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About The North Coast times-eagle. (Wheeler, Oregon) 1971-2007 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1998)
PAGE 13 THE NORTH COAST TIMES EAGLE A HISTORY OF A MODERN INDEPENDENT WEEKLY BY MARC ANDERSON Journalism consists in buying white paper at two cents and selling it at ten cents a pound. ~CHARLES R. DANA There are so many aspects of the North Coast Times Eagle (vtfiich was published from 1971 to 1976) that make it drastically different from any other publication of its time or area, that it may be beyond the scope of this essay to cover them all. The Times Eagle was difficult to pigeonhole as an anti-establishment, anti-development newspaper or as a pro development booster-type newspaper. It changed hats; or w>re more than one at a time — and thus is not easily classified. I will not attempt to designate a role for the Times Eagle I wll present its history, philosophy, approaches to issues and financial problems and let the reader draw conclusions. In the spring of 1971, Robert Stanley Need and David Lardy, two former Vietnam War (USAF) newsmen began what Need called "discussion of a singularly outlandish idea — the publication of a newspaper on the north Oregon coast." They were apparently influenced by events they had experienced while in Vietnam, especially during the Tet Offensive of 1968 Said Need tw> years later in an editorial: Tet played a major role in our determination to create a totally independent newspaper. For too long, David and I had to serve within a news reporting system that would allow no scope or latitude of coverage other than that commendable to a narrow parochial policy. .. Tet was a traumatic lesson for both of us, and one from which was generated an obsession...(we wanted) an independent publication that under no circumstances would be allowed to become subordinate to the dictates of politics, social pressure or economic coercion. From 1969 to 1971, Need and his wife (Lois) had lived in Wheeler, Oregon (population 280), future home of the North Coast Times Eagle. Need had witten severe' (unpublished) books during this time and had worked on plans for the news paper. By late February 1971, he and Lardy were ready to set up shop. Said Ken O'Toole, former staff member (and later with The Daily Astorian): "Our main competitors, the Headlight Herald in Tillamook to the south, and the Seaside Signal in Seaside to the north, were hollow mouthpieces for established interests and were not speaking out on issues that needed to come to light." And, according to one media researcher, the Northwest was the ideal place to establish a newspaper wth Need's goals. Robert Gastil wote in Pacific Northwest Quarterly, 'There seems qualitatively to be a much broader political consensus (than is usually assumed) in the Northwest...If we look at those vtfio wn elections to office, we see greater liberalism in both parties..." Money was immediately a problem for the newspaper, but according to Need, 'We found this out after actually plunging into actual publication and it was too late to consider our impet uous actions." Need and Lardy had originally planned to put the news paper out from their homes, but space limitations forced them to look elsevtfiere. In March, the Rinehart Foundation of Wheeler, governing body of the area's hospital district, made available a small building (that had formerly been a bank) in that towi and suspended rent for four months. A thousand dollars for initial expenses was loaned to the newspaper by an elderly Wheeler woman, and typewiters, desks, chairs and files were loaned by the hospital. Miraculously, a staff began to form at the Times Eagle Victoria Hawkins, vtfio had some previous newspaper experi ence (and was later founder/publisher of the Cannon Beach Gazette), was in charge of layout. Mervyn Swank of Wheeler quit his job at a shingle mill and reported to work one day. High school students Keith Dickey and Cheri Duke cut classes to wark on the newspaper, he as sports editor and she as feature writer. May 12, 1971 was the first layout day for the newspaper. According to Need, "It was a hallmark of absolute chaos." Pack ing boxes acted as layout tables. Need wrote in a second anni versary recollection (May 10, 1973): Our first printer, Hal Allen (Columbia Press of Astoria) waited and waited and waited throughout the day for the plates of this new newspaper; deadline to him had been at noon. At 10 in the evening, we tearfully called him and told him that it was JEAN-CLAUDE SUARES, 'IS NOT THE TYPEWRITER MIGHTIER THAN THE GUN?' impossible to get the Times Eagle together and that we were just going to kill the whole damn thing Mr. Allen was silent for a moment and then his voice came sternly over the phone. “Listen, I've waited this long, you people get that paper together and get up here. If I have to wait all night, we're going to publish at least one issue of the North Coast Times Eagle." The presses rolled at 3 the next morning with the news paper's first issue dated May 13.This and two subsequent issues were passed out as free samples. (Initially five cents an issue, Need reluctantly raised