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 Need had witten severe' (unpublished)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