One of the best attributes of small-town journalism is the nearly instant accountability regarding our stories and views.

That is unique in this nation in many ways and a theme I learned about early in my journalism career.

The best way to explain it is when we write a story or pen an editorial chances are we will receive feedback from readers. Not always, of course, but often enough that our reporters understand that what they write matters.

And the facts they place inside those stories matter as well — a great deal. Because if a fact is wrong, if something is flat missed in the story, someone is going to say something to either the writer or an editor.

That’s instant accountability.

Does that put pressure on us? Sure does. Is it undue pressure? Nope. That’s because while newspapers and the media are powerful mediums, neither function if no one recognizes the power we wield also means we carry a solemn and serious obligation to get it right.

We’re not a vast government bureaucracy where a complaint can dissolve and vanish. Our phone numbers are visible to all the see. Our emails are available. When someone has a complaint, they can voice that concern easily.

Their complaints won’t go through a vast array of people but go directly to the individual who wrote the story. That instant accountability is what is best about our profession. We are beholden to the reader. Whether that reader is Republican or Democrat or an Independent does not matter. They’re readers. They have skin in the game. They provide money every month for a subscription — either print or digital or both — and what they think and how they feel matters.

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If you missed one or more issues of The Observer this week, here are a couple of stories you might have missed.

One of our most popular stories online is Dick Mason’s report about the Grande Ronde Valley being the backdrop for a movie production next year. “Dumped on Christmas,” directed by Los Angeles filmmaker H. Nelson Tracey, is set to start in February 2023 in La Grande.

The film will be about two college students attending school outside Northeastern Oregon. The young couple, Ben and Cassie, are in La Grande during Christmas break where they are visiting Ben’s family. Unfortunately the couple breaks up during the visit, creating an awkward situation for Cassie, who cannot leave La Grande for her parents home in Illinois for logistical reasons. This leaves the two students stuck in the same house during a portion of the holiday season.

Other popular online stories with readers have been related to public safety. Isabella Crowley’s stories about the parents of a 7-year-old Central Elementary School student arrested after school staff found fentanyl pills in the student’s belongings and the guilty plea entered by the third Island City car chase suspect have been among the most read stories online.

Coming next week, we will have a story about the city of La Grande’s parks master plan update, which will go before the Union County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 2.

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As always, we couldn’t do this without you. News gathering is a community endeavor, so we’d love to have your partnership and support for our efforts.