"oregonian" one more time

dear “oregonian” I sent a letter last year, that seems to have not meant much if at all. I never received any comment and the complaint has grown. Last August, I determined that the Oregonian represented eastern Oregon in less than 2% of it’s articles and central Oregon in less than 5%. I didn’t bother to compile statistics again this year because the paper still features mostly of national and international syndicated stories and then a heavy dose of Portland stories with only Portland-area businesses finding it relevant to advertise. However, should I want to compile the statistics again this year on how frequently eastern Oregon is represented, I would not be able to very easily. In my last letter I started by saying:

“I read the “Oregonian” pretty much everyday, primarily because of the easy availability. Although the “Oregonian” is available all over Oregon, I don’t find it to represent all of Oregon very well.”

The difference now being that I am not able to read it every day because it is not available easily all over Oregon anymore. So, now, not only does the paper not report on eastern Oregon, it does not even distribute daily. We can only get the Sunday paper. This change was no great surprise, and, honestly, once a week is enough for me. However, this recent decision to stop distribution east of the Dalles magnifies the frustration. It’s precisely that the paper is called the “Oregonian” when it does not represent the entire state, only a very small portion of it. So, now that you don’t report on most of the state or make available to all parts of the state, I wish to again request the paper please change the name to the “Portlandian.” It would be representative, plus I believe Portlanders would really get a kick out of that.

Thank you for your consideration,

daniel “kid” yoshida
KEOL, La Grande