One of my complaints with most newspapers is the lack of local perspective outside of the editorial board and the traditional 200 word letters to the editor.  For one, letters to the editor provide barely enough content to make a valid point, and editorials are littered with either too much idiotic political slant or pathetic attempts at portraying a lack of bias.  That’s why I’m pretty encouraged about the Tri-City Herald’s effort to bring local voices to the forefront.

The Tri-City Herald’s editorial page editor, Chris Sivula recently started an editorial blog and explains some new changes coming to our local paper.

One of our goals on the Herald’s opinion pages this year is to publish more letters and columns from local contributors. We think readers are as interested in the opinions of Mid-Columbia residents — whether they agree with them or not — as they are in the ruminations of nationally syndicated columnists.

Its and effort of necessity for dead tree news to remain relevant in the increasingly online world and a smart move.  And the if the Herald’s move into this format is genuine, it will serve them well and that is good.

It is hard… no… damn hard to get good information from opinion.  I’m sorry but I’m not exempt.  My bias, and I wear that on my sleeve, goes without saying.  And opening the discussion, to me, is a passion. It’s why I blog.  And I’m certainly don’t fear angry nut headed comments on any of my posts.  Frankly, most of the time they validate any point I’m trying to make.  And if I’m wrong well… that happens and I’m open to that as well.  Such is life.  Bring it on:

Wednesday’s Voices page features a Mid-Columbia Voices column by Jim McCabe, arguing that Dino Rossi’s transportation plan would be a bad deal for Eastern Washington.

Rossi has a lot of Tri-City supporters and I expect to hear from them. I’m looking forward to publishing some responses to McCabe’s opinion.

You see, that is how it works.  The problem, as Chris so aptly describes, will be when the response to local writers cannot get the appropriate response/response it deserves.

We’re happy to run an opposing view, but dealing with dueling readers can be one of the trickiest challenges for the Herald’s opinion staff.

Letter writers, and sometimes local columnists, want to hold a slow-motion argument on our pages. If you write a letter, and a second writer runs your opinion through a meat-grinder, the urge to reply can be overwhelming. Truth is, we relish a good exchange between letter writers and think readers do too. If people are moved to respond — positively or negatively — by something they’ve read on the Opinion or Voices pages, then we’re succeeding in our mission to foster a dialogue.

But these disputes are also an opportunity for hurt feelings. We try to draw the line on name-calling or other ad hominem attacks, but it’s not always clear where that line ought to be.

Difficult?  Oh yeah.  But I still will applaud Chris’ effort and I look forward to more of the print version changes.

I want our print media to remain relevant.  The danger of losing that is losing the local perspective and is precisely the threat that media consolidation poses.  For instance, Imagine the Tri-City Herald gone and our only printed news source was USA Today?  Or perhaps even a local entertainment guide spiked with Ken Harvey’s Tri-City Citizen carefully folded inside (labeled as “free”)?  That’s not news folks… it’s not.

So I look forward to the Herald’s vision of more local voices and encourage rational thinking folks to contribute!  It’s a good thing.  My only hope for the Herald’s effort is that it will not devolve into something that resembles the religious diatribes on abortion and God issues as the LTE’s have.  It will be hard.  There are factions around the Tri-Cities that are devoted to writing LTE’s and that clouds the more important issues facing us each day.

Anyway… enough of me, and more of… me!

As Dino Rossi has campaigned for governor around Eastern Washington, he always has been quick to bring up the proverbial “Cascade Curtain,” the metaphorical divide that so seemingly splits Washington state politically.

Many Washington voters would like to do more than metaphorically tear that curtain down, but with the recent release of his transportation “plan,” Rossi appears to be holding up at least one end of the curtain.

Read the whole thing on the Tri-City Herald HERE.

Cheers!