A4
THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, July 3, 2021
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
SHANNON ARLINT
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
PUBLISHER’S NOTEBOOK
COVID changed The Astorian — for good
A
fter 15 months, the black-and-
yellow CORONAVIRUS ban-
ner under The Astorian’s front
page masthead is gone.
Finally, Oregonians are free of masks,
closures and restrictions that hobbled us
during the the coronavirus pandemic.
In April 2020, I wrote a column that
outlined our priorities for The Astorian
as we dealt with workplace restrictions.
Only our managers,
a few reporters and pro-
duction staff worked in
the office, just a hand-
ful of people out of a
staff of 35. Our office
doors were locked, most
staff worked from home
KARI
and those inside wore
BORGEN
masks, washed hands
frequently, socially dis-
tanced and disinfected workspaces. At
the time, I remember thinking that we
would certainly be back in the office by
fall — never imagining it would be 68
weeks.
The shifts in our organization over
these COVID-19-restricted months are
not going to disappear as quickly as the
banner on the front page. Despite any
misgivings I had when we sent everyone
home to work remotely, most of our staff
has been juggling caregiving, online
schooling and working from home for
well over a year. And they have man-
aged that juggling act quite well.
So well, in fact, that there’s no reason
to make them return to the office five-
days a week. I miss the camaraderie of a
full office, but in reality the work is get-
ting done with less interruptions, and our
employees are happier. Our teams will
be able to work both in the office and
from home to help alleviate the worry of
day care or time spent commuting.
Customers with appointments or
who buzz at the door will still be able
to speak with someone in our office, but
for the next few months our doors will
remain locked during business hours.
Since many employees will work both
from home and in the office, our recep-
tion area won’t be staffed all of the time.
Those who are in the building are glad
to answer the door and assist when they
hear the doorbell.
During the past 15 months, EO
Media Group, The Astorian’s owner,
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
Many employees at The Astorian have worked from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
I MISS THE
CAMARAdERIE OF A
Full OFFICE, BuT IN
REAlITy THE WORK IS
GETTING dONE WITH
lESS INTERRuPTIONS,
ANd OuR EMPlOyEES
ARE HAPPIER.
has accelerated centralizing design, ser-
vice and accounting functions that used
to be performed at each location in
the company. Astoria is the location of
the graphic design center for company
advertising, as well as the customer ser-
vice call center for the company sub-
scription services.
Through the power of broadband,
those employees, working from home,
have answered calls and designed adver-
tising for customers all over Oregon
and southwest Washington state. Online
options allow customers to manage their
subscription and advertising orders and
payments from anywhere there’s cell or
internet service. If you’d like help creat-
ing an online account, call our customer
service center at 800-781-3214.
From March 2020 through this May,
digital subscriptions grew by 83%, as
readers took advantage of The Astorian’s
digital options, including the e-edition,
daily website news, apps and newslet-
ters. Overall, circulation grew by 8.4%
during the virus restrictions, as print
and online readers found local news
important for credible updates to quickly
changing information.
Living through the past 15 months
has changed the way we all interact
and do business. In the column written
in April 2020, I could see already that
The Astorian’s business would be dif-
ferent after the pandemic. “As we chart
our course for what lies beyond the pan-
demic, we will emerge a different orga-
nization, in many ways with a stronger
sense of purpose and newly-found skills
and efficiencies.”
Post-COVID, look for The Astorian
to continue to innovate to serve our mis-
sion to our readers as the local news
leader, “committed to reporting and dis-
tributing local news and information
because a well-informed public keeps
our communities strong.”
Have an idea for us? Let me know at
kborgen@dailyastorian.com
Kari Borgen is publisher of The
Astorian.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The only way forward
W
hat American citizens are experi-
encing is a legendary tale — a tale
hundreds of years in the making. This tale
has had multiple books and films made
of it, with some variations, but all had the
same premise. As a child I believed this
fable to be more make-believe than the
truth.
Last week the curtain was opened a lit-
tle further, revealing more truth. Those
who have enough income may hire a
money manager. In true American fash-
ion, these accountants do their best to save
or invest their employers’ money.
These managers have lobbied our tax
system to have loopholes they can jump
through so their bosses pay less tax.
Meanwhile, most of Americans make
under a six-figure income, and are fined
for paying late.
This proves Robin Hood was a real
person to me. I have never been a per-
son to accept the phrase, “That’s the way
it is.” That attitude is for sheep, not free
men and women.
If we all paid our share of taxes with
no loopholes, our country would have a
surplus budget right away. Please become
a thorn in the butt of our elected officials.
Tell them to make our tax system our tax
system, not just the 1% of our population.
Isn’t that why we put them in office?
To do what we want them to do. I’m
really tired of the “all for me” attitude.
TROY J. HASKELL
Astoria
Protect our vote
W
hen asked, in 1787, what the Con-
stitutional Convention created, Ben-
jamin Franklin responded, “A republic, if
you can keep it.” Thomas Jefferson said
a democracy will last as long as enough
people care to defend it.
They already knew a government of,
by and for the people would need the peo-
ples’ protection to survive. Democracy is
better than a dictatorship. Right? Right.
Our Republic is 245 years down
the road. However, as the Liberty Bell
cracked, our democracy is developing
cracks. In the 2000 presidential election,
the Supreme Court overruled states rights
in halting Florida’s recount. Whether you
agree or not doesn’t matter. The point is,
we’ll never know.
On Jan. 6, some citizens stormed our
nation’s capital. Was there a memo mak-
ing armed insurrection democratic? To
affect change, Americans vote.
Regarding the 2020 presidential elec-
tion, no election in our history was more
closely watched and audited, and it
remained unchanged. Yet some states are
still trying to overturn it, and enact laws
making voting harder.
Fact: Voting is foundational to our sys-
tem of government. Democracy thrives on
citizen participation. Dictatorships depend
on suppressing participation.
Limiting which, and how many, citi-
zens get to vote is a supernova red light. A
dangerous slope that history shows often
leads to dictatorships.
Whose vote shouldn’t count? Yours?
Mine? In the kindergarten sandbox we
learned: don’t crowd; to follow the rules;
good sportsmanship; and the right to vote
needs peoples’ protection.
The U.S. Senate must pass the For the
People and John Lewis Voting Rights acts.
To message senators, call 202-224-3121.
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
Never be woke
I
am a Warrenton resident who occasion-
ally visits the Warrenton Community
Library. I will address any female volun-
teer working or even visiting that facil-
ity as young lady, or miss, as that is what I
have done all my life.
I am very hard-pressed to accept that I
am not supposed to comment to someone
else in that facility that I asked the vol-
unteer woman a question that she did not
have a quick answer to as being verbally
abusive, because it is gender specific if I
use the word “her” instead of “them.”
Give me a break.
You can be a political activist all you
want. I challenge you to sue me in court
for using a gender-specific word such as
“her,” when that has been how I was edu-
cated in the 1950s. I am sick and tired of
people telling me that I must change my
vocabulary because some of my words are
grossly offensive to some people.
I will never be “woke,” and I object
in the most strenuous way that anyone
is offended by some words I have used
all my life, and now they demand that I
change my words to fit their desires.
If you do not like words I use, you
can verbally challenge me to my face if
you hear them, and I will challenge you
right back that I am offended that you are
offended. Wait till you hear the nouns I
use to respond to you with.
SCOTT WIDDICOMBE
Warrenton