A few weeks ago, a Record reporter suggested we take a different tack for a New Year’s resolution editorial. Instead of doing the regular piece about what we think government can do better, how about some self-reflection for a change? Where did the newspaper fall short in 2014 and what can we do to improve?

I believe my first thought was, “Well you can start by going back to your desk and focusing on finishing up that Langley story.” New Year’s resolutions are like fresh fish: if you don’t eat it right away, it begins to stink, usually within just a few days.

Personally, I loathe them. Yet honest self-inventory is the keel upon which all personal improvement is built. One of a newspaper’s primary functions is as a government watchdog, hence our annual opinion pieces on the need for transparency, but we can and should turn the spotlight on ourselves.

First and foremost, The Record’s single greatest aim should always be bent toward one thing — producing quality journalism, the kind that really matters. Small newspapers lack the financial resources of large metropolitan dailies. Simply put, we’ll never be able to afford to send a reporter to the South Pacific for in-depth pieces on climate change or have a small team work for six months on a single investigative piece. Record staff writers are usually working on two to three stories a day.

But, our handicap is not absolute. It requires better planning on our part, and the fortitude and perseverance to work on the big stories while we’re filling the paper with the day-to-day stuff of life on South Whidbey. We do a good job producing a cross-section of news, but we can do better when it comes to investigative pieces. Our readers deserve no less.

On a similar note, our glasses could use a cleaning for we were late on the biggest story of the year — the financial crisis at Island Transit. We’ve covered the issue in depth, but the truth is that was only after agency officials came clean. That should not have been the case. The construction of a $22.4 million new headquarters was our cue to take a close look at the organization’s books. We may not have uncovered the deep-seated financial problems that led to Island Transit’s near collapse, but at least we wouldn’t have been caught with our pants down.

Finally The Record, like all newspapers, needs to remain flexible to a continually changing industry. Readers increasingly rely on online media to get their news, including social media. We could do a better job adjusting to this shift, myself especially. It’s time to put away my personal aversion to such applications and work to better satisfy reader needs.

So there it is, our pledge to keep our nose to the grindstone and keep the fish smelling fresh. Happy New Year.