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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2019)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2019 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher DERRICK DePLEDGE Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager PUBLISHER’S NOTEBOOK Reader feedback is valuable T hank you for reading this column. According to a National News- paper Association readership sur- vey conducted last year, 60% read their local paper for the editorials or letters to the editor somewhat often to very often. Which means that 40% don’t often read the O pinion page and aren’t likely to read this column. And that’s OK . Readers fi nd the con- tent they are interested in when they browse the newspaper, and not all readers are interested in the same things. That KARI was evident in the com- BORGEN ments of T he Astorian reader survey we con- ducted about the Sports Extra section we published on Saturdays during football season. I shared the results of that reader sur- vey in my last column — 37% of respon- dents said they didn’t read a single issue of the nine Sports Extra sections we pub- lished. And that’s OK , too. The 63% who did read the section shared their sugges- tions and comments about the sports sec- tion, and sports coverage in general. We also asked for feedback on gen- eral improvements to the paper. It was not a surprise that respondents didn’t agree on what they’d like to see in our pages. Some of the responses: “Continue Sports Extra!!” “Eliminate it (Sports Extra) and the other useless supplements you’ve added.” “There’s too much space and resources dedicated to sports. It’s not journalism, it’s entertainment pages and I read the paper for news!!” “I would like to be able to read the D ear Annie column in every paper instead of once or twice a month.” “Inclusion of more national news on weekends would be an improvement in the paper.” “More local news and features instead of national news.” “Less articles pulled off the wire. OPB, Oregonian, Capital Press.” “Eliminate sports and add more state or national news.” “Open your eyes folks and put in some important news. Australia is burning up ... so is California.” Although readers don’t agree on what should be included in our pages — or what should be left out — our prior- ity is and will continue to be local news. Despite requests that we eliminate sports, national news, wire and comics we will still include those things in T he Astorian. A community newspaper should offer a variety of content so that readers can discover things they didn’t know that they wanted to know until they read it in the paper. Survey respondents did offer good suggestions for improvements. “Educate readers to use online edition.” “If information about all events could be posted earlier, it would help those of us whose schedules are slammed. Try harder to get out of the box and do more articles that include those not seen as much.” “Thursday events in the Thursday paper are useless! Mail delivery is an improvement.” “I would prefer that sports are inside and articles carried over from front page are put on back to make it easier to con- tinue reading.” “Love to see local stories about what is happening, but wonder about all kinds of things I never read about. Wonderful old boat in Youngs Bay last week, what was it and why?” “I get overwhelmed by the political dramas, but am happy you cover them as they are important. Especially the local things. I wish there were more community activities listed like literary and arts or wildlife activities and engagement.” “Stop with the stories that fl ow through several pages. Give us more, shorter stories.” “Suggest that the digital edition be revised for easy usage and readabil- ity. Look at nyt.com, wsj.com or ft.com for examples. Also ... if you elect to con- tinue left leaning editorials and/or cop- ies from other papers, please also pro- vide opinions and news from the right for a balanced approach. Lastly, how about a fi nancial section covering Northwest stocks and business information.” “Add more and different content. Too much repeat and you need more articles. Better editing to reduce the size of the sto- ries so more stories can be added.” “I’d like to make a suggestion about the Coast Weekend; I miss the weekly restaurant reviews; I especially liked it when the author was unknown; it would also be nice to have movie reviews.” “I wonder if it would ever be possi- ble to run a story or two about life on the street, the homeless in Clatsop Co. like who are they? W here did they come from and what help do they need to survive.” “More attention to regular summa- ries of the decisions of public boards and bodies. We need that info to be informed voters.” “I especially like the stories about individual people in our community, including people in new positions or busi- nesses, or people, like Liisa Penner, who have been serving us for decades.” You might have noticed that some suggestions we’ve already started work- ing on, while others are in the works. Feedback is valuable and I’d like to thank readers who offered to share their opinions. Our challenge at T he Astorian is to strike a balance for all readers so that everyone can fi nd content that inter- ests them. Not every reader will appreci- ate a budget hearing story, or comics, or national news or sports. That’s OK . We hope that once in a while you’ll fi nd something that makes you chuckle, or makes you smarter about your commu- nity, or gives you something to talk about with your kids over dinner. Odds are that at least 60% of you will. Have more ideas to share? Send them to kborgen@dailyastorian. com Kari Borgen is the publisher of The Astorian. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Welcome his is in response to the letter “Hard being an outsider” (The Astorian, Dec. 10). I’m saddened by your experiences with trying to make friends. You’re on a great path, with all your volunteering in order to make it happen. We’ve been here over three years, we’re close to your age, and have found Astoria to be very welcoming, even by those who grew up here, or have been here for many years. We’ve made some close friends at our spiritual gathering on Sundays, and neigh- bors, as well as those from volunteering. Keep the faith and keep trying. It’s going to happen. It just sometimes takes more time than we’d like. Best to you. Welcome to beautiful Astoria. ROBIN RODGERS Astoria T Funniest sound he word “laugh” is a funny word. If you repeatedly say laugh, it at fi rst sounds strange, then makes you smile and laugh. Try it. Your body’s feel-good chem- icals — endorphins —will kick in. Laughter can provide good therapy. When stricken with ankylosing spondylitis (spinal arthritis) in 1964, Norman Cousins, renowned editor of the Saturday Review, treated himself with massive intravenous doses of vitamin C and massive doses of self-induced laughter, including Marx Brothers movies. Cousins recovered and lived another 26 years. He found that just 10 minutes of rollicking laughter per day provided two hours of pain-free sleep. Doctors were not T sure why. When I face terminal circumstances, I’ll view Mel Brooks fi lms, lots of Monty Python, and Groucho’s “Duck Soup.” Toss in Billy Wilder’s “Some Like It Hot,” and I could die pain-free. Loud and long laughter that goes so far as to lose all touch with its motive and to exist only in itself — that’s laughter at its best. I know that Chaucer and the Bible often dish up good humor, ducks are easily the funniest animals, and I can’t stay mad at someone who makes me laugh. But whenever the impeachment trials or global warming start to daunt me, I heed Woody Allen’s Aug. 10, 1979, advice to a graduating class: “More than any other time in history, mankind faces a cross- roads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.” ROBERT BRAKE Ocean Park, Washington This area centers around the impor- tance of family and community. As an example, friends invited us to the Knappa school fundraiser. We both were amazed at the amount of money raised for the stu- dents, and the long-term dedication of the Knappa area to improve opportunities for their children. As for your job issue, please realize that rural areas today are economically challenged. Large cities such as Portland soak up huge amounts of resources. Clatsop County and its cit- ies receive what crumbs are left. But in an odd way, that becomes a positive. Vot- ers here make local offi cials account for every dollar, and often come together to solve problems without having to rely on government. I’m sorry the letter writer feels she is an outsider, and not part of this commu- nity. But my wife and I love this area, and deeply feel a part of it. DAVID and STACI BRASMER Astoria Warm and friendly ‘Are we there yet?’ n response to “Hard being an outsider” (The Astorian, Dec. 10), my wife and I totally disagree. There is nothing wrong with the people in the Astoria area. In fact, we have found this area to be wonderful, warm and friendly. We moved here in 2014. The day the moving van arrived, neighbors came over to introduce themselves and to see if they could help with anything. Through them and other people we have met, we have many close friends and social activities. In every way, we feel part of this community. Even my chocolate Lab has friends she visits to play with. A I t this time of year, many of us are traveling with children. How often the children will say, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” As adults, we often ask the same question regarding our personal life, our spiritual life: “Are we there yet?” I guess as long as we live, the search goes on. But at some point we need, for our own peace of mind, to recognize the blessings we have right now, and say, “Thank you, Lord. We are there.” JIM BERNARD Warrenton Cultural tax credit very Oregonian has the right to direct a portion of their state taxes to fund arts and culture, but only a small percent- age act on it. Here’s how it works: Make a donation to one or more of Oregon’s 1,400-plus cul- tural nonprofi ts, then make a matching gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust by Dec. 31. You get 100% of the cultural trust dona- tion back when you fi le your state taxes — by claiming the cultural tax credit — and the state Legislature invests that same amount in Oregon culture. In Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties, grant awards have exceeded $707,000, including a fi scal year 2020 award of $17,327 to the Astoria Library friends association. While the new tax laws reduced the number of Oregonians who itemize deduc- tions at the federal level, the benefi ts of investing in Oregon culture remain the same. Whether or not you itemize, your donation to the cultural trust still prompts a 100% tax credit on your state taxes. Contributions to the cultural trust are easy to make, and can be done online at culturaltrust.org. The trust can accept appreciated stock as well as individual retirement account distributions, which may provide additional tax benefi ts. The tax credit is limited to $500 for individual fi lers, $1,000 for joint fi lers and $2,500 for C-corporations. If you enjoy Oregon’s rich culture, par- ticipating in the cultural trust tax credit program is the best way to give back. Make sure a portion of your state taxes supports arts and culture. It’s a win-win for everyone. BERENIECE JONES-CENTENO Astoria E
