WW2020 and the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

Traditionally, hometown newspapers have strengthened communities by providing the essential information that enables effective the kind of civic engagement at the heart of WW2020.  With the expansion of social media, our local newspaper is now also essential for preventing the demise of reality-based news.

If you’re concerned (and how could anyone not be concerned?) about the social, environmental, and political impacts caused by the substitution of misinformation and conspiracy theories for evidence-based journalism, you might want to consider subscribing to the Union-Bulletin if you’re not already doing so.

None of us is likely to agree with everything printed in the U-B.  But I think we all do agree that in order to make good individual and collective decisions and everyday choices, we need accurate information about what’s happening.  Without local journalism throughout the world we simply don’t have that necessary information.

Those who prefer to go paperless will be glad to learn that the U-B now offers subscriptions for an electronic replica version of the daily newspaper.  Online “news” sites such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter simply re-print stories that were written by employees of real news organizations (newspapers, radio news departments, television news networks) and apparently don’t pay royalties for the stories they decide to grab and re-publish.  At the same time, local newspaper advertising revenues are falling as more advertisers move to the internet.  That’s why we all need to pitch in to preserve our local papers.

First-time U-B home delivery subscriptions are under $20 a month.  The electronic version is less.  The subscription price helps pay for necessary support staff and equipment,  and most importantly, for the journalists who report what they’ve seen, heard, and investigated.  For more precise subscription information, you can talk with someone in the U-B customer service department (509-525-3301) or go online at www.union-bulletin.com.