๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ , ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐
Long before the pandemic struck, print media was struggling, particularly local papers. Chico is lucky to still have two local papers and talented, dedicated reporters providing local coverage.
Seldom does a day go by that we donโt read a local paper, either ChicoER or Chico News & Review. Both papers continue to provide excellent and comprehensive coverage of local issues, and both fill an important niche. While both offer coverage of breaking news, reporters like Ken Smith at the CNR, without daily deadlines, tend to have more time to dig deeply into stories, while the ER offers broad local coverage as a daily. (Which isnโt to say the Chico ER doesnโt offer some strong investigative journalism as well) We are grateful for both.
And yet, our local papers and journalists are under attack. Local right-wingers, taking a page from trumps playbook, attacking journalists and the print media on a regular basis - see pics for a few recent examples. Things not going your way? Reporters provide facts that donโt agree with your narrative? โTheyโre biased!!โ
Itโs also disturbing to see Natalie Hanson-Ross singled out for their ire. Natalie is a talented reporter who also happens to be young and female, and viewed as an easy target for the right. As Mike Wolcott pointed out in his Sunday column, โyoung female journalists absolutely catch the worst of itโ See Washington Post article about the attacks on female journalists.
๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ - note the regular attacks on women in our community, both those in leadership and regular citizens they "hate." (See picture 3, where they single out Natalie and 4 other local women for harassment) But the seeming willingness of some in the community to accept, and to even cheer for the harassment of women in our community is particularly loathsome.
The harassment, vitriol and outright lies about journalists isnโt just disturbing, it's downright dangerous. Murders of journalists more than doubled in 2020. While itโs comforting to think it wonโt happen here, this kind of vitriol led to the murder of 5 people in the Capital Gazette newsroom in 2018.
This behavior is damaging and destructive and should not stand unchallenged.
We support independent print journalism and our local reporters, and we hope you will too. If you see reporters being harassed online, please speak up. Make it clear that the community doesnโt condone these attacks.
With all these things in mind, a couple of other notes:
We donโt share the text of stories from the Chico ER or the CNR here because reporters deserve to be paid for their work. Subscriptions (in the case of the ER) and advertisers pay the salaries of local reporters. Without those things we wonโt have local papers, and that would be a devastating loss for our community.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ญ, ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฒ:
Subscribing to the Chico ER https://checkout.chicoer.com
Donating to the CNR https://chico.newsreview.com/support-local-independent.../
Your subscriptions/donations are critical to keeping journalism alive in our community.
Pictured: Mike Wolcott, the Editor of the Chico ER, supporting the Chico News and Review.
Pictured: Mike Wolcott, the Editor of the Chico ER, supporting the Chico News and Review.