it to a dime but later in a mood of flam boyant populism usual with him he reduced it again to a nickel.) From the beginning the Times Eagle was careful not to align itself wth certain attitudes or movements of the times. Need felt that "neither one of us (Lardy included) wanted any part of . a partisan concept, so this ruled out clenched fists a-la 'Power to the People'...or on the other hand an 'America Love or Leave It' theme. ..or even the psychedelic/phallic splashes that are the hallmark of the underground presses." Robert Hudson, writing for Grassroots Editor ("Widening the Local Forum") felt this essential to small weeklies (the Times Eagle was originally a weekly newspaper): The opinion pages of most newspapers need more local copy and a greater diversity of local viewpoints . .readers, need leadership in the solution of critical local problems. The resources for widening the forum at the grassroots exist, waiting to be exploited. OUR LICENSE, YOUR LIBERTY Press freedom isn't an easy sell. Journalists are seldom lovable: Whether bloviating on TV talk shows, milking the tears of tornado (or hurricane) victims, or hectoring the President at a news conference, we tend to come across as smug, arrogant, intrusive, and just plain rude. When Princess Diana died last year fleeing the paparazzi, freedom of the press looked like a transparent fig leaf for the sordid pursuit of tabloid profits. And vtfien we go on about the sanctity of journalism, people tend to suspect — sometimes with justice — that vtfiat we are defending is simply our license to behave badly. What gets lost is vtfiat the great Justice Benjamin Card ozo knew: 'There is no freedom without choice, and no choice wthout knowledge At the root of all liberty is the liberty to know." And there can be no knovdedge unless people are free to ask, to think, and to speak out and write without fear. It’s only a small step from that to the idea that people must be free to debate even if what they say is wrong, foolish or malevolent, on the theory that truth trumps lies and good ideas drive out bad ones. Or, George Orwell put it, "Freedom is the right to tell people vtfiat they do not want to hear." The point is,that freedom of expression is not just a license for journalists, but your own most basic liberty Reporters are your proxies, seeking out facts and reasons that you don't have time to find out or that you didn't know were important And nobody should forget that for all the hacks and sensation- mongers v4io give the trade a bad name, there are honest correspondents and editors who pay a heavy price for trying to find and tell the truth If a country's media are filled with nothing but good news, says Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "there are good men (and women) in jail." -LARRY MARTZ Larry Martz is editor of World Press Review Need expressed admiration for the editorial style of the old Harper's (Weekly) Magazine, in which he said that "columns of opposing views were uneasy bedfellows and editors thunder ed damnation...only to be threatened and chastised by an irate readership." Co-publishers Need and Lardy used a bold Quentin-type for their front page flag, making it resemble headlines used in the 19th century western press.The front page ran four columns. Photographs never appeared on this page Need felt that wxxi- block type prints gave tribute to "forgotten artistic geniuses, the lithographers of the past" He cut many of these blocks directly from the pages of old Harper's and Punch. These woodcuts tended to compliment the lead story. For instance, in the March 30, 1972 Times Eagle, a woodcut of a Greek warrior bowing to his leader ran next to a story about a planning commissioner stepping down at the people's request — thus bowing to their wishes. In the November 18, 1971 issue the lead story was "Public Voice Victorious," regarding the Times Eagle's incorporation from a private ownership status.The wood cut carried was of "Custeris Last Stand," apparently signifying the end of an era for the newspaper Need and Lardy expressed their newspapering philos ophy in 'The Holy Writ,” a five-point statement guaranteeing access to the Times Eagle by all and fairness in presentation of editorial opinion.The newspaper first came out in small tabloid size, running eight pages, wth tw> editorial pages and the rest news and features. (For awhile local sports were covered.) This editorial function was not as highly stressed in all American weeklies. John C Sim wote in the Summer 1961 issue of Journalism Quarterly ("Use of Editorials in U.S. Dailies & Weeklies"): Counting 46 of the 50 states, it was found that 45 5% of all weeklies, semi-weeklies and tri-weeklies were said to carry editorials regularly Another 21% were said to pnnt them "occasionally." As one can gather, Need was the driving force of the Times Eagle The newspaper reflected the editor in the pre corporate newspaper sense According to Lani Wright, former feature editor CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE NORTH COAST TIMES EAGLE A JOURNAL OF ART & OPINION PUBLISHED IN ASTORIA, OREGON, 955 24TH ST. 97103 MICHAEL PAUL McCUSKER EDITOR & PUBLISHER I
