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OPINION
East Oregonian
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
MARISSA WILLIAMS
Regional Advertising Director
MARCY ROSENBERG
Circulation Manager
JANNA HEIMGARTNER
Business Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
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OUR VIEW
You care, we care
uly was a reaffirming month for this
newspaper on two fronts.
The first was winning yet another
General Excellence Award at the Oregon
Newspaper Publishers’ Association
annual contest. It’s an honor to be
recognized by peers from another state
(Pennsylvania this time) for producing
a broadly excellent newspaper, from
content to design to reproduction. The
fact that the East Oregonian has taken
the top prize among
papers our size for
three years running
is a matter of
professional pride
for all of us.
The mission of
this family-owned
newspaper for
four generations
has been to inform the people of Eastern
Oregon, and fellow journalists have
commended that effort.
But awards were just the start. In
the days after, we sent out a survey to
subscribers and non-subscribers alike
asking how we’re doing as a news
agency. The questions were basic and
open-ended in an attempt to get the true
pulse of how people feel.
The results were astounding,
and honestly more helpful than the
assessments of Pennsylvanian journalists.
More than 900 people took the
time to fill out the survey, offering
encouragement to keep up the good
work, analysis of places we are missing
the mark and direct, sharp criticism of the
newspaper. Each response was helpful,
and especially those that included
detailed comments.
For those who feel we are excelling,
we appreciate the pat on the back. As a
business, we hope to meet the needs of
our customers. As a newsroom, we hope
to have their trust.
We won’t pretend the glowing
praise was the vast majority of what we
received. The rest of the comments and
complaints could be broken down into
several categories, which we’d be happy
to address.
Approximately eight percent of
respondents were concerned about a
liberal bias they sense in our pages. Most
felt that bias was exposed most clearly
on our opinion pages, through both our
syndicated columnists and cartoons, but
also through our own editorial view.
Some felt a liberal perspective filtered its
way into the news pages, including our
use of Associated Press stories and even
our own reporting.
Our local news content is the work of
journalists right here in Umatilla County,
a few of whom grew up here and others
who have decided to make this place their
home. For all of us, giving an accurate
account of the happenings in these
communities and the issues affecting them
is the top priority. Our individual political
affiliations run the gamut but have nothing
to do with our day jobs.
On the opinion page, some have asked
that we calibrate our editorial view to
the conservative region we serve. This
is Donald Trump country, the election
results show, and they feel the local
newspaper should align itself.
We frequently and often
enthusiastically endorse Republicans
for statewide and national seats (Greg
Walden, Bud Pierce and Dennis
Richardson in the last election) and try
to make our recommendations based
on what is best for Eastern Oregon, not
which color pin the candidate wears. That
same thinking led us to sharply rebuke
the corporate sales tax of Measure 97 and
several times during the legislative session
question the direction the Democrat-
controlled Capitol is taking the state.
We also whole-heartedly hope to be
debated. We do not turn away letters
unless they come too frequently (we
allow each writer to weigh in on a single
topic once every three weeks) or contain
libelous or intentionally misleading
information. Rather than expecting an
editorial board of politically disparate
people to speak for you, we encourage
you to speak for yourself.
To further that effort, we have asked
locals from outside the newsroom to
write about their life experience each
week. If you haven’t gotten to know the
world through the eyes of Matt Woods,
Bette Husted, J.D. Smith, Lindsay
Murdock and Pastor Colin Brown,
you’re missing out.
On a last note, we continue to refine
our selection of syndicated columnists
and always appreciate specific feedback.
Along with two of the more right-center
J
New York Times writers (David Brooks
and Ross Douthat) and a handful of the
left-leaning ones, we have made a regular
space for no-doubt conservative thinker
Byron York and are currently reviewing a
few others. Stay tuned.
Another complaint we heard with
enough consistency to warrant notice
is the prevalence of misspellings and
grammatical errors in our stories.
There are many reasons this has
become more
difficult — not easier
— in the age of digital
publishing, but we
will not make excuses.
We ask readers to pay
a premium for local
news and readers
expect a highly
professional product. A
typo or confusing sentence runs contrary
to our goal of publishing trustworthy
news.
One way you can help us achieve the
goal of limiting errors and confusion is
letting us know specifically when and
where you see them. Shoot us an email
at editor@eastoregonian.com, gather up
some red-marked clippings and bring
them to the office or give editor Daniel
Wattenburger a call at 541-278-2673.
It’s part of this business, but a part we’re
willing to address and get better at.
The other criticisms focused largely
on what we cover and what we don’t. In
nearly equal parts we heard the call for
more Hermiston news, more Pendleton
news and more smaller town news.
On the one hand, this is encouraging.
Readers want us to do more of what we’re
doing, just more of it where they live.
On the other hand the balance is
nearly impossible. If we ignore the
smaller towns to cover the bigger two
cities more extensively, we’ll lose their
interest entirely and not be providing the
service a newspaper should. If we devote
more of our time to each of the 20 or so
smaller towns in our area, how much do
we lose in our population centers?
Again, we’d like to tap into the energy
and interest that we saw in the survey
results. We will continue to make the
effort to report the news and events in
your communities, but if you see a story
we’re overlooking, give us a call. We’re
glad to publish reader submissions in our
weekly Your EO News page to relay the
exciting hyper-local news, and we will
dedicate reporting power to bigger issues
you see in your towns.
The Hermiston/Pendleton divide
has been a point of contention since the
1950s when the paper began covering
the west end in earnest. Our answer since
that time has been roughly the same: We
feel there is great value in both towns
learning about and studying the other.
There is much to learn from a nearby
town of approximately the same size.
We aim to choose newsworthy topics
with lessons that can be considered and
translated 30 miles away.
From a service perspective, we heard
your delivery complaints loud and
clear. Our circulation manager, Marcy
Rosenberg, and her team are going through
your specific complaints and working with
our contracted carriers to improve delivery
service on every route. Going forward,
we hope those who have had poor service
will see significant improvement. If not,
we want to hear from you. Marcy can be
reached at mrosenberg@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0828.
We have recently converted some
routes from carrier delivery to mail
delivery, which many subscribers greatly
appreciate, though some do not. We
made this decision due to the challenges
of finding consistently reliable carriers
who can deliver to our more rural routes
in a cost-effective manner. If mail
delivery problems arise, we will work
with our local post offices so neither
snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of
night will keep you from your EO.
As a final thought, we know the only
way for a community newspaper to
thrive in the 21st century is to engage
with readers and the community every
day. We do hope you will visit our booth
at the Umatilla County Fair next week
and talk about ways we can better meet
your needs. Our reader base is diverse
and wants different things from the daily
paper, but the best way we can meet
all those needs is by bringing the most
important issues to the forefront and being
a conduit for the regional conversation.
We want to be a newspaper for everyone.
So thank you for responding. The fact
that our readers care enough to take a few
minutes to fill out the survey means a lot.
The only way for
a newspaper to
thrive is to engage
with readers.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of publisher
Kathryn Brown, managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, and opinion page editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
Discipline in the White House
U
sually it takes a lot of boring
repeat.
three-yard runs and a thick
It’s frustrating to see how Trump
cloud of dust to drive any
keeps hurting his own cause and the
important piece of legislation across
future of the Republican Party.
the goal line in Washington.
The stock market is soaring and the
But at this late stage of the game
economy is showing signs of growth,
QB Donald Trump and his Republican
but that good news is never heard in the
teammates are going to need a Hail
media because it’s drowned out by the
Mary.
Michael coverage of the president’s tweeting.
During the seven months they’ve
President Trump took a giant step
Reagan
been in control of the political football
in the right direction last week by
Comment
in D.C. they’ve brought no significant
making General John Kelly his chief
legislation before Congress.
of staff.
Republicans in the Senate deserve most of
It was one of the best moves Trump has
the blame for the failure of health care reform. made and a sign of hope that he may finally be
But the president — the owner, head coach, learning something on the job.
chief publicist and star quarterback of Team
General Kelly will bring some long
Trump — remains the biggest problem.
overdue order and discipline to the White
Like a reckless rookie unable to learn
House operations, as he quickly proved when
from his mistakes, QB Trump is repeatedly
he had the president fire Anthony Scaramucci
scrambling out of the pocket, throwing
as White House communications director.
incompletions in every direction — and
We’ve written about how important it is for
then blaming his blockers, receivers and
a president to have an adult like Kelly in the
cheerleaders on Twitter for his team’s negative Oval Office, but the real issue is whether our
yardage.
president will listen to advice from the adult.
