Salem-News.com is Alive

Send us that amazing shot you took, we may publish it on Salem-News.com, a news Website staffed by living people seven days a week. We're opening our doors to photos from our visitors.

Photo of Christian by Lela Taylor Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Sometimes people are in the right place at the right time with a camera, and they shoot a photograph or a clip of video that would just make your hair stand on end. Once this happens a few times, people start to get the hang of what works and what doesn't work in the wonderful world of image based reality. When we created this Internet News Website, we knew that the possibilities were endless. As a lifetime journalist, I saw amazing opportunities for storytelling. That is after all, what it's all about. But we knew the committment had to be different. It needed to be less automated, and that's when we found a term that describes Salem-News.com very well; "High-Tech Simplicity." Isn't that what technology should bring us, ease of operation? I'm not talking about dumbing something down, I'm saying use it for the betterment of people. Create it in a way that allows them to get where they want to go without any hassles. Salem-News.com is designed by Site Creator Matt Lintz to be functional and comfortable. Every story can be found in our archives easily. You never ever need a credit card to look at a story, unlike our competition in town that never knows when to quit charging people for things, including news that is more than one week old.

Photo by: Tim King

Maybe I have been doing it for too long, but I see major importance in the quality of reporting and photography. As corporate media wraps itself around their obsession with the ever important dollar, we keep getting better and better because we care about the right things. Practice does make perfect, and our team that never rests keeps gaining visitors, improving skills, and at the same time discovering the vast untapped new media field that we have more than joined up with, and are even defining on many levels. The secret behind the success of it is the fact that we don't have a newspaper, TV or radio station that we skim some material from, while leaving other stories behind so they are "fresh" when the paper comes out. Sure guys, didn't help much when people already knew the story from Salem-News.com, the group that gets it out as fast as it comes in. In the print and still photography arenas and the TV news world, we produce "Photo Essays". A more inside term for a television news photo essay is "natural sound package." A "Nat Sound Pack" is a fully produced story, usually a couple of minutes long, that has no narration. This doesn't mean "slide show." That's when your grandpa gets out the projector and shows you "slides." It isn't a term used very frequently by journalists. For a photojournalist, the photo essay is the most rewarding and challenging assignment, and the best opportunity for a personal delivery of their craft, with no reporter in the mix, only the person who shot the video and personally experienced the story. The challenge is to gather not only the images that reflect the story, but also to conduct the interviews that will become the "Sound Bites" within the story, guiding the viewer along.

Lincoln City, Oregon '05- Photo by: Tim King

As a news photojournalist/reporter, I almost always write narration or "track" to guide the viewer, but I still love the nat sound pack as a delivery tool for the right story. That's because a picture really can be worth a thousand words. Here on the Internet, we find ourselves in between the electronic media and print worlds when it comes to telling stories and sharing visual information. The truth is, we can do both, and then some. Even better, we don't have the time or space constraints that traditional media deals with constantly; :08 sound bites, 1:00 stories, column inches, etc. That's why Salem-News.com is taking Oregon by storm, and it also explains why the opportunities for people are broader here. We look forward to our interactions with the public, and we are interested in anything we can do to help people gain exposure. We have big plans, a lot of successes already under our belts, and we are proud to wear the title of New Media, the multi-media interactive answer to all of the world's news needs. The truth is, Salem-News.com is already starting to pass the Statesman Journal in Web rankings. We understand some of their people have been spreading other information in the community, but the proof is in the pudding. There are Internet analyzer sites that tabulate rankings, and the paper can't totally hide its real data. Don't get me wrong, they're still ahead of us on most days, the organization has existed for a century and a half, and us all of two years, but we are gaining serious momentum each month. At this time on a Sunday night, September 17th at 11:00 PM, we have had 5188 unique visitors come to our site, 13231 stories were opened, and more than 152,000 hits were generated. Not bad for 23-hours. Unlike most of our Internet competition, we are a live site, constantly staffed by a team of professionals. When a person leaves a comment, a real person approves it. When the editor responds to a comment, it is not machine generated. And we don't make you register to leave a comment. Our stories are all posted on Google, and they stay on the Web forever.

