Newsletter versus News Journalism

Newsletter versus News Journalism

What are the signs that a local newspaper has crossed the line from newsletter cheerleading to news journalism?

A newsletter announces events and spotlights milestones. A newsletter reminds readers of rules and recommendations. A newsletter quells rumors and quiets fears.

I enjoy the Hermiston Herald, partly because it functions as a city newsletter. I like my town, I've lived in this area for a total of about fourteen years, and I like to support local business and events.

But the Hermiston Herald has crossed the line. It has become a news journal. It's asking questions.

I like questions.

Recent editorials have asked questions about our city council, water issues and civil suits against the city. These questions are strong evidence of a newspaper becoming more than a newsletter. With that change, our newspaper becomes an even stronger supporter of our community.

Our local newspaper, if acting out of the ethic of journalism, is every individual's first line of defense against hidden agendas, manipulations, misunderstandings and misappropriations.

The question of speedy council meetings does not criticize our council members, but it does caution them. And it should put an itch in the community to attend the council meetings. Cussing and discussing issues before the meeting, even coming to a decision before the meeting is fine, but make sure the decision is transparently explained at the meeting before the vote is taken.

Ask the questions, Hermiston Herald. Support your community and ask the tough questions. Embrace journalism.

Photo courtesy of Oshin Beveridge and Stock.XCHNG.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Apple Seeds and Cyanide

Image
Apple Seeds and Cyanide I offhandedly posted a comment that I eat apples...cores, seeds, and all . I chew on the stem until it tastes and feels like a used toothpick, and then I spit it out. Several responses to my post have given me cause to examine closely my preferred method of eating apples. I'd heard that apple seeds contain a small amount of cyanide , but I'd also heard that it's harmless unless one were to eat an immoderate amount of apples, much more than a person could stomach in one sitting. But I didn't really have any research to support either position: Are apple seeds poisonous or healthy? . So I went searching. One hour's worth of time spent searching the internet has given some interesting, semi-scientific, good-enough-for-me evidence that eating an apple's worth of seeds a day, or even three or four apple's worth, is not harmful . At worst, it may introduce a tiny amount of cyanide into my body, at a level which my body can eas
Read more

How to Connect Trailer Wiring: 2003 Chevy S-10 Pickup

Image
How to Connect Trailer Wiring: 2003 Chevy S-10 Pickup The Plan: Borrow a tent-trailer and go camping The Problem: No hitch and no electrical connection on my pickup The Process: Install a hitch and an electrical connection compatible with the trailer Step One - the easy part: install a hitch. The 2003 Chevy S-10 bumper is completely adequate for hauling a tent-trailer, at least the one I borrowed from a friend. The bumper is labeled with two weight limits: 3500 LBS TRAILER LOAD MAXIMUM 350 LBS TONGUE LOAD MAXIMUM The single-axle Coleman tent-trailer does not exceed these limits. The trailer required a two-inch diameter ball hitch. My bumper was pre-drilled with a half-inch hole. I purchased a ball hitch rated at 3500 pounds, with a half-inch threaded stem. It fit perfectly in the bumper. Step Two - the harder part: install wiring harness. The Chevy S-10 pickup uses a snap connector to join the rear lights wiring with the electrical system. This location is
Read more

Google Chrome Browser: Remember Window Size & Position

Image
Google Chrome Browser: Remember Window Size & Position Google Chrome would not remember the window size and position , running under Windows 7. Searching the internet offered many solutions, some weird, some confusing, none effective. Not even Google's own help site offered a solution. It must be me. I cannot believe that Google would be so unhelpful. Taking a portion of one user's advice, and adding a bit extra from another user's suggestion, brought relief. Now I can resize my browser window and place it anywhere on the desktop, close the browser, restart, and it reappears where I last had it, correctly sized. Here's what I did: 1. My version of Chrome: 22.0.1229.79 m 2. Click on the settings icon ( a button with three, short horizontal bars, or perhaps yours is an image of a wrench. 3. Click on About Google Chrome (this is where you can also find what version of Chrome you're running) 4. Chrome will quickly check to see if your version i
Read more