By David Gordon, associate editor
It’s been busy and eventful at the CVPost since the last “Behind the Post” column back in May, and I’d like to update you on some of what’s been happening.
The most important development is the work being done by our new community reporter, Madeline Fuerstenberg. She stepped into this newly-created, part-time-but-paid position as soon as her UW-EC final exams were done in May and hit the ground running.
She has already reported and written five stories, including one (on the national kubb competition here) that grew out of a community member’s emailed suggestion, and is working on one more. If you’ve wondered about the recent absence of her byline, it’s because she’s currently part of a three-week expedition to Lithuania and Latvia, with a group headed by UW-EC Geography Prof. Harry Jol.
Maddie will be back in Eau Claire toward the end of July and will resume her reporting on the communities of the Chippewa Valley. In the meantime, though, you can expect to see two or three of her “reports from the field” – the first of these will be posted by tomorrow, barring any technology glitches..
Website hits
We’re pleased to report that our July 10 report on the continuing turnover in the Leader-Telegram’s news staff apparently resonated with a lot of people. It drew the most single-day hits since we launched our online effort over four years ago, and has continued to draw interest in the days since it was published.
What’s particularly reassuring is that this suggests Chippewa Valley residents do care about the availability of news and information. That validates the assumption that underlies the CVPost’s existence – that there is an audience for what the mainstream media no longer have time or space (or staff) to cover.
We included in the story about the L-T news staff some comments from Prof. Jan Larson, who heads up UW-EC’s journalism program. One comment, omitted then because its focus was somewhat broader than the L-T newsroom situation, seems quite relevant to this discussion.
“I have deep concerns about what happens when small town newspapers die,” Larson wrote via email. “News deserts – where residents have very limited access to the most basic of local news – are real. Without access to credible information and without journalists watching to prevent fraud and corruption, democracy suffers and the community along with it.”
Those “news deserts” have been developing across the country at an alarming rate. This was driven home once again by the recent announcement that Youngstown, OH will be left without a daily paper (not even an online version) when The Vindicator ceases to exist after its Aug. 31 edition.
Could something that unthinkable happen here?
August 11 Board meeting
If you’ve been paying attention to our home-page box that lists meetings of the CVPost Board, you’re already aware that the next meeting is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, Aug. 11. That unusual scheduling was necessary because we have Board members whose jobs and volunteer activities and family responsibilities often make it difficult to find an hour or two during the week when everyone is available.
Although we routinely invite our readers – especially those who are CVPost members – to attend our Board meetings, we know many of you are equally busy. But with a Sunday afternoon time set for our August meeting, we’d like to renew that invitation.
The Board typically meets for about an hour and a half, so please think about joining us at 3 p.m. on Aug. 11, and staying as long as you can.
Broader range of viewpoints sought
The CVPost’s “Opinion and Analysis” section currently contains a column by Prof. Jack Pladziewicz that presents his perspective on the Mueller Report. This isn’t the first time Jack has written on a topic that can be approached rationally from different viewpoints – for example, his suggestion that everyone should be allowed to buy – at cost – into the state of Wisconsin employees’ retirement plan or his support for giving all Americans the option of buying into the Medicare system at the premium cost for their demographic group.
Many of our readers may well agree with Pladziewicz on these topics, or in regard to his stance regarding the Mueller Report. They may also feel comfortable with many or most of the other “Opinion and Analysis” articles that we’ve run. But there’s a strong argument to be made for more diversity in the opinions we present.
My thought is that our audience would be better served if the CVPost can provide a broader range of opinion than has been the case so far. That might well reflect more accurately the diverse perspectives that make up the Chippewa Valley community.
More important, encountering different – perhaps uncomfortable – ways of looking at issues and ideas might provoke each of us to think about whether our own approach could use some fine tuning. . . or even major adjustments.
Today’s technology enables us – if we choose – to filter out any ideas that could make us uncomfortable . . . or provoke us to think. If we operate only in such an “echo chamber,” where everything we read and hear reflects what we already “know” is “correct,” we forfeit the opportunity to test our opinions against those held by others and, perhaps, to learn something new and worthwhile in the process.
The CVPost will welcome contributors interested in providing perspectives that challenge our audience to think about important issues in new ways.
The only requirements are that your tone be civil and your arguments be coherent. Submissions will, of course, be edited to reduce wordiness and to avoid problems such as libel. Please send your work to us at cvpostwi@gmail.com, with “New perspective” in the Subject line.