Chelsea Marr, Columbia Gorge News owner and publisher
A recent incident served as a reminder of the disrespect journalists sometimes receive when writing and researching difficult stories.
For background, one of our reporters was interviewing an elected official on the record. And the recording of that conversation is painful to listen to. The elected official spent much of their 29-minute conversation belittling and insulting the reporter.
The official said more than once that our reporter didn’t have a story, that they were a rookie and needed to be educated and didn’t know anything because they are not from the area. Our reporter remained calm and respectful throughout.
As my reporter said, “I’ve honestly never been so insulted on the job before. It was pretty upsetting.”
Honestly, I feel we’re lucky the reporter didn’t quit after this interaction. This job requires thick skin — but still, it’s never easy to be treated this way, no matter how long you’ve been on the job. All of my reporters have had unpleasant interactions with people at one time or another, regardless of their years of experience.
If a journalist is asking questions, it’s because we want to hear from you. Even if we have a general idea what the answer is, we still need to hear it on the record. We ask questions of all types and to a variety of sources in order to get a wide-angle view of the story. Journalists need to understand why you believe the situation is what it is — on the record. That’s how stories are written.
It is our job to hold public officials accountable. These are the people we have voted into office, and our taxes pay for their service. If an official is not able to answer the questions we ask, then at the very least, a statement should be issued so constituents know what is going on.
Columbia Gorge News recently wrote about the difficulty in hiring journalists in our area. While we would prefer to have local journalists covering all our beats, the reality is, that is becoming more and more difficult. We’re not the only newspaper utilizing out-of-area freelancers — it’s the only way we can keep up our coverage. And the reporters helping us with this work are experienced journalists with a strong nose for news. With meetings available to watch online and contacts readily available, even those from out of town can cover these stories well.
And who knows — maybe they’ll like it enough to move here one day.
Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sign up to receive notifications when a new Columbia Gorge News e-Edition is published.
Would you like to receive our news updates? Signup today!
Receive weekly updates on obituaries and death notices.
Oregon Capital Press presented by Columbia Gorge News
Receive updates on upcoming promotions and special sections.
Receive weekly updates on local sports news.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
Commented