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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2020)
OPINION READER’S FORUM Founded in 1906 WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2020 A4 EDITOR’S DESK Sorting fact from fi ction is harder than ever S omeone once said that a lie can travel Second, read the article. halfway around the world while the This may sound like simple advice, but as truth is still putting on its shoes. someone who writes the articles I can tell you It may have been Mark Twain. Or Jonathan that many, many people skip this step. They Swift. Or Winston Churchill. All of them have then respond with a comment full of inaccu- been credited with inventing the saying, which racies, which others who also didn’t read the in and of itself proves the diffi culty of fi nding article then assume was part of the article, per- truth. petuating the cycle of misinformation. Wherever the witticism came from, at I once saw an article about a profes- no time has it felt more literal than in the sor getting fi red that had dozens of com- age of the internet, when the push of a ments underneath arguing over whether he single button can broadcast a lie around should have lost his job. the world in an instant. The professor was a woman. Jade To make matters more complicated, Next, be willing to change your mind. McDowell the world isn’t divided into truths and The human mind has a natural instinct, NEWS EDITOR outright, intentional lies. Sometimes the called confi rmation bias, to automatically truth is also buried in piles of well-inten- dismiss any information that opposes our tioned but false conclusions, outdated informa- beliefs as false and anything that confi rms our tion, half-truths, incorrect assumptions, things worldview as true. that are only true in certain circumstances and People who are good at fi nding the truth are things that are technically true but were taken also good at overcoming confi rmation bias. out of context. They are able to listen to diverse viewpoints In those conditions, it is a wonder any of us and read information from opposing sources is ever really right about anything. with an open mind, looking for logic and evi- So, how can we fi nd the truth in such a dence rather than what makes them feel good. world? The fi rst step is having the same com- Part of that process is actively seeking infor- mitment to accuracy in our own lives that we mation from a variety of good-quality sources. hold our journalists, scientists and other pro- Primary sources are best — if you want to fessionals to. know what the Centers for Disease Control My Facebook friends know I’m quick to and Prevention says about COVID-19 test- comment on their posts, sources in hand, to let ing, go to the CDC website. Second best is to them know that the quote they posted is fake read multiple news reports from quality news or the “news” article about a politician they outlets with a reputation for accuracy, written hate never happened. People may think this is by named journalists with experience cover- some sort of journalistic superpower, but often ing the subject and fi rsthand knowledge of the debunking something takes a 10-second Goo- situation. gle search for a few key phrases from the post. The more mysterious a source, the more sus- It’s the same thing I do before sharing, and I pect it is. You will rarely fi nd truth in anon- cannot tell you how many times it has saved ymous, undated “articles” on little-known me from embarrassment. websites that attribute their information with COLUMN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR No work and no play makes Tammy ... I ’m starting to come down “Carrots grow underground.” with something. Don’t worry, He had taken a photo of his it’s not the ‘rona — I have a jalapeño peppers and held his severe case of cabin fever. hand up for size reference. In my During past lapses in employ- defense, I hadn’t been awake very ment, I did everything from long and hadn’t consumed watching spring training my morning Pepsi yet. baseball in Arizona and While watching TV, Christmas shopping in San I fi nd some commer- Francisco to skiing in four cials intriguing — result- different states and rid- ing in random thoughts and ing a bobsled and mush- over-thinking. ing a dogsled team in Col- I’m baffl ed that toi- Tammy orado. At one point, my let paper companies would Malgesini husband, John, asked if I even waste their money ever planned on going back with advertising during the to work. months of April and May. The Being jobless during a pan- shortage that resulted from panic demic is totally different. Public buying led people to purchase offi cials and medical profession- whatever they could actually fi nd als highly recommend that people on the shelf. limit excursions to essential travel. John bought an off-brand that I think I could make a case that says it’s made from bamboo. When I’m going to lose my marbles if I I visualize bamboo, I don’t think don’t get a change of scenery. it’s something I would want to uti- My writing might soon be rem- lize on my bum. However, nothing iniscent of Jack Torrance from could be as bad as the 40-grit TP in “The Shining” — “All work and the newsroom bathroom. no play makes Jack a dull boy.” A common theme these days I think John was getting a lit- for pizza places is touting their tle worried the other day when contactless delivery. In addition, showing me a photo of his gar- they ensure potential customers den. Holding up his cellphone, my that after the pizza comes out of eyes were fi xated on fl esh-colored the oven, it’s not touched. It makes tuber-like objects among a mass of me wonder if they were playing green. I squinted, and then asked if patty cake with my pizza before they were carrots. the pandemic. Staring blankly at me, John Meanwhile, for those keep- replied in a matter-of-fact voice, ing score at home, I received yet another letter from the Oregon Employment Department. Despite explaining my periodic freelance work, they continue to question why I reported working a few hours one week and none the next. Since they’re obviously incapable of simply cross-referencing my weekly claim forms, I’m forced to go to the post offi ce to buy stamps and mail their questionnaire. Also, I once again lost track of the days and found myself in line at the drive-thru during a hol- iday weekend. As annoying as that was, I was more disturbed by the vehicle behind me that wasn’t maintaining appropriate social distancing. And about Gov. Kate Brown’s mask order — people are arguing that it’s infringing on their con- stitutional rights. However, they don’t balk at “No shirt, No shoes, No service.” When my mom found out a local store wasn’t going to insist that customers comply, I told her I was going to drive to Coos Bay and enter the store with just a mask and shorts on — no shirt, no shoes. #wearamask --- Tammy Malgesini, the former Hermiston Herald community edi- tor, enjoys spending time with her husband and two German shep- herds, as well as entertaining her- self with random musings. Proposed shelter a fence line away from sports complex To the editor: The only proposed location of the Stepping Stones homeless shelter is next door to a city park. Helping those facing homeless- ness is needed and should be in a location away from where our children play; not next door to our parks. Drug paraphernalia and needles that are currently littered along Harper Road and the canal behind the sports complex will inevi- tably end up in the park and hands of children if Stepping Stones bulldozes past this glaring concern. Business owners surrounding the proposed location already battle with theft and drug parapherna- lia littered by people walking to and from the proposed location. It is irresponsible, dangerous, and a serious liability to propose such a location. As citizens of Hermiston, you are responsible and obliged to keep our children and families safe. Please urge Stepping Stones and the city of Hermiston to con- sider a more safe location. Kim Cimmiyotti Portland (formerly Hermiston) Thanks to fi rst responders Howdy, It was interesting driving around on the Fourth of July. I would like to thank those businesses and private citizens who had Old Glory fl ying for all to see. I would also like to thank all those who put on wonderful dis- plays of fi reworks Friday and Saturday. It sure made my Fourth that much better! And again, thanks to all the fi rst responders, fi refi ght- ers and staff who help us be safe! I would also like to publicly thank the sheriff’s department, city cops, state police, their offi ce people and each of the auxiliaries for what they do to keep us safe in our neighborhoods. My expe- rience with each of the departments through my many years has been nothing but positive. Actually, when I have asked for advice or help, you have gone the extra mile. I am grateful to have you in our communities! I pray for each of your safety and your family’s welfare! Thank you! Pa Routson Umatilla CORRECTIONS Printed on recycled newsprint VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 26 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. phrases, such as “police say” without ever naming a single department or offi cer. Look for specifi cs in the who, what, when, where, why and how of the article and if they are not there, ask yourself why. Another tip for truth-seekers: Check the date. A legitimate news article may have been great information when it was fi rst written, but no longer accurate now. Look for updates. And make sure not to get fooled by those posts that claim the media is “ignoring” the death of an American soldier or other event, when the real reason you’re not seeing it in the news now is it happened six years ago. Separating fact from fi ction in this world can be daunting, but remember: The truth is out there. Go fi nd 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. 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.