Heceta Head Lighthouse- Photo by Kevin Hays

On Salem-News.com, a person can select the stories they want. With "On-Demand News" people again have choice. We also are heavily experienced TV producers, and the video stories we put out are on a level with anything produced in a large market TV newsroom. Sadly, the newspaper is losing money increasingly, and adding a heavy load to their reporters, forcing them to shoot video with no experience behind them or proper training. It makes really good newspaper people look bad, and it could be the corporate mistake that breaks the camel's back. The worst thing is that they are lowering the bar so far for their community. So if you hear a Statesman person put us down, know that they do it out of fear, and because the "small operation" that they like to apparently call us is coming up the track and like the Beach Boys used to say, the only thing they're going to see is our frenched tailights. There are probably more people in Oregon today packing cameras than at any point in history. They have them in all shapes and sizes, and they even come in telephones.

South Oregon coast- Photo by: Tim King

Which leads to the next point; that the ability to instantly view and email pictures has never been so broad, and it is growing by the day. Almost everybody has a digital camera, so the next time you use it and grab something really good, send it to us. It could be an accident tying up the freeway that people need to know about, it could be a shot of a demonstration that we didn't have time to get to, or it might just be an image that will warm people's hearts. We see many possible ideas related to this, including prize giveaways, contests, awards, maybe someday even scholarships to help young people become proficient in the art of photography. Please email our newsroom with your ideas, or if you have photos that you would already like to see published: newsroom@salem-news.com

There is a book that has been written about the Statesman's parent company Gannett, and their underhanded business practices. The book is called "The Chain Gang- One Newspaper versus the Gannett Empire" by author Richard McCord. It's about them taking out a small newspaper that they apparently felt was in the way. A large percentage of the story takes place right here in Salem. It is a good read, check this link: http://www.umsystem.edu/upress/fall2001/mccord.htm

What we are, is the only exclusively electronic news media in Salem, Oregon's capitol city, that pounds out the news and sports information for you seven days a week, sometimes non-stop, with real video stories, a fresh perspective, and technical simplicity. I had to say it again, it just sounds so good.

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C-mudgeon: Sharp observation from accurate memory, appreciated in this dialog. Gannett not so much "malign" as captured in denigration of old press-side business, with ultimate forces from economics making even monopoly impossible without now-malign actions, slashing, curtailing, abandoning, contracting wherever possible. No good answers --except responsible resort to new tech nologies, of which this is so far "shining example" for my money, what little there is after split career in education and jrnlsm.

Regarding your reference to "The Chain Gang," it sounds like there is an analogy between it and the S-J vs. Salem-News.com. I hope it doesn't come to that, because I think there is room for both in this community. But I doubt that Gannett sees it that way. There was a time, before the world wide web, when another small media outlet emerged in Salem. It was a weekly newspaper called The Community Press. Definitely a David vs. Goliath situation, and eventually Goliath crushed David. I felt it was a great loss to the Salem community.

Did you guys realize that this story has been at the top of the Google News search for Salem Oregon for the past two days? That is interesting, good work. It is a couple of spaces down now, but still on the front page.

Blackhill, you win the gold brick of the week award, unfortunately we're a little low on gold bricks right now. Yes, that is the half sunken vessel at Gold Beach (I'm almost sure that is the location) and it has a fantastic history as a turn-of-the-century whaler. It is flipped upside down because I like it better that way, and was wondering if anyone would notice.

Hey I don't know if anybody saw this but today's paper printed the wrong drop-off sites for ballots in today election.

Leonardo et al: Yours re confrontation over their-comment vs our-comment right on...have file literally full of similar incidents, mine and many others. Note Aguirre suddenly departed, no trace, SJ refused comment. Not only one-such: had threatening-type phonecall situation with wife-BCR inquiry, followed it, suddenly main-man on masthead gone...no trace. Monopoly breeds arrogance, to which will only add "see with own eyes" -- !! Yr sensitive handling of serious matters highly appreciated, both in-art and words...

That last photo "South Oregon Coast" has gotta be upside down. It does give it an interesting, abstract look though.

I'll share an experience I had with the Statesman Journal during the mid 1990's. There was a stretch of time during which the S-J took to bashing teachers mostly over issues which teachers had no control over (for example, a custodian who threw away a student's books in a garbage can). They made a statement to the effect that they held teachers to high standards. Being a teacher I have and had no problem with being held to high standards. But as I read over the SJ I couldn't help but notice a large number of misspellings, malpropisms, and assorted grammatical errors -- due to ignorance or carelessness, I couldn't say. I wrote a letter to the editor thanking S-J for wishing teachers to be held to high standards and pointed out that readers held S-J to high standards as well. I took the articles printed from a single week's news and listed each error which I had noticed. There were quite a few. I waited for the letter to be published. Nada. I emailed S-J and asked them if they had received my letter. Richard Aguirre replied that he had and thanked me. He said that he had shared it with the staff and that they would be more careful in the future. I then asked if he was going to publish the letter. His reply was no. I then said; "You're telling me it's okay for the Statesman Journal to criticize teachers publicly, but you won't allow teachers to criticize the S-J in return?" He told me that was about the size of it. This is what you get when you give a single media the only voice in a city. Personel have changed in the meanwhile of course, but I have no respect whatsoever for the S-J. Long live Salem-News.com. It's about time a second voice was heard.

