Our last issue of 2018 is dedicated to examining the impact of “news deserts” across the West, while highlighting the stubborn media “blooms” that point the way toward a brighter future. Our feature story asks whether journalists can adapt to the changing news ecosystem quickly enough. We also dive into what happens when local news sources dry up, highlight Denver’s powerhouse editor and founder of Westword, Patricia Calhoun, and interview an artist on how new Indigenous comics are changing stereotypes and providing identity for kids.
Bob Boardman was no ‘tourist’
On Oct. 16, 2010, my friend Bob Boardman was killed by a mountain goat in Olympic National Park. Bob, an experienced mountaineer, had lived for 34 years on the Olympic Peninsula and had hiked and backpacked extensively in the park. To dismiss him as a “tourist” (“Heard Around the West,” HCN, 10/29/18) is far from…
It’s all partisan now
I feel compelled to comment on Monica Gokey’s article, “Is sporting a Patagonia fleece now a political statement?” (HCN, 12/10/18), which I found curious on many fronts. If “it’s a cardinal sin for reporters to display anything that might lead sources to believe we are anything but neutral parties,” then your considerations need to go…
Patagonia’s plastics
Yes, microplastics are pervasive (“Welcome to the Plastocene,” HCN, 11/26/18). Here is a quote from the Patagonia ad in the same issue: “The newest addition to the Patagonia Workwear line, our Steel Forge Denim blends 92% organic cotton with 8% Dyneema®, a fiber that’s light enough to float on water but 15 times stronger than…
Preparing for fire
I’m an expat in Australia living in the mountains in a very similar area to the California foothills but with far fewer people. My wife and I battled and survived a 2.5-million-acre forest fire in 2003 (“How to prepare for a wildfire,” HCN, 12/10/18). There is no evacuation plan on Earth that could have handled…
As the ecosystem of news changes, will journalists adapt fast enough?
Blooms can still be found in the West’s news desert.
As the influence of newsprint erodes, Westword prevails
Despite the state of the media, Westword Editor Patty Calhoun maintains hope.
How the Los Angeles Times went from union-busting to media role model
Resistance to deep cutbacks have brought about change to the 137-year-old paper.
Podcasts that fill the gap
A roundup of our favorite podcasts on stories and analysis of the West.
Where the news is drying up — and where it’s not
Rural areas can be hit hardest, but many small-town papers persevere.
Under Trumpism, truth is under relentless attack
Two books warn against the rise of alternative realities.
No news is bad news for public health
Losing local news sources and public health reporters hampers disease detection and outbreak response.
See paradise beneath the Colorado peaks
A publishing couple invites you into the process behind their picturesque Vail estate.
What you lose when you lose local news
People are less likely to vote, and politics become more polarized.
A holiday thank you to our readers
We enjoy our annual open house gathering and plan an issue break.
Journalists need defense, not derision
The U.S. media is taking a beating, even as it struggles to survive.
Earthquake struck; the anti-baby boom; blowtorching spiders
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Bighorns deserve better
I recently retired from the U.S. Forest Service, with many years as the lead wildlife biologist on the Rio Grande National Forest. I worked extensively with bighorn sheep issues in southwest Colorado, including some of the herds mentioned in HCN’s article, which also share our landscape (“The Big Threat to Bighorns,” HCN, 9/3/18). It is…
Indigenous comics push back against hackneyed stereotypes
The ‘noble savage’ in comics is dead. Long live the Dakwäkãda Warriors.