4A |
SATURDAY EDITION
| JANUARY 25, 2020
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
The First Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law respect-
ing an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Govern-
ment for a redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
USPS# 497-660
Meeting the challenges faced by community papers
If you look in the top
left corner of the front
page of this newspaper,
you’ll see a special logo
celebrating the 130th an-
niversary of the Siuslaw
News.
Recently, I had the op-
portunity to speak on this
subject, and the partic-
ular challenges faced by
community newspapers
like the Siuslaw News and
the Cottage Grove Senti-
nel, where I am also the
managing editor.
Truth be told, com-
munity newspapers have
been hit particularly hard
by the economic chal-
lenges confronting local
journalism, which raises
questions about whether
these papers still serve as
the lynchpins of local re-
porting in their commu-
nities into the future —
or whether other types of
outlets will step up to take
their place.
Harvard University’s
Neiman Journalism Lab
recently conducted a
study that explored which
types of news outlets are
the most significant pro-
ducers of journalism in
100 randomly sampled
communities across the
U.S.
The study produced
an inventory of all me-
dia outlets located within
these 100 communities,
and gathered a week’s
worth of news stories
found on these outlets’
home pages (which was
more than 16,000 stories
in all).
Each story was an-
alyzed to determine
whether they met each of
the following three crite-
ria:
1) Was the story origi-
nal?
2) Was the story local?
3) Did the story ad-
dress a critical informa-
tion need?
The results showed
that, despite the econom-
ic hardships that local
newspapers have en-
dured, they remain — by
far — the most significant
providers of journalism
in their communities.
And while there had
been predictions that
online-only journalism
would compensate for the
cutbacks and closures af-
fecting local print news-
papers, the study showed
that those expectations
have fallen well short of
predictions.
The study found, for
instance, that while local
newspapers accounted
for roughly 25 percent of
the local media outlets in
the sample, they account-
ed for nearly 60 percent
of the original news sto-
ries collected in the 100-
city sample. In fact, local
newspapers
produced
more of the reporting in
their communities than
television, radio and on-
line-only outlets com-
bined.
When the results were
compared, online-only
news sources accounted
for just 10 percent of orig-
of journalists working for
them has been cut in half,
according to research by
the University of North
Carolina’s School of Me-
dia and Journalism.
This has led to the rise
of “ghost papers,” which
are papers produced out-
side of their communi-
ties and patched togeth-
er with canned news. In
many cases, communities
across the country have
been left without any lo-
cal paper at all.
Number 2 in this un-
fortunate trifecta:
2) The two-edged sword
of social media.
On the plus side, social
media has allowed small-
er newspapers like this
From the Editor's Desk
Ned Hickson
inal news content within
their communities.
Guess where 60 percent
of the remaining content
came from?
That’s right: Communi-
ty newspaper sources.
Over the course of the
last 10 years, the newspa-
per industry was hit by a
trifecta of challenges.
1) Rising cost of
newsprint.
A months-long spike in
the price of paper, driven
by federal tariffs on Cana-
dian suppliers, slammed
newspapers and drove
the costs of news print
into double-digit increas-
es beginning in 2017 and
lasting through late 2018.
Newsprint is typically a
publication’s second-big-
gest operating expense
after labor. The result was
a wholesale cutting of
journalists at newspapers
across the country.
According to News
Media Alliance, nearly
half of the 272 newspaper
publishers surveyed said
they had laid off news
staff as a direct result of
newsprint price increas-
es.
In addition, some 71
percent said they had also
cut back the number of
pages they published each
day.
Publishers reported an
average annual newsprint
cost increase of $176,818
Over the past 15 years,
more than one-in-five
newspapers in the U.S.
has closed, with half of
those closures occurring
in the last four years. And
for the papers that re-
mained open, the number
one to be more relevant
and timely by providing
us a way to share import-
ant information and news
stories on a daily basis by
posting them online and
sharing them to our so-
cial media sites.
The downside is that
social media has ushered
in an age of unverified in-
formation or opinion pre-
sented as fact. The result
has been a general mis-
trust of media as a whole
when it doesn’t conform
to a specific narrative.
I can tell you that near-
ly a quarter of our time is
spent investigating or dis-
pelling rumors that begin
on social media.
While social media has
provided small newspa-
pers with an impactful
way of getting informa-
tion out to the communi-
ties they serve, it has also
made our job as journal-
ists harder by introducing
another layer of infor-
mation that needs to be
clarified and — more of-
ten than not — dispelled
through additional re-
sources and investigation.
The third challenge
journalists face:
3) The politicalization
of news and blurring of
opinion with fact.
This actually began
more than a decade ago
with the advent of cable
news and the 24-hour
news cycle, which has
eagerly been filled with
news “analysis” and opin-
ion programming.