Anonymous One: Re comment from SJ on our work, their best (and only) defense is to pretend we are NOT there... Re attacks: How would you really KNOW ? We may be stockpiling evidence, for all you can tell from "out there:. Re Op Eds: Our approach follows pattern set by -ironic note--Gov. Sprague when he owned SJ and ran it responsibly as family enterprise. Re: Journalism downhill-trend, will expect your address and/or emailer, for delivery of 20-30 national references including multiple issues of New Yorker, Columbia Jrnlsm Rvw, and others. Re bad-words: Let's just say "lack of information' ?? GREAT dialog...any other questions ??

Anonymous One: Gotta separate these situations. First point: give us one-tenth the resources of the SJ and see us fly. Second: Pay weekly same amount as for SJ -- and ditto-result. Third: Our Op Eds built as court opinion...on documented materials as evidence of realities, then reported to you as professional summary. Somehow that seems to me different from what I find now on the SJ Edit Page. Will send you ten-page outline of what we do-and-why if you send address to Tim...which might be good idea anyhow, so we know with what background we are dealing, as you certainly do for Tim and our crew.

With genuine embarrasment I acknowledge the mistakes pointed out, they were nobody's fault but mine. I had to go and Kevin Hays, who realized the mistakes quickly, didn't have keys to the site at the moment. Aaaargh! Sorry Kevin, and everybody else. We normally do much better.

But please understand why this was written, and please tell me what you would do in my shoes? I know for a hard fact that mud is sailing through the air and those guys are throwing it, I've had people tell me about it, one too many in fact.

It pains me to think that our hard efforts for Salem could be talked down by people who speak untruths. For Kevin and I in particular, this thing is like a child that you never stop caring for.

David Rissert is gone from the paper now, he was somebody that I always maintained a relationship and respect level with. There are many new faces, and I still desire to have mutual respect with the organization, but it takes two sides to tango.

For the record, I don't think that you would ever see us named in that paper under any conditions, unless somebody slips in a comment with our name which has happened.

I won't swear it, but I think that the only times I have referenced them before was over the video stories. Believe me, that is where I have spent my life and there are bad policies in place over there. Their industry is truly shrinking, that is not meant in any way as an insult. The Internet is taking it's toll on the dailies and they are feeling it.

There are shareholders, so instead of just adjusting to the financial loss, they overwork their employees, they matrix out the senior people when their livings get comfortable, and they hand still photographers video cameras and say "Go do it". The results are what anyone would expect, and it isn't pretty. If I don't harp on them who will? Believe it or not, I am always hoping that life for employees there improves. My wife worked there for a couple of years in management and we kind of understand how things work.

So while I don't want to jump to conclusions, there is a possible pattern when considering the Chain Gang. Regardless of the earlier comment about it being fiction, that is not the case.

Should Salem-News.com defend itself the one way we know how, through published stories? Should we lie down and take it? We hear lots of stories from inside those walls too, and most aren't good. Many people would lie low, but that is not my style. If you or anyone else wants to offer opinions, I'm listening.

As a don't agree with the name calling by salem-news.com staff about the statesman journal...I will say that as a long time Salem resident I know of alot of people who are tired of Salem's one "big" media source in town and it's continual treatment of stories. It's nice to have more than one option and view of the days news and events. However, I wish that the staff of salem-news.com wouldn't keep-up with the almost daily critizism of the paper. Look deep at yourselfs, I can find at least two errors on your site right now, pic in weather story says it's from a tornado in 1997 when it's a pic of the control tower at McNary Field. Then when I looked at your sports section the top story says Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops Photo from University of Oklahoma (no-dot-com). Do you see the Statesman putting up stuff about all of your errors and innaccuracies?? Have they ever attacked you??? Also I would add that op:eds should be put in there own section, they are not news, rather your opinion of the days news and events. Most every other credible newspaper and online source puts them in a seperate section. Please do the same. But,please,continue to keep up the good work and thanks for giving Salem a second, better source for news and information.

