8221; I said to her.

&8220;It was on St. Catherine Street. I&8217;m not sure, but I think that was him under the sheet.&8221;

Instantly, I realized exactly the location and time of this incident. We&8217;d received a call that there was a car wreck on St. Catherine Street. I remember the police had blocked off the entire roadway, so the only way I could get there was to drive down the one-way St. Catherine Street going in the wrong direction.

When I got there, then Natchez Patrolman (now detective) Craig Godbold was investigating.

The photograph this anonymous caller was referring to was a photograph we published of Godbold walking by a crumpled truck, flashlight in hand with a sheet-covered body next to the truck.

At the time, the image seemed almost routine, a fatal accident in which a driver veered off the roadway, struck a utility pole and accidentally took his own life.

As I recall the image was published inside the newspaper in black and white.

Despite the fact that it wasn&8217;t played up large in color on the front page, the impact of that image was still immense for the family, as the woman explained.

As we talked for the next few minutes the caller told me how angry the photograph made her and how she&8217;d been so upset by it that it had taken her weeks and weeks to calm down enough to seek me out and hopefully help me learn a valuable life lesson &8212; that all our actions affect others.

Her message rang loud and clear.

Ever since that night&8217;s call, I&8217;ve certainly had a new understanding of the power of the newspaper and how it affects lives.

I&8217;ve had many similar experiences in the years since, but that one call has always stuck with me, thankfully.

Although her call concerned something we published as a news item, that same concern over how things are perceived applies to other parts of the newspaper, too.

Our words can be powerful. They can be powerful for good things or for bad things.

And even in our personal columns, we strive to be fair in what we say.

Others often disagree.

That&8217;s why our editorial page is really your page. We only use a few small portions of it each week.

The rest is for you.

One of the most precious, most beautiful parts about America is our ability to speak our minds.

Unfortunately, it&8217;s something we don&8217;t do often enough. We encourage you to write down your opinions, your thoughts and your concerns.

The important thing is to express your views. The newspaper can be a powerful venue for helping the community come together on topics and issues of concern, but it takes your involvement, too.

Kevin Cooper

is associate publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or

kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com

.