There are a lot of reasons a local, independent media is necessary for a healthy democracy. And if there’s one thing we need right now, it’s a functional democracy.
Journalism increases transparency. It gets the word out beyond the bubbles and echo chambers created by social media, and — because knowledge is power — it covers the community, government and businesses that need attention, regardless of how many likes and upvotes a story might get in the virtual world.
Because journalists stick our necks out to report on news, both national and local, it often means we are the first to get hit with criticism. That’s our job. If we make a mistake, we work to correct it; and we back up our words with our names and reputations.
Another job journalists perform is getting community voices into our pages and out into the wider world. The act of publishing your words means you too might get hit with criticism, which makes it even more impressive when you, our readers, send us your letters and your viewpoints to participate in dialogue and democracy.
So please, read on, write in, and be a vital part of democracy. Send your letters to Letters@EugeneWeekly.com and viewpoints to Editor@EugeneWeekly.com.