Missed one point by Anonymous re "good people" and working for corporations. Still have friends at SJ --which may concern management a bit, cometothink of it-- and appreciate their professional efforts "in the middle" of chain gang management...having been there a time or two or even three. BUT one still tries to do it right --and if forced to distort or pervert, one simply moves on...which may be interesting sidelight re names coming and going here.

The SJ should become news partners with Salem-News.com.. they're already using your stories.

For Anonymous: Forgive my use of standard source-information answer...that's longtime esponsible-journalistic working tradition. You are invited to submit any authoritative negative-source data you may have...which is other side of our ongoing dialog-approach here, in itself a journalistic tradition built on building democratic and reliable consensus.

For Anonymous, here's the back-cover reviews on the book, copied from the link given by Tim...which you could have used if you had wished to be objective. We give links on Salem-News content precisely so you can "see with own eyes" and thus evaluate, if you really wish to do so, what it is we state. That is ONLY standard journalism practice, used allatime on dailies wishing to report responsibly.

"A devastating pattern of corporate sleaze. . . . There is no question that McCord has the goods on Gannett, and he is one of the few journalists in America bold enough to reveal them."—Newsday

"A masterful job of making history exciting as well as informative. . . . A great page-turner. . . . An authoritative and entertaining read, and also historically important."—Los Angeles Times

"McCord has the jackhammer convictions of a born editorial writer. . . . The raw emotion he brings to his battle against Gannett makes The Chain Gang affecting as well as informative."—New York Times

"McCord has battled the Gannett newspaper giant twice and lived to tell about it in this fascinating book. . . . This book is nearly impossible to put down, for the media curious or those who just like a good scrap." —Publishers Weekly

Statesman Journal= large, uncaring corporate media. Have some guts, talk about the book, tell the truth. Go Salem-News!

Re CHAIN GANG, can confirm its basic message from some 60 working years split between education and "in the media" --including 20 surveilling and critically comparing SJ and others in the field --and including personal and family experiences well-documented, and also personal contacts with author of CHAIN GANG. SO ANONYMOUS defining SJ, stand up so we can see who you are, by signing name as both Tim and I have done. Re criticism of another unit in the media, that's standard practice ever since the Federalist Papers, and part of how we learn --sometimes !--from each other, if indeed the spirit and corporation management are both willing.

"The Statesman-Journal is a solid paper...?" This person must not be from Salem. People here are very critical of the SJ, and advocates of the paper are rare.

I'll reserve further comment on the Chain Gang. I have strong feelings about the book, but I have heard similar statements from others. I do think it is good for other people to at least be aware of its existence.

I know it is highly questionable to put down another media source, but the video work they are attempting to put forth is not a good example of a strong paper. Their reporters are looking very weary these days, and many people on the staff are personal friends of mine. There are professional training sessions for newspaper people transitioning into video. The Brooks Institute in Ventura for example, and they are reasonable.

Finally, I understand your point, I really do, but I have been receiving too many reports form credible people about the really degrading comments some of their people have made and we do not deserve that. Still, thank you for your intelligent comments, good perspective for us.

Unfortunately, The Chain Gang is a good 'fictional' read. What they claim the Statesman did to RFD publications, RFD publications did to other small newspapers in the Portland area. Stress the positive that you do with Salem-News.com rather than trying to knock the Statesman-Journal. It cheapens your message when you try to knock the competition. The Statesman-Journal is a solid paper with good people that work there. You, yourself have worked for major corporations and did good pieces for them. Stress the positive that you do rather than trying to undermine other news organizations.

Thank you for your thoughts Jenna, we are listening. This type of feedback helps guide us.

It's a little to technically simple. And you need less op/ed pieces and inside news. (Tim King is going where? That's nice, what about Salem?)

Leslie: Must answer since one son (of four daughter) has same name. All four are active "in the media" in one level or another. We have family story: "We warned them --but they did it, anyhow !" The profession is fighting for its life and its principles, as you will soon learn --but from "checkered career" split between "Education" and "Journalism", for major satisfactions you cannot beat the latter; even though the former offers growth you shape for individuals, the latter opens some ways to do that with far larger groups. Try EACH --and then choose !!

this article was very inspriring to me, in the future i would love to be a journalist.

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