The result has been
the tribalization of infor-
mation as people active-
ly seek — or are tagged
with — the news that best
supports a specific narra-
tive or political leaning.
Coupled with social me-
dia, the distrust of jour-
nalism at the national
level has trickled down
to even small community
newspapers as political
divisiveness on both sides
attempt to pressure local
news to reflect a specific
narrative.
So, how has the Siuslaw
News and other com-
munity newspapers sur-
vived? And what does the
future hold for communi-
ty journalism?
Since becoming editor
a little over three years
ago, my goal has been —
and continues to be — a
simple one:
To provide the commu-
nity with the sound of its
own voice.
Arthur Miller once
wrote that “A good News-
paper is a nation talking
to itself.” I feel the same
applies to a good commu-
nity newspaper. It should
be made up of reporting
that reflects facts and per-
spectives from all sides of
the conversation, along
with the opportunity for
individuals to express
their viewpoints in letters
and editorials through
the Opinion page.
We need to celebrate
our achievements as a
community as well as rec-
ognize our failures by be-
ing both chroniclers and
watchdogs.
The fact that I receive
complaints from both re-
publicans and democrats,
liberals and conservatives
for leaning “too far left”
or “too far right” (some-
times on the same day)
tells me we are some-
where in the middle —
which is where we should
be to remain objective.
I think that is a big part
of why we have survived
and, over the last few
years, thrived and grown
despite the challenges.
As for the future,
though the number of
legacy newspapers like
the Siuslaw News and
Cottage Grove Sentinel —
which celebrated its 130th
anniversary last year —
have declined, those that
remain have done so be-
cause they have yet to be
displaced as a vital source
of local journalism.
And if the Harvard
University study I men-
tioned earlier is any in-
dication, the emergence
of online-only and “ghost
newspapers” as compara-
ble sources of local jour-
nalism still appears to be
a very long way off.
LETTERS
Help for a longtime
Mapletron resident
We recently got some sad news
about a friend who has lived in
the Mapleton area his whole life,
Tony Erickson.
He is going to go through a lot
to get to what we hope and pray is
a cure. Tony and his wife, Karen,
need all of us at a time like this to
be there for them.
We decided that they could
probably use a little monetary
help, too. So, we have started
a fund at Oregon Pacific Bank.
Anyone wishing to donate can
make checks out to the Tony Er-
ickson Donation Fund.
OPB has been very helpful to us
and we really want to thank them.
We also will be hosting a spa-
ghetti feed at the Mapleton
Grange on Sunday, Feb. 9, from
4 to 6 p.m.
During the fundraiser dinner,
we will celebrate Tony’s birthday,
which is the next day.
Community members and
neighbrs are invited to join to-
gether for a good time and rem-
iniscing, with all proceeds going
to Tony and Karen.
We also want to thank the Ma-
pleton Grange for allowing us to
use its facility.
Please keep praying for Tony.
—Linda Jensen
Mapleton
Copyright 2020 © Siuslaw News
Siuslaw News
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane
County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon
Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore.
Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR
97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to
PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com.
Jenna Bartlett
Ned Hickson
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Publisher, ext. 318
Editor, ext. 313
Multimedia Sales Director, ext. 326
Office Supervisor, ext. 312
Production Supervisor
DEADLINES:
Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to
publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Dis-
play classified ads, Friday 5 p.m.
Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to pub-
lication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Display
classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m.
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Mail subscription includes E-Edition.
Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com
Letters to the Editor policy
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi-
tor as part of a community discussion of issues on
the local, state and national level.
Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or
typed letters must be signed. All letters need to
include full name, address and phone number;
only name and city will be printed. Letters should
be limited to about 300 words. Letters are sub-
ject to editing for length, grammar and clarity.
Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and
depends on space available and the volume of let-
ters received.
Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen-
tative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are
unsourced or documented will not be published.
Letters containing poetry or from outside the
Siuslaw News readership area will only be pub-
lished at the discretion of the editor.
Political/Election Letters:
Election-related letters must address pertinent
or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large.
Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing
campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) En-
sure any information about a candidate is accu-
rate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge
or hearsay; and 3) Explain the reasons to support
candidates based on personal experience and
perspective rather than partisanship and cam-
paign-style rhetoric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters
to the editor column to outline their views and
platforms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid
political advertising.
As with all letters and advertising content, the
newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish-
er, general manager and editor, reserves the right
to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above
criteria.
Email letters to:
nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com
WHERE TO WRITE
Pres. Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments:
202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line:
503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate
Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
www.merkley.senate.gov
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
(4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
541-269-2609
541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan
(Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@
oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep.
Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email: rep.caddymckeown
@oregonlegislature.gov
West Lane County
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us