Since we have government — as President Abraham Lincoln put it in the famous Gettysburg Address — “of the people, by the people, for the people,” it’s vital that we as those people think very carefully about what we want that government to be — and are willing to support with funding.

I hope you will read her column and decide which points you agree and disagree with on that topic.

But I also hope you will consider that same question with regards to journalism.

What kind of journalism do we want enough to pay for?

I certainly know how I think we should answer that … but I’m just a little biased.

Still, we need to be thinking seriously about the ramifications of the current state of disseminating information about what is going on in our world today.

I don’t think we as society are doing a good job and a big part of it is because we have chosen not to make it a priority.

We’ve allowed ourselves to be lulled into distorted views because we have turned to algorithms and other digital tools that benefit from telling us what they have determined is what we want to read.

I remember a conversation in a newsroom a decade ago about the importance of increasing digital traffic and how we had to give readers what they want.

“But wait a minute,” I remember saying. “Isn’t part of our duties as information gatekeepers to make sure readers get what they need to know, not just what they want?”

Although the response was a half-hearted, “well, yes,” the reality of a click-based business model is that readers have to be self-aware and self-confident enough to actively seek out different perspectives instead of getting caught in echo chambers.

And it’s hard to do.

It’s one of the places where newspaper subscribers have a huge advantageous over nonsubscribers.

Think about it.

When you open your newspaper each day, you are getting a collection of what the Daily Herald determined to be the most important stories, the ones that cover what you need to know about your community, your state, your country and your world. There is no changing them based on your personal views.

Some days you may love them. Others you may not care about.

I certainly hope there are more articles that fall into the former category than the latter, but either way you have the chance to see them.

I talked last week about how I love how the opinion page forces me to evaluate different viewpoints and gives me a better understanding of how others view complex topics. I have heard from some very thoughtful readers regarding their perspectives on certain columns and cartoons, but just about everyone has agreed that there is value in having voices from conservative, moderate and liberal viewpoints.

There is also our main focus, which is what is going on in Utah Valley. It’s about making our communities better by sharing great stories and keeping us all informed.

I believe that the combination of highlighting local news, touching on the most important national topics and providing a place for people to share opinions (as well as having strong sports, lifestyles, obituaries, business and comic elements) makes a newspaper a tremendous value.

I suspect this is something that resonates with you, because clearly all of you who subscribe to the Daily Herald do too.

That’s why you pay for good journalism.

I hope you see value in this product every day. I hope there are always things that speak to you and messages that help you feel more tied to your community and give you a better understanding of your world.

I hope we can find thousands more like you who also value good journalism in Utah Valley and are willing to support it by subscribing, that your friends and neighbors also come to find that same value.

Because I’m confident it is — and will continue to be — worth it.

Jared Lloyd is the managing editor of the Daily Herald and Standard-Examiner.