Ridin’ the Rapids
It’s been said that running a local newspaper can be one of the most frustrating, worthwhile, mundane, exciting, demanding, rewarding endeavors you can take on. Within the industry, the word is that “community journalism starts with community.”
After decades of being part of a statewide newspaper publishers association, Reflections dropped out about 15 years ago. Why? Because the membership and the group’s activities seemed more aligned with larger publications.
When River Reflections launch-ed in 1978 it wasn’t alone among startups that had ideas of serving a community that would pay for, and support, a locally owned newspaper filled with local news. Luckily, that turned out to be true.
But things have changed over the last decade or so. That’s why I decided to rejoin the statewide Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, as well as partnering with For Oregon Journalism and a national group, Local Independent Online News.
As our friends at the Sweet Home New Era recently wrote: “It’s rough out there: Since 2004, 40% of the state’s newspapers have closed and more news staffs have been chopped off at the knees, leaving communities stuck in news deserts or served by ghost newspapers – publications that really exist in name only, having significantly reduced editorial content and reach, especially in terms of local news reporting.”
There are plenty of examples of those, even in our nearby metro area where readership trust has declined.
What to do?
One answer to that question that seems to hold promise is the Oregon Public Information Partnership, re-birthed from Oregon Public Affairs Network. From its mission statement, OPIP is using its 501(c)(3) status to assist Oregon independent community newspapers in developing an additional channel of revenue through donations to specific journalistic projects. OPIP further seeks to align itself with other organizations that are focused on developing additional solutions for the sustainability of newspapers.
Translated, that statement means OPIP is championing newspaper sustainability legislation on both the state or federal level by giving qualified community newspapers refundable tax credits tied to news staffing. Tax benefits are also available to people who subscribe to member papers – as well as businesses that advertise in newspapers.
Rather than individual papers setting up their own independent nonprofit organizations and boards, OPIP has created a vehicle for people to make tax deductible contributions to newspapers.
I’ll have more information on how this all works in future editions. For now, you can take a look at tinyurl.com/25ahf3jx
In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for your support, and look forward to filling this role for many years in the future.
I hope you see McKenzie River Reflections not only as a window to the community, but as one of the important parts of its supporting structure. And if you have thoughts, as always, you know where to find me.