MOROSE ABOUT THE MEDIA

I’d like to cast my vote against the new EW website, which is much less user friendly. Comments on articles were abolished. The letters to the editor are no longer linked from the main menu; they are nested in the sub-menus. Only a single letter is readable at a time, making it easy to overlook some. The calendar has more advanced search features, but is more difficult to simply scroll through all the listings.

Comments for articles are a difficult topic. Many forums are infested with insults instead of wise discussion. However, moving the conversation to Facebook does not prevent that problem.

KLCC radio used to have a call-in show where community concerns could be discussed. Now that program, and its daily local news show, are merely memories.

Posting comments at the Register-Guard website is also more cumbersome than it used to be. I doubt the new owners will undo this.

Claims of democracy are not only based on voting for one flavor of politician versus another, even if one brand pretends to care about ecology (while supporting clearcuts). Without robust public spaces to interact, discuss, argue, agree and have reciprocal learning, authentic democracy will remain an illusion.

Mark Robinowitz

Eugene