OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020
A4
EDITOR’S DESK
What is newsworthy?
A guide to news submission by the
editor of the Hermiston Herald
W
hen someone submits an
idea for a
story to us,
they often preface it
with, “I’m not sure if
this is newsworthy, but
...”
I wish I could give
Jade
everyone a checklist
McDowell
NEWS EDITOR
to help them know on
their own what cover-
age a story will merit, but the some-
what chaotic nature of news means
there are no easy answers. Peo-
ple often mean “Must be a slow
news day” as an insult, but there is
a lot of truth behind the statement.
Something that might be front page
one day may be left out of the paper
altogether on a different day.
Part of our job is to put out a
newspaper full of words and pic-
tures by every deadline, no matter
how much is actually going on in
our coverage area. The number of
pages in each edition is determined
not by the amount of news report-
ers have written, but by how much
advertising has been sold to cover
the costs of the printing of those
pages (so if you enjoy a story in the
print edition, I would encourage
you to thank a business that paid for
advertising on that page).
Newsworthiness is also in the
eye of the beholder, to some extent.
What sounds like a snooze-fest of a
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
A man begins clearing a downed tree from Southeast Fifth Street in Hermiston on Saturday,
May 30, 2020. The storm was part of a particularly newsworthy week in Hermiston that caused
some stories that had been planned for the paper to be cut.
brief to one reporter can sound like
a fun feature story to another.
What that means for people hop-
ing to get a story in the newspaper
is that it’s really best to just ask if
we would be interested, or take the
initiative to send a press release.
If you do, one of four things will
likely happen:
First, we may respond with an
enthusiastic yes, working with you
to set up interviews and photos for a
full-length feature story.
Second, we may simply use the
information you sent us to write up
something short, possibly after ask-
ing a couple of follow-up questions.
Third, we may tell you that
there are no reporters free at the
time of the event, or we don’t have
the resources right now for some-
one to spend time on it, but if you
send us a photo and some informa-
tion we would be happy to put it in
somewhere.
Fourth, we may tell you that it
is not a good fi t for our paper. That
could happen for a number of rea-
sons, most commonly that it just
wouldn’t be interesting or rele-
vant to a majority of our readers. In
other cases, it seems the story idea
is more advertising than news, or
we checked into the tip and found it
COLUMN
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Resource offi cers build bridges with students
By TRICIA MOONEY
GUEST COLUMNIST
Hermiston is at its best when
people are working together. In
the school district, we value any
opportunity for our students to
better understand how this com-
munity works, and what role they
play in it.
It’s why we
invite professionals
of all kinds to inter-
act with our stu-
dents through job
fairs, work study
programs, presen-
tations, and other
e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r TRICIA
activities. It’s also MOONEY
one of the reasons we have had a
long and productive relationship
with the Hermiston Police Depart-
ment through our school resource
offi cer program.
Similar programs in other
school districts have faced criti-
cism, and even been discontinued
in recent weeks because of mis-
trust of police.
I can’t speak for other schools,
other communities, or other police
departments. But in Hermiston, we
have worked hard to create close
and professional bonds with our
partners and believe strongly in
the value of building on those rela-
tionships. We believe the program
is worth our investment and creates
a better community while provid-
ing a safer learning environment.
School resource offi cers are
a positive bridge between police
and students. They allow students
to understand the role of offi cers
as community problem-solvers,
not simply law enforcement. And
the offi cers work hard to build the
credibility and rapport with stu-
dents of all grade levels so they
can speak candidly about safety
issues like avoiding dangerous sit-
uations and resolving confl ict.
The program is also proactive.
Rather than looking for ways to
get students in trouble or write
citations, the school offi cers seek
ways to create learning opportu-
nities. Many students face chal-
lenging home lives and negative
peer pressure on a daily basis. By
getting to know these students,
resource offi cers can offer better
guidance and help connect them
with other school resources to
address issues before they become
serious problems.
