The fall and rise of community news: Today So Far

• In the absence of local news, people are starting their own newspapers in Washington.
• Seattle schools are going mask optional, and soon.
• Charter schools found using uncertified teachers.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for March 9, 2022.

More than a quarter of local newspapers in the United States closed up shop between 2004 and 2019. And it is during this era that I entered the industry. By the time I was hired at a community newspaper company here in the Puget Sound region, there were no photographers — I was the photographer. There was nobody to lay out pages either — so I learned InDesign. I heard of glory days when papers had up to six (six!) staff members. Where I worked, it was usually an editor and me. There were nights when I slept at the office — cover a council meeting, write it up, sleep for a few hours, crawl to my desk to lay out and edit pages. And still, papers have been shutting down.

There seems to be an evolution in local coverage. In the absence of local news, people are starting their own newspapers. And by "newspaper," I mean they are producing coverage and information about local events, even if it's only online. KUOW's Soundside recently reported on five such operations that have sprung up around Washington. They are filling news gaps in their communities. On a level, this is inspiring. But on another level, it can be concerning. That's what Rachel Moran addressed while chatting with KUOW. She's a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public.

"It does test the boundaries of what is news versus what is just information or what is content. When we open those floodgates, we're really opening them to anyone to come in and say: 'I'm a journalist; I've produced journalism.' But there's no badge of approval. It's not like you're a doctor and you have to have a license to be a journalist."

Will the rise of newer, small community news sources pan out? Only time will tell.

The state recently found a few charter schools that were using teachers who didn't have required teaching licenses. The issue here is that staffing levels influence the amount of funding charter schools get from the state. But without using certified teachers, the schools are now being asked to give back millions of dollars. The schools are part of the Summit charter system. The uncertified teachers were found at Seattle's Sierra and Atlas schools, and at Tacoma's Olympus school. Summit is pushing back against the state's conclusion. Details here.

Studies are emerging that compared schools that required masks with those that didn't. It's a hard topic to study when some areas have higher vaccination rates than others, and different schools have different mask policies. But some information indicates that there hasn't been much of a difference between masking or not. So should schools nix masks because they may or may not work? Or do you still just do "the right thing," because it's the right thing (which, itself, is a good lesson for kids). KUOW recently spoke to a couple experts on the topic who come at it from different perspectives. And it's a relevant discussion now that Seattle Public Schools (the largest district in the state) announced that it is going mask optional starting Monday, March 14. Read more here.

The masking issue has ping-ponged so much over the pandemic. Some people say wearing a mask is essential. Others say that if the fabric doesn't work as well as an astronaut's helmet, then why bother? Beyond all the nit-picking, masks work. Period. And you can tell I really stand behind that statement, because I took the time to write "period." Mask mandates are phasing out around the state. The University of Washington just announced it's going mask optional during spring quarter. Other universities are doing the same. Personally, I'm keeping my mask on for a while longer. Others might not. And that is all OK, as long as we're being neighborly and continue to look out for each other.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Beth Robinette, left, owner of the Lazy R Ranch, and LaRae Wiley, executive director of the Salish School of Spokane, have come together to bring students to the ranch to harvest plants and medicines. Robinette looked into the history of the land her family has worked for generations, and is now taking steps to work with the tribe who was there much longer before that. (Ashley Ahearn)

DID YOU KNOW

Russell Wilson may be leaving the Seattle Seahawks (and heading to the Denver Broncos), but he wