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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, dEcEmbER 12, 2020
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
WRITER’S NOTEBOOK
Virus project aims to connect community
T
his year has been relentless.
We’ve seen businesses close.
Events canceled. Sports post-
poned. Lives lost. Dreams deferred.
It can be easy to forget all the
ways people on the North Coast have
adapted during the coronavirus pan-
demic. Hosting events on Zoom.
Donating time and money to those in
need. Staying the course when it’s hard
to see an end.
“Hunker/rise/surge: Coronavirus
2020,” a special section
produced by The Asto-
rian, seeks to show how
the North Coast has
managed the pandem-
ic’s unrelenting waves
and where it goes from
here.
JONATHAN
The project will visu-
WILLIAMS
ally show how the virus
has reshaped the region
and how locals have adapted. Through
interactive content with readers, it will
show leaders on the North Coast what
people want going into 2021.
Readers will have a chance to be a
part of the project through submitting
photos of themselves wearing masks.
The photos will be used with others on
the cover. Readers can also write what
they want local leaders to know and do
about the virus going into 2021, as well
as what readers are looking forward to
in the new year and how they’ve man-
aged through this year. Teachers, stu-
dents and those who have lost jobs will
also have a chance to contribute.
Hailey Hoffman, The Astorian’s
visual journalist, will take portrait-style
photographs of local restaurant and
business owners. Hoffman will select
images from this year that strikingly
show the biggest moments related to
the coronavirus.
John Bruijn, The Astorian’s produc-
tion manager, will work with the team
in designing a timeline of notewor-
thy events related to the virus that uses
Hoffman’s photos to illustrate it.
Many have faced incredible hard-
ships this year. One thing the coro-
navirus has starkly made clear is the
already existing issues in Clatsop
County: affordable housing, child care
and homelessness. The project will
include a focus on local health care
workers, social service agencies and
nonprofits that have helped those in
need, as well as those who have lost
jobs. There will also be a section of
quotes from local teachers and students
on how learning has changed and what
they’ve done to adapt.
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
A nearly empty Commercial Street in downtown Astoria in March. Many businesses and restaurants closed or were only open for takeout
because of coronavirus restrictions.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Go to: bit.ly/hunkerrisesurge
Participants will be entered into a drawing for a gift card to a local restaurant.
Questions? Contact Jonathan Williams at jwilliams@dailyastorian.com or 971-704-1720.
Alyssa Evans, the editor of Coast
Weekend, will show how local arts and
culture organizations have adapted,
what they’ve lost and what they’ll
carry with them as they move forward.
Gary Henley, The Astorian’s sports
reporter, will show how local athletes
have persisted through the virus. He’ll
also talk to college and professional
athletes with ties to the North Coast on
what life has been like since the start of
the pandemic.
Time and life march on even as
virus restrictions come and go. The aim
of this project is to document a remark-
able moment in the North Coast’s his-
tory for readers of today and tomorrow
to look back on. While residents tee-
ter on the edge of a new year filled with
its own challenges and possibilities for
change and a return to normal, now is
the time to look back on where we’ve
been.
Most things only last as long as
those who care to support them. This
project succeeds if people write about
what matters to them and how next
year can emerge as one of the North
Coast’s strongest. We hope you’ll
choose to participate.
Jonathan Williams is the associate
editor of The Astorian.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Freedom of speech
T
he Astorian needs to reevaluate the
process it uses to decide which opin-
ion letters to publish.
I strongly believe in freedom of speech
and the importance of hearing viewpoints
other than my own, but recently The Asto-
rian has published multiple opinion letters
that blatantly disregard facts and spread
misinformation to citizens, despite saying
that it will edit for “factual accuracy.”
As conservative bots on social media
will tell you, you are entitled to your own
opinions, not your own facts. The Astori-
an’s opinion section has become a place
for conspiracy theorists to spread false
ideas about mass voting fraud (only in
states that turned blue, apparently), and
The Astorian has been enabling them and
helping spread these theories.
A statement from the Cybersecurity
and Infrastructure Security Agency on
behalf of top federal and state election
officials, including some nominated by
President Donald Trump, confirmed that
this was the “most secure election in U.S.
history.”
There was no mass voter fraud. The
lawsuits have failed. States have recounted
and certified their vote tallies. There is no
question of who won this election, and
The Astorian needs to stop giving con-
spiracy theorists a platform to spread
misinformation.
Opinion sections are meant to voice
opinions, not invent facts. It’s time that
The Astorian stops giving a platform to
voices trying to undermine our democracy.
JENNA TRAVERS
Astoria
Misguided priorities
S
o, while America enters a worse-case
scenario phase of the pandemic, the
Trump administration is hosting multiple
holiday parties for supporters.
Couldn’t we use that money to equip
pharmacies across the country with
COVID-19 vaccine-ready refrigerators
instead?
DONNA LEE ROLLINS
Astoria
Very real problems
T
o Suzanne Weber: Congratulations to
you in your election as the represen-
tative of Oregon House District 32. While
I did not vote for you, you certainly have
the opportunity to earn my vote over the
next two years. A great start would be your
willingness to address two very real prob-
lems in our Oregon elections.
Candidates should be concerned with
serving the needs of the voters in their dis-
tricts. Our District 32 campaign attracted
such a huge amount of outside money for
both parties that, regardless of which can-
didate won, voters are now left to wonder
how much influence those donors have on
the winner.
Representative-elect Weber, please
show you are unencumbered by the
demands of outside donors by support-
ing strict campaign finance limits. Voters
will be more likely to trust legislators if we
make this change.
You claimed in your campaign to be an
independent forced by our current elec-
tion model to run as a Republican. You
would have been able to run a more hon-
est campaign as a candidate with indepen-
dent views if Oregon switched to a ranked
choice system.
You can prove your independence by
putting your full support behind this mea-
sure as well. An added bonus: Studies sug-
gest campaigns in ranked choice elections
take on a more conciliatory tone, and run
fewer attack ads. Wouldn’t that be great.
Good luck in the hard work it will take
for our state and our district to not only
recover, but to thrive. We depend on you.
CHERYL CONWAY
Astoria