WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020
Baker City, Oregon
4A
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EDITORIAL
Online
comments
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The Oregonian, Oregon’s largest newspaper,
announced this week that as of Jan. 2 its website,
OregonLive, will stop accepting and posting reader
comments.
This isn’t shocking — many newspapers, of varying
sizes, have eliminated reader comments from their
websites over the past several years.
The Baker City Herald is not on that list.
Nor do I expect that it will be any time soon.
Which is not to say I don’t understand the issues
that Oregonian offi cials cited in an editorial announc-
ing the paper’s decision to get rid of its commenting
feature.
These include a relatively small percentage of
people posting a majority of the comments, and a
lack of civility among the online discussions.
The latter, in particular, will sound familiar to
anyone who has given more than a cursory glance to
such forums.
Ideally, offering people a chance to post comments
enriches websites, stimulates discussion and debate
and gives readers perspectives they wouldn’t other-
wise have.
Indeed I believe that happens.
But I can hardly pretend that the benefi ts aren’t
sometimes overwhelmed, at least based solely on
volume, by ad hominem attacks and tangential com-
ments that devolve into exchanges, often between
two or three people, which have little if anything to
do with the article, editorial or column to which the
comments are attached. And the anonymity afforded
to online commentators contributes to the coarseness.
These problems have plagued the Herald’s website
at times.
And I empathize with The Oregonian’s lament that
moderating comments to weed out the more egre-
gious offenders “takes time and resources that are
better spent producing independent local news.”
That’s a far greater challenge for The Oregonian,
which measures comments in the thousands, than
for the Baker City Herald.
But on balance I believe that continuing to ac-
cept and to publish comments on our website gives
our subscribers something of value. And so long as
I think so, I feel compelled to keep the commenting
option.
Websites are ubiquitous, of course, but I remember
before the Herald’s site debuted in 2001, an era when
readers’ ability to engage with the newspaper, and
with each other, was limited to submitting letters to
the editor.
That’s still the format I prefer, mainly because let-
ters, unlike online comments, are preserved in ink on
paper — what I consider the “real newspaper” rather
than the version rendered in pixels. Letter writers
don’t have the option of anonymity, either.
Yet comments, as I mentioned, help to make the
Herald the marketplace of information and opinions
that it has been for 150 years. Notwithstanding the
chaff that comes along with the harvest of ideas, I
don’t want to deprive our readers of the nutritious
kernels that sift out.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
Making sure you get your
newspaper in a timely way
Happy New Year! The calendar
has taken another faithful leap from
the end of one year to the beginning
of another and hopes are running
high. January is often prime time for
personal and professional refl ection
on the past 12 months and prepara-
tion for the future. It’s also a month of
resolutions and improvement plans.
We wipe the slate clean from the chal-
lenges and disappointments of the
previous year and begin laying the
foundation for a more successful and
promising year ahead with anticipa-
tion. It’s a month of transition and
change. If my newspaper career has
taught me anything, it’s that change
is inevitable — and necessary — but
there will be bumps along the way.
Brace yourselves, loyal readers, as
we embark together on yet another
exciting adventure in newspapering.
One of my key initiatives for 2020
was to evaluate our customer service,
including how to provide more reli-
able in-home delivery to subscribers
and a better overall product. So much
of the last few years of our opera-
tion and the decisions we made were
based purely on survival tactics. It’s
refreshing to be able to refocus our
attention and energy into rebuilding
our brand and reconnecting with our
readers and communities. Adding
more value to your subscription and
providing you the best product and
service possible is once again our top
priority.
Without a doubt, the most challeng-
ing facet of our business is delivery.
The simple act of getting your news-
paper from our offi ce to your front
door sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?
But it’s a job that has proven to be
more diffi cult with each passing year.
Finding and maintaining a carrier
force has become a daily struggle and
a trend we haven’t been able to buck.
Our ability to provide consistent de-
livery to our subscribers is in constant
jeopardy. It’s an exhausting cycle.
You might not know that your car-
rier isn’t an employee of The Observer
or the Baker City Herald. They’re
contracted haulers and self employed.
Gone are the days of the beloved
“paper route kid.” Our carrier force is
KARRINE
BROGOITTI
made up primarily of retired folks and
workers who aren’t looking for full-
time employment but rather as a way
to supplement their income. Delivery
of our product is a vital aspect of our
operation. What good is a breaking
news story, a compelling photo or an
advertising campaign if it doesn’t
reach the homes of our readers? A
shortage of carriers and recruitment
challenges have forced the offi ce staff
at both newspapers to pitch in and
deliver “down routes.” There’s been
more than one occasion in which
myself, reporters and advertising
staff have delivered newspapers. I am
fortunate our offi ce culture has a “all
hands on deck” mentality. While it’s a
nice change of scenery for those of us
who are chained to a desk most days,
it’s not a model that can sustain itself
too long.
And here’s where our adventure
begins.
Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 4, The
Observer and the Baker City Herald
will convert our delivery method from
contracted carrier to same day US
Postal Service mail delivery. At the
same time, we’re going to shift our
publishing days to Tuesdays, Thurs-
days and Saturdays. Shifting publish-
ing days allows readers the advantage
of receiving their coveted grocery
sales ads on the day the sales start,
expands our late-breaking news op-
portunity and puts us in a position to
provide Friday night sports coverage
and scores in our Saturday editions.
It also sets the stage for getting your
newspaper to the post offi ce in time
for same-day delivery by mail. A
partnership with the USPS allows us
to hand off the delivery of our product
to the experts, freeing up my staff to
do what they do best — reporting on
local news and events and helping
promote and market businesses in
our communities.
Shifting our publication days and
moving from afternoon carrier deliv-
ery to same-day delivery via postal
carrier is a natural and industry wide
solution to delivery challenges and
gives us the ability to fi x inconsisten-
cies. This is not a cost-cutting mea-
sure. There are no savings with this
switch. It’s a decision based purely on
our desire to ensure our valuable sub-
scribers get the newspaper delivered
to them, three days a week, on a con-
sistent and predictable schedule they
can rely on and with the most vetted,
accurate, up-to-date local news cover-
age and advertising we can provide.
The conversion to mail distribution
does mean the end of an era for our
newspapers in terms of our delivery
force. After nearly 125 years for The
Observer and 150 years for the Baker
City Herald, the last carrier delivered
newspaper will hit your doorstep on
Jan. 31. Our dedicated carriers waged
war against unpredictable weather,
late press times, aggressive dogs and
disgruntled subscribers. It’s a diffi cult
and often thankless gig — even under
the most ideal of circumstances. And
rarely are the circumstances ideal.
There are few words that can
express the gratitude we have for
our carriers, past and present. They
are truly the unsung heroes of our
operation and although we think
that partnering for postal delivery is
the right business decision to make,
it is not easy to say goodbye to our
delivery partners. I hope in the com-
ing days and weeks as we transition
our delivery that you will take a few
minutes to visit with your carrier and
to thank them for their service.
The foundation of a successful
newspaper hinges on its commitment
to its readers and customers. It’s my
sincere hope our readers will em-
brace and appreciate these changes
as inherently positive transitions in
which The Observer and Baker City
Herald fulfi ll our promise of providing
the best product and delivery service
possible — not just for the short-term,
but in a way that is sustainable long
into our future.
Karrine Brogoitti is the publisher of the
Baker City Herald and The Observer
in La Grande.
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Donald Trump: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1414; fax 202-456-2461; to
send comments, go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. offi ce: 313 Hart Senate Offi ce
Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3753;
fax 202-228-3997. Portland offi ce: One World Trade Center, 121
S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386;
fax 503-326-2900. Pendleton offi ce: 310 S.E. Second St. Suite 105,
Pendleton 97801; 541-278-1129; merkley.senate.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. offi ce: 221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce
Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244; fax 202-228-2717.
La Grande offi ce: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-
962-7691; fax, 541-963-0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (2nd District): D.C. offi ce: 2182 Rayburn
Offi ce Building, Washington, D.C., 20515, 202-225-6730; fax 202-
225-5774. La Grande offi ce: 1211 Washington Ave., La Grande, OR
97850; 541-624-2400, fax, 541-624-2402; walden.house.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR
97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@
ost.state.or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-
3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice
Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information
are available online at www.leg.state.or.us.
State Sen. Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. N.E., S-301, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1730. District offi ce:
P.O. Box 1027, Ontario, OR 97914; 541-889-8866.
State Rep. Lynn Findley (R-Vale): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. N.E., H-475, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1460. Email: Rep.
LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov
Baker City Hall: 1655 First Street, P.O. Box 650, Baker City,
OR 97814; 541-523-6541; fax 541-524-2049. City Council meets
the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Mike Downing, Loran Joseph, Randy Schiewe, Lynette Perry,
Arvid Andersen, Ken Gross and Doni Bruland.
Baker City administration: 541-523-6541. Fred Warner Jr.,
city manager; Ray Duman, police chief; John Clark, fi re chief;
Michelle Owen, public works director.
Baker County Commission: Baker County Courthouse 1995
3rd St., Baker City, OR 97814; 541-523-8200. Meets the fi rst and
third Wednesdays at 9 a.m.; Bill Harvey (chair), Mark Bennett,
Bruce Nichols.
Baker County departments: 541-523-8200. Travis Ash,
sheriff; Jeff Smith, roadmaster; Greg Baxter, district attorney;
Alice Durfl inger, county treasurer; Stefanie Kirby, county clerk;
Kerry Savage, county assessor.
Baker School District: 2090 4th Street, Baker City, OR 97814;
541-524-2260; fax 541-524-2564. Superintendent: Mark Witty.
Board meets the third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Council
Chambers, Baker City Hall,1655 First St.; Andrew Bryan, Kevin
Cassidy, Chris Hawkins, Katie Lamb and Julie Huntington.