And in other light news of the day, a once-vibrant and responsible daily community newspaper, the Medford, Oregon, Mail Tribune, has announced it will cease all operations effective tomorrow.
I was one of the editors of this newspaper, and was working as wire editor when I retired early, ten years ago. I took my job -- and the commitment to the truth, always -- very, very seriously as did all those in the newsroom.
When a newspaper dies, an important voice in a community is silenced. It is very much a death.
Who is there now to meticulously and dispassionately report on elections, to give candidates full and equal opportunities to explain their views, their experience and their qualifications?
Ever spend hours and hours speaking with and reporting on every single candidate for the local school board? I have.
Who is there now to attend county commission, city council, school board and even irrigation district meetings --every single one of them -- and report what happened? I've done it, often bored to tears, but it had to be done.
Who is there now to look deeply into the forces and beneficiaries behind public policy and the expenditure of tax dollars? The local TV station? Really?
Who is there now to edit, confirm and publish on newsprint the information in obituaries of friends, neighbors, community members no matter who they were? I bet I have edited 10,000 of them.
When I attended the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon half a century ago, none of us saw the Internet and its dire implications for community newspapers coming.
Now another one, starved for a tiny fraction of advertising spending, has turned off the lights and closed the door forever, its business model having grown irrelevant in 2023.
We have entered the age of misinformation, of "alternative facts" -- i.e. God-damned lies -- of truly fake news issued by bullies and malign special interests.
God save us from the phenomenon of widespread digital ignorance, manipulated by the rich and the powerful.
P.S.
"... Who ever knew truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?"
--John Milton, "Areopagitica," 1644
This fragment was one of my guiding lights, one of the questions whose answer guided me to journalism. Say a prayer for truth and accuracy -- and watch "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" one more time.

I still subscribe to the local paper. It's only a once a week print but I grew up reading a daily as well as the WSJ. I like reading about things going on in my community via a newspaper.

I like having the paper as it is good for starting my fires and excellent for washing windows. Many uses once you are done reading.