In a small town, everyone holds you accountable.

The editorial I wrote for this week's Enterprise hits the press in about two hours. That doesn't seem like much time after a week's worth of serious consideration. But the truck is running and the paste-up sheets are quickly being paginated. Print it.

The editorial concerns allegations of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest in Lodi, Wisconsin. As you can imagine, it's a highly sensitive matter, especially in our close-knit community of almost 3,000 people.

Tackling this subject as editorial fodder has prompted more than a few moments of pause for me. But it couldn't overwhelm the feelings of sadness, shame, and concern for so many people that I've also experienced.

Ultimately, I wrote the piece because I feel the newspaper can help make a positive difference. By shining our inquisitive light onto this dark episode, perhaps we can encourage dialogue and inspire accountability.

It sounds so comforting. But anyone who toils in this vineyard on a daily or weekly basis knows that thorns are an occupational hazard. As we await the arrival of the paper later today, I also await public reaction. Reaction from our readers, our leaders, our advertisers, our friends, and our critics. Sex and religion individually are nitro and glycerin...together they're KABLOOWEE! What was I thinking?! Maybe it's time for a quick vacation....

You can run, but you can't hide ... not in a small town. We're here, we're visible, and we're not going anywhere. We shop in local stores, attend scores of school events, and participate in the active life of the community. We're available -- and accountable in a most public way. Friend, coach, and neighbor or other roles we assume outside the newspaper.

This type of intimate exposure is the keenest oversight an editorial writer could desire. That's helpful because our in-house research and editing resources are either limited or nonexistent. An editorial review board of about 2,600 subscribers certainly demands your focus. From my experience, they're also not bashful about sharing their appraisals of your performance.

Often, I feel a bit like a high-wire circus performer working without a net. Carelessness is not encouraged. One misstep could spell disaster for the reputation and integrity of the paper, as well as others. There's always risk, and it's greatly magnified when you are also the paper's publisher and chief fiduciary officer.

So what's the incentive? I suspect that it's about the same in Loch as it is in Louisville. We want to make a contribution. We also want to make a difference.

Journalists and editorial writers are among the infantry units in the ongoing struggle for freedom. Democracy isn't free and it doesn't come cheap. We earn it, every day and every week, by exercising and protecting the constitutional rights that we cherish. That includes press freedoms. I believe that leadership on our editorial pages, from the New York Times to the Lodi Enterprise to the Los Angeles Times and all between, is crucial to weaving the fabric of healthy debate that yields the vibrant American tapestry.

Themes of that tapestry may emerge from the national press, but the details are often revealed in the community weeklies that dot our land. Our voices need to be heard -- particularly on threatening subjects such as sexual abuse. As long as we encourage dialogue through editorial leadership, that mission will be advanced. And the presses will continue to roll.

Bill Haupt is former president of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors and a columnist and editorial writer for the Lodi Enterprise in Wisconsin. E-mail him at [e-mail]