So, its blowing HARD outside. The storm has moved in and it is the big one we were supposed to have gotten earlier in the week. Half the gang has no power so those that don't have it go over to those who do have it. As the wind blows around outside we start blowing a lot of hot air around inside and decide that should one of us win the lottery we will either buy the Daily
Astorian, see if the Columbia Press is for sale, or start a paper of our own.
WHY? Because, a newspaper should tell us something about the area in which we live that we don't
already know and a lot of the information should be new, factual, information that we, ourselves, can not get by doing a google search. ESPECIALLY a small county newspaper.
We WANT to know all of the plays in the area and we want a review of them. Yes, we even want to know if the high school should have worked a bit longer on the play or if its worth the seven bucks to watch it. We want to know what teen is the up and coming new
thespian talent. We want to know what the swing band, the swing choir and the African Dance troupe out at the Job Corps is doing, how well they are doing it and when we can see them doing it. An aside here, what gives in that the refreshment stand is open for basketball games but not for intermission or before a play begins at Astoria High School? Well thought out
strategy, no food in auditorium or too lazy for the arts but lets bring it on for the sweat?
How about Coaster Theater and River Theater as well as Liberty Theater and the Performing Arts Center, and throw in the Natal Grange? Give us a review of the stand up comics performing locally along with the local bands. What's coming up on all of their calendars and give us a review.
We want to know what the new piece of art in
Lunar Boy Gallery's window is called and when will we be seeing a new piece of work from that author? Review her book. We'd get the drama teachers to all stick their names into a hat to review at least one play a year and "write a report" on it. Anyone getting paid for their craft should have a
professional reviewing them - which is probably why the Daily A doesn't have columnists for reviews: cheap - cheap - cheap!
We would have a consumer page and not some random page that advertisers get to post answers to selected questions. Our readers deserve to know that
QWEST is not REQUIRED to charge us all of those extra fees. That's right, my friends,
PUC regulations are so that
QWEST won't charge us too high of fees on those things it randomly selects to bill us for (although there are some things it must charge us, there is a cap on how much it can). We would do some comparison shopping for our readers and show them what people in Portland are paying for an average, no bills or whistles, phone connection and how much an average
Warrenton customer is paying.
Who's the best
internet provider? Our readers would know! The best place to get an iced
carmel macchiato latte w/2%, hold the whipped cream? After our story every coffee stand in the county would be waiting for the chance to earn the title!
One of the cohesive
tacs of a community is its papers. The Daily
Astorian, The Seaside Signal and across the river the Chinook Observer are all owned by the same family, the same publishing company. The small
Columbian Press and the
Hipfish cater to different populations. Part of this community's seeming apathy comes directly from our paper. Look deeper and you find a community of people who might care with a passion but it's an unfocused, divided, caring. Certainly less troublesome when so fragmented.
Quick to be derisive, the Daily
Astorian's political agenda is clear enough when it wants to be and is that fair to a community? Does everyone feel fairly represented? Hell, not even the sporting events get enough pages. If we want people to stay sober long enough to give a damn about something we have to let them know they're being noticed. Everyone, except those in the witness protection program and the mafia, like to see their efforts appreciated. That's what a community rag's for.
We think that, in part, is what a newspaper is about. Creating a sense of community. We think that, in that sense, the Daily
Astorian has failed us miserably.
So, if one of us wins the lottery that is what we are going to do. However, until then, we think that we could work on something together. Each time someone who has an online access to the paper reads misinformation or inadequate information they could take a few seconds to let the Daily
Astorian know the correct information, or
at least how you feel about not having the correct information or the most up to date facts. It can't hurt. The worst that could happen is they take down their comment boxes. The best thing is that for a while we get some pretty decent articles, maybe people take notice and buy more papers and the Daily
Astorian says, "
Hmmmfph! So, this is how we make money. Sell more papers. Not increase price per paper or charge ridiculously HIGH amounts of money for classified ads!" They learn a
brief lesson and we get a few real good issues that concentrate on community life.
We can all discipline ourselves to do this. It is just until one of us wins the lottery. We promise.
As a money saving bonus here's a bitta help. Instead of advertising in Daily A's classifieds try using:
Craigs'listFreecycleCCM's Free Classifieds (
lol, I think Alex finally found a home for that dog but we're still looking for mug)