Opinion
4A
Saturday, July 18, 2020
My Voice
This country
needs
independent
news sources
ou might not have ever heard of the Inde-
pendent-Enterprise, but it was once a weekly
newspaper that filled a unique place in Pay-
ette County, Idaho.
The Independent-Enterprise covered Payette
County since 1890. At the time, the Payette Enter-
prise and the Payette Independent were two separate
papers that were split by the Republican and Demo-
cratic parties. They were later combined to form the
Independent-Enterprise.
The small
weekly news-
ANDREW
paper — which
CUTLER
was owned by
EO MEDIA GROUP
Wick Communi-
cations, an Ari-
zona-based newspaper company — chugged along
for decades just across the Snake River from Ontario,
but on June 24, the paper printed its last edition and
closed its doors.
Anymore the news of a local paper shutting down
isn’t exceptional. In the past 15 years, 2,100 newspa-
pers across the nation shuttered. For many years the
prevailing industry party line was digital news con-
tent and platforms would save the day.
That hasn’t happened. At least not in the rural
heartland of the nation where, arguably, an unbiased,
independent news source is probably most essential.
Large swaths of news deserts — entire geographic
regions of the U.S. — now showcase no newspapers.
That means no original reporting is completed in
those areas. That means no one is watching where
taxpayer funds are going and why. Inside these news
deserts, no independent entity is observing and
holding local politicians accountable. That means the
people that matter the most in a democracy — voters
— are out of the loop and disengaged from their
government.
Accurate information and watchdog journalism
are the lubricants essential to the machine of democ-
racy. The founders purposefully injected safeguards
for an independent press into the very first amend-
ment to the Constitution. They did not do so on a
whim. Men dedicated to democracy, they understood
our form of government can prosper only with a free
press.
Since the fall of 2018, more than 300 newspapers
in the U.S. have failed. For every failed newspaper, a
gaping hole in democracy exists. Voters are cheated.
People are uninformed. Those who seek to under-
mine democracy — either overtly or covertly —
grow emboldened when a newspaper vanishes.
The COVID-19 virus may damage this industry
I love in ways I cannot imagine. Newspapers close
for a host of reasons, but lack of revenue — as adver-
tising slumps because of economic downturns or nat-
ural disasters, such as the COVID-19 virus — plays a
huge role in their demise.
Newspapers need revenue to pay for critical
reporting that keeps you, the reader, informed. As a
member of a democracy, voters need as much infor-
mation that is unbiased as possible. Without such
information we all are forced into corners and, often,
make bad choices. Candidates that have no busi-
ness in politics are suddenly in office — no questions
asked.
The Independent-Enterprise probably didn’t
draw more than 2,000 readers on its best days, but it
served a very important function for a small, rural
community. Now it’s gone. That troubles me. As an
editor, I worry about the future with fewer newspa-
pers and less independent oversight of government.
In this digital age, where social media drives all
types of information across the iPhone and computer
screens, I wonder, with fewer newspapers, how infor-
mation will not only be disseminated but consumed.
High-minded proclamations about the dire situ-
ation in the newspaper industry are fine but, in the
end, the simple truth is troubling enough. Without
independent news sources in this nation, our govern-
ment for and by the people will die.
And that is very, very concerning to me.
Y
About the Author
Andrew Cutler is the regional editorial director
for the EO Media Group, overseeing the La Grande
Observer, East Oregonian and four more newspa-
pers in Eastern Oregon.
Our View
Police records reform a boon
P
ressure from the public
and efforts of Oregon leg-
islators pushed the state
to publish an online database to
track public safety officers whose
certifications have been denied,
suspended or revoked.
The database is online here:
www.oregon.gov/dpsst/CJ/Pages/
Revocations.aspx. The downside
is the information only goes back
to June 30, when the bill became
law. The Oregon Department
of Public Safety Standards and
Training also created a spread-
sheet listing all officers who were
the focus of a professional stan-
dards investigation prior to June.
That is available on the same
page.
The publication of the database
can help prevent law enforcement
agencies in Oregon and else-
where from hiring people who
may not deserve to work in law
enforcement again.
For too long, people who
should not have a badge and gun
have been able to work their way
from one agency to the next with
little scrutiny from the public.
The authorities hiring such offi-
cers may be aware of their ques-
tionable history, but more than
likely the general public was not.
The new database shows the
officer’s name, agency and basic
facts surrounding what led the
state to deny, suspend or revoke
law enforcement certifications.
From corrections to state police,
that valuable stamp of approval
Letters
Lighthouse Church has yet to earn forgiveness
I read the commentary from Ms. Rector (My Voice: It’s time to stop
blaming, The Observer’s July 16 edition) about forgiving the Lighthouse
Pentecostal Church for their role in the explosion of COVID-19 cases in
our county and I disagree. The conditions aren’t yet right for that.
If someone gives you (or your community) a black eye, it’s going to
be a lot easier to forgive if they apologize for it and admit that it was an
unacceptable act, it was selfish, it was regrettable, and they’ll never do
it again. I haven’t heard anything like that from the Lighthouse Church,
and so they remain unforgiven.
Dan White
La Grande
Questioning president’s Christian credentials
Is President Donald Trump a good Christian? Well I suppose that
depends on who you ask. Equally valid to ask is if he is a real Christian?
Or if it even matters if he is either of these.
To be honest I am not a Christian, so I don’t think I am qualified to
have an opinion about this. But there are things that are important to
me, values, which are not based on faith but on my own personal experi-
ences in life and the mistakes that I have made.
I don’t know Trump, I’ve never met him or had a conversation with
him, but based on his public statements I think he is a proficient liar;
based on public records I think he is a successful cheat; based on the
public persona he projects I think he is an angry bully. I could go on, but
it seems to me that the only qualification he had to be president was the
ability to get elected.
There is a consensus that Trump would not have won the election in
2016 without the support of Christians, and that he will not win in 2020
without their support again. He has enthusiastically supported the Chris-
tian political agenda; he has surround himself with politically active
Christians; his personal spiritual advisor, Paula White, is a fiery, char-
ismatic, Pentecostal minister; and he still enjoys overwhelming support
among Christians.
So, to evaluate Trump based on his Christian credentials is, I believe,
not only valid but prudent.
Stephen Wadner
Union
is what allows someone to be an
officer in Oregon.
The database was not the only
police reform Oregon needed.
Still, the Legislature took action,
and the Oregon Department of
Public Safety Standards and
Training has followed up. That’s
a boon.
DPSST’s Director Eriks Gab-
liks has said there are “some
bad people who do want to work
in law enforcement,” and the
department has the responsibility
of working with law enforce-
ment agencies across Oregon and
nationwide to help keep them out.
Hearing that from the person
heading up such a critical compo-
nent of Oregon’s law enforcement
infrastructure also is good.
Contact your
public officials
U.S. PRESIDENT
Donald Trump
The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office: 541-624-2400
GOVERNOR
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol, 900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423, Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us