These offi cers are selected for
their interest in working with stu-
dents and ability to culturally con-
nect with them. They are commit-
ted for a full school year at a time
and develop lasting bonds.
Having trained offi cers in our
schools also gives administra-
tors and educators access to their
expertise in safety procedures.
Student safety is our top concern,
whether its limiting exposure to
communicable disease, providing
staff training for emergencies, or
protecting against physical threats.
Regardless of shifting pub-
lic perceptions around the coun-
try, we will always strive to do
what’s best for our kids in Herm-
iston. We’re aware of the poten-
tial that exists for violence to enter
our schools and know that having
a regular police presence is both a
deterrent and an important safety
measure.
When school returns in the fall,
we will have an offi cer dedicated
to each grade level — elementary,
middle school, and high school.
These offi cers will join in our
common goal of educating, pro-
tecting, serving, guiding, and pre-
paring our students for the world.
Our schools are a microcosm
of the community, and our com-
munity relies on trust and cooper-
ation. Investing in school resource
offi cers creates a safer environ-
ment in our hallways, our streets,
and our students’ home lives.
———
Dr. Tricia Mooney is the super-
intendent of the Hermiston School
District.
STATE REP. DISTRICT 57
GREG SMITH
U.S. PRESIDENT
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Email: Rep.GregSmith@state.
or.us
———
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
whitehouse.gov/contact/
———
STATE SEN. DISTRICT 29
BILL HANSELL
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Email: Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
———
GOVERNOR
KATE BROWN
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
Email: www.oregon.gov/gov/
Pages/
share-your-opinion.aspx
———
MAYOR
DAVID DROTZMANN
180 NE Second St.
Hermiston, OR 97838
ddrotzmann@hermiston.or.us
CORRECTIONS
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 23
Chris Rush | Publisher • crush@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2669
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
• visit us online at: hermistonherald.com
The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
(541) 567-6457.
was incorrect.
We also usually stay away from
what I call “bad customer ser-
vice” stories — a he-said-she-said
incident where someone claims a
local business or landlord didn’t
give them a refund or otherwise
treated them poorly. In those cases,
we’d rather the case be handled by
an organization with the relevant
authority, such small claims court,
the Better Business Bureau or a
state regulatory agency.
If you’ve stuck with me this far,
here are a few more tips:
1) Some stories are interesting,
and some stories are important. The
best stories are both.
2) Give us the who, what, when,
where, why and how, along with
contact information of someone
who will be responsive if we have a
question.
3) If you call at the last minute
requesting coverage, it is less likely
a reporter will be available. Also
keep in mind we print the week’s
paper on Tuesdays at 7 p.m., and
plan accordingly.
4) If you’re going to submit
photos, make sure they are clear,
high-resolution shots of some-
thing interesting to look at (no
blurry photos of the backs of peo-
ple’s heads copied from a Facebook
page).
With all that in mind, I hope you
will keep us in mind in the future.
Just remember: We can’t cover it if
we don’t know about it!
Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR.
Postmaster, send address changes to
Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St.,
Hermiston, OR 97838.
Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2020
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as
soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be
corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page
will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in
the online versions of our stories.
Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or
call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report
errors.
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the
Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local,
state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer
letters should be kept to 250 words.
No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person.
The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for
length and for content.
DONALD TRUMP
U.S. SENATORS
RON WYDEN
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande offi ce: 541-962-7691
•
JEFF MERKLEY
313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton offi ce: 541-278-1129
———
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
GREG WALDEN
185 Rayburn House Offi ce
Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande offi ce: 541-624-2400
Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers.
Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include
a telephone number so they can be reached for questions.
Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
OBITUARY POLICY
The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The
obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a
fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be
published at no charge. These include information about
services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper
punctuation and style.
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at
hermistonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@
hermistonherald.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the
funeral home or in person at the Hermiston Herald or East
Oregonian offi ces. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or
1-800-522-0255, x221.