Good morning!
When we announced last week our new practice for commenting on stories, I held my breath.
Making a big change at a news organization like Salem Reporter is a bit of a gamble. I always wonder how readers and the community will react.
The reaction surprised me.
The feedback started rolling in almost immediately. The surprising part? All of it – every comment – was supportive and positive. Clearly, we made a good move to shut off comments on Facebook. Readers have posted their comments instead directly on the stories.
Here’s a sampling of what we heard:
•“The new comment policy seems to be reasonable and well thought out. I applaud the extra efforts put in to keep relevant conversations happening under articles. Hopefully the new system works for everyone, especially those tasked with comment review.”
• “This is a very appropriate and positive change, which will help keep the news flowing without detracting from its importance. Thank you for a job well done.”
• “I’m relieved to read about your proposed changes. I have deleted other news subscriptions due to the volume of vitriolic comments following stories. Comments like these provide neither value nor insight.”
•“Bravo! My opinion of Salem Reporter has always been very high. Now it’s higher than ever! Thank you for setting the path to a better way. I don’t generally write or read comments. Maybe it’s safe to start.”
If you missed the news, catch up with my column about the change:
This week also saw publication of a compelling report by Madeleine Moore and Abbey McDonald about city teams working the streets with homeless folks. They worked on the story for weeks and that effort shows. We shared this with Mayor Julie Hoy, all the city councilors and the Marion and Polk County commissioners.
And we reported on the debate last week between Hoy and her challenger, Councilor Vanessa Nordyke. The account by Joe Siess captures the differences between the two candidates.
You may recall that Salem Reporter two years ago hosted a public debate at the Elsinore Theatre, a free event also carried live on Capital Community Media. That race was between Julie Hoy and Chris Hoy, then the incumbent.
We heard deep appreciation from the community for that event and we think this year’s race is no less important.
We’ll be inviting Julie Hoy and Vanessa Nordyke to participate in a similar debate. I’ll keep you posted on the event details, assuming the candidates will agree to participate.
In other local government reporting:
•Mayor Hoy wants the city to get the state Department of Transportation to step up helping clean out homeless camps.
•The city of Salem is asking for changes in the plan to draw down Detroit Reservoir over concerns about drinking water quality.
•The city’s budget committee wants to carve out money for a social service fund, in part to help Salem people affected by federal immigration actions.
•Salem organizations that tend to the homeless population learned that threatened cuts to their federal funding won’t happen.
In community news:
•A book selection involving an octopus at the Salem Public Library is so popular that more copies have been ordered.
•The Highland Neighborhood Association is going to celebrate a year of organizing its monthly Peace Walk. Find out what else is going on with the city’s neighborhood associations.
•About 1,000 people participated in Salem’s latest protest against federal actions.
HAVE A COMMENT? SUGGESTION?
Have thoughts about our reporting? A story we should do? A person we should profile? Or do you have questions about how we do our work? You’re welcome to send me an email – I read every one of them.
Email: [email protected]
–Les Zaitz, Editor and owner
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