A right-on critique of Statesman Journal lameness

Nicely said, Jim Scheppke. I agree with your cogent Facebook critique of how the Salem Statesman Journal, which aspires to be our town's "paper of record," has gone downhill a lot journalistically. Here's Jim's post:

I can't believe how lame our local newspaper has become. I mean LAME! Today there were two articles on the front page. The headline grabber had to do with a Portland-based accordion club that is having a meeting at Silver Falls State Park. The second was about the Silverton Hills Strawberry Festival. This is the front page! Great editors from the past like Charles Sprague and Wes Sullivan must be rolling in their graves. 

Have these Gannett clowns who run the SJ ever heard of the "Fourth Estate?" Thomas Carlyle quoted Edmund Burke as saying "there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all." We can't have a functioning democracy in Salem if our daily paper will not report on the news that matters. 

I think the terribly low turnout we had in the City Council election in May had a lot to do with the fact that our daily paper does not give prominence to local city issues.

Our City Council will discuss converting our main library into a police facility a week from today and there still has not been a detailed presentation of the pros and cons of this idea in the SJ. They still have time to redeem themselves with a front page story on this issue, which really matters.

Jim was Oregon's state librarian for twenty years. So he's well qualified to talk about what a community newspaper should be. 

The way I see it, this is the SALEM Statesman Journal.

Like Jim said, most of the front page (and indeed the whole first section, now that national and international news is in the USA Today-provided section) should be devoted to what is going on in Salem.

And not just frothy human interest goings-on. Important goings-on. There should be much more in-depth investigative reporting of key policy issues affecting Salemians.

Such as the emerging plan to convert the Salem Public Library into a police facility. I can't understand why moi, a mere blogger, has been the main source of news about this, rather than the Statesman Journal.

(See here, here, here, and here.)

Comments

[Geronimo Tagatac]

What does it say about a paper's website that has a feature devoted to arrest mug shots?

[Geronimo Tagatac]

The only true bunkers are in the minds of the mayor and councilors backing the plan.