Meanwhile, for him and the GOP the 2017
President Trump is never going to change
congressional game clock is running down
his personality or stop thinking that he makes
fast.
the sun come up every morning.
It’s already August. Congress is going
But if he wants to fulfill any of his
home for vacation. Then you get into
campaign promises, or even if he wants to
September and before you know it, it’s time
push his poll numbers back into the low 40
for Congress to break for Thanksgiving and
percent range, he has to become disciplined.
Christmas.
He has to learn that presidents never
Then comes 2018 and the mid-term
slam their generals in public or talk out loud
elections. And then nothing important will
about firing generals like John Nicholson in
happen in Congress, except that Republicans
Afghanistan.
and Democrats will point fingers at each other
He has to learn to pat his people on the
and work hard overtime at getting reelected.
back, to uplift them, not stab them in the back.
President Trump and the Republicans
He has to learn what my father knew —
have to go into their hurry-up offense and
that when you have to attack your enemies
pass something important on health care, tax
your best weapons are a wink and a nod.
reform or immigration and put their stamp on
Most important, President Trump has to
it, or they might be looking at a Democratic
learn that he’s now in the business of politics,
Senate in 2019.
not the business of business.
On healthcare, it’s clear that we can’t
And in politics the bottom line is that in the
completely repeal Obamacare, but we can still end the blame — like the buck — stops at the
completely fix it.
president’s desk.
Trump and Republicans, and maybe even
■
some Democrats, now have to find areas
Michael Reagan is the son of President
where they agree, move forward and get some Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the
legislation passed. Then repeat and repeat and author of “The New Reagan Revolution.”
Open records laws cast a public light
The Daily Astorian, August 1
hen it comes to government
transparency and accountability,
open records laws provide a great
check and balance for the public, and not just
through the media.
That proved true once again as it played out
recently in Mississippi, when a simple records
request from an attorney representing a former
University of Mississippi football coach led to
the resignation of the Ole Miss coach, Hugh
Freeze.
According to Yahoo Sports and other
reports, the former coach, Houston Nutt,
felt disparaged when Freeze and leaders at
the taxpayer-supported university deflected
NCAA accusations of program misdeeds to
the prior coach and administration. According
to the reports, the most serious of the
violations — if proven true — would have
occurred during Freeze’s tenure, and Nutt
wanted that publicly acknowledged. When the
university balked, he sued.
Nutt’s attorney, Tom Mars, in conjunction
with a defamation lawsuit against the
university, filed a records request seeking
telephone logs of Freeze and the athletic
director to try to show that Nutt had been
thrown under the bus. In examining the
records, a one-minute call from Freeze’s
state-issued phone turned out to be to an
escort service. Freeze initially claimed it was
a “misdial,” but university officials, alerted
by the attorney’s findings, investigated further
and found what they said was a “pattern.”
Up to that point, the media wasn’t involved
in seeking the records. Freeze, who is married
and religious, immediately resigned and
headlines ensued.
Had Freeze been a private citizen rather
W
than a high-ranking state employee, calling an
escort service would have been a private moral
matter and the accountability would have
been between him and his conscience. But as
a public figure in a position of high visibility
and trust — especially with parents, recruits
and players — his phone records are public
and he’s subject to the same accountability as
those in public office.
That level of accountability is important in
all states, not just Mississippi.
In Oregon, legislators recently took strides
to improve records access, but there’s still
room for reform.
Among legislatively approved changes are
the implementation of specific deadlines for
responses to records requests and the delivery
of requested information that isn’t covered
by numerous legal exemptions. The goal of
the change is to prevent bureaucratic officials
from purposely stonewalling records requests.
The Attorney General’s Office will also
compile a full list of the state’s more than
500 exemptions and make the list publicly
available, while a “sunshine” committee
within the Department of Justice will work
with lawmakers and others to review the
exemptions for potential reform.
Legislators also approved the creation of a
post for an appointed public records advocate
who will mediate records disputes. The
advocate, appointed by the governor, will also
chair a newly created Public Records Advisory
Council and will engage in training public
officials on records disclosure.
The changes here are meaningful, and
as the Mississippi instance illustrates, the
disclosure there wouldn’t have come to light
without a records request and the clout of the
law behind it. Taxpayers benefit from laws that
create that transparency and accountability.
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues
and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper
reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and
products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must
be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number.
The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send
letters to managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
or email editor@eastoregonian.com.