Local columnists are as much a part of a community newspaper as reporting on city councils and school boards.
The La Grande Observer, just like the other EO Media Group news operations in Eastern Oregon, has several local columnists — Dorothy Fleshman and Jenny Hagen, for example. If you’re familiar with the Wallowa County Chieftain, you know about the work of Rich Wandschneider and Ann Bloom, to name other two examples.
The list goes on.
As we continue shaping the new regional edition of the East Oregonian, we’re working at getting local columnists into the print edition. Of course, every Observer columnist always will appear online at our website, lagrandeobserver.com. However, not every column by every writer will fit into the print edition. (That’s true as well for other Observer features; all the content we produce will be posted on our website, but we won’t be able to squeeze everything into the print edition.)
Already, some of our local columnists are getting into the print edition — and we’re working on a rotation that will give everybody a shot.
As we sort out when columnists appear and where, we’ll also be doing more to showcase them on social media as well as promote them in newsletters, such as this. We want to get a better understanding of how popular local columns are and how many readers these columns draw online.
If you have local columns you want to see in print and online, let us know. We need the feedback. You also can even give your input on columns you don’t care for. We’ll keep all that anonymous.
You can reach me at editor@lagrandeobserver.com. (And if you have story ideas, questions, comments or suggestions about anything else in the printed edition of the East Oregonian or the Observer, feel free to send me an email at the same address. I might not be able to get back to you immediately, but I try to respond to every email.)
In the meantime, remember that your digital subscription access has been expanded, at no additional cost to you, to include all of EO Media’s other Eastern Oregon websites, including the Chieftain, the East Oregonian, the Hermiston Herald, the Baker City Herald and the Blue Mountain Eagle.
For all digital access:
• Simply register your account on every site you wish to read with the same email address and password you currently use.
• Once you’ve registered, enter your username and password to enjoy the full range of content on that news site.
• You should not have to login again unless you log out, clear history or experience software updates.
• Save your password when prompted by your browser and if you are inadvertently logged out, your browser can fill in your login and password for you. (Only use this option on your personal digital devices.)
To view the latest e-editions, be sure to register your account and sign in to www.eastoregonian.com.
Sign up for e-newsletters from each website by going to the “Email lists” link on your account dashboard for each site.
If you have any questions or need assistance, contact us at 800-781-3214 or email support@eomediagroup.com.
If you haven’t already, this is a good time to take a moment to register your subscription for digital access of The Observer. Call 800-781-3214 to talk to one of our customer service staff members, who will be happy to walk you through the process. It’s easy, takes just a few moments to get set up and allows you to take advantage of our e-edition, app and website delivery along with your print subscription. (The online edition also features a big selection of puzzles available only to subscribers.)
And let me clue you in on a new feature on our website that should help subscribers who are experiencing problems logging in. On the right side of the top navigation bar, you’ll see a “?” Click on it, and you’ll go to our new Help Center, designed specifically to help subscribers who are experiencing problems logging in. Log-in problems are a pain, and we’re hoping this feature helps you if you experience those.
Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank the Observer’s subscribers: It would be impossible for us to do this vital work without your support.
Mike McInally is the associate editor of the Observer and the editor of the Wallowa County Chieftain. You can email him at editor@lagrandeobserver.com.
