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It was with sadness that I read the paper Tuesday morning to see that EOMedia (which owns and operated several newspapers in Oregon and southwest Washington, including both ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ and Redmond Spokesman) is once again having to lay off employees and cut back on news coverage and availability. Here in Bend, it means one less printed newspaper each week. Elsewhere, five small communities in eastern Oregon are losing their print paper and will now get their local news only online. It also means, company-wide, a quarter of the employees are either losing their job or seeing a reduction in hours.

On the same day, it was reported that Pamplin Media Group, which operates the newspapers in Madras, Prineville and about 20 other small communities (along with the Portland Tribune) was selling. While the new owners are promising to continue operating and providing critical news coverage in these areas, they will now be run out of Mississippi rather than here in Oregon. Let’s hope they keep going as we have already seen about a third of newspapers in our state shut down over the last 20 years.

And there was a third (smaller) article talking about the troubles of the Washington Post as circulation and readership there has dropped.

At the same time, I continue to be frustrated to see people here and elsewhere turning to things like the Nextdoor Ap to get their local news. And by news, if you are on Nextdoor you know what I mean, it’s often gossip or rumors, more than facts.

It was just a few years ago that the previous owners of ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ were forced into bankruptcy. Fortunately, the EO Media Group was able to purchase the local papers and keep them operating. I do want to thank the local citizens who invested in ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ at that time who provided some of the necessary capital to allow this to happen. While I know the ownership group has struggled, they have kept these and their previous papers afloat, while also starting up a new news source in Medford when that long standing paper went out of business.

How can we, as individuals, help? First, of course, is make sure you are a paid subscriber of ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ â€“ either the online or printed version.

Second, consider this: A few years ago, Lulu Garcia-Navarro from NPR was in town as one of the Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar speakers at Central Oregon Community College, and she made a great suggestion to help get young adults interested in local journalism. Her idea was for parents of adult children to give their kids the gift of a subscription to the local newspapers where they live. I did that for our three children, and they all appreciated it.

I also want to encourage you to check out FORJournalism. EO Media helped found FORJournalism in 2021 and the nonprofit is working throughout the state to support local journalism. The website states the purpose is “to stem the tide of the decline of journalism in Oregon by connecting vulnerable publications with opportunities such as trainings, technology, tools, and grants to keep newsroom doors open.� This includes a training program for local high school students interested in journalism, and sharing of resources and ideas among current journalists. Check out the web page at , and consider a donation to this organization.

Journalism continues to be a noble profession and we need to do what we can to help local media continue to provide a reliable source of news in and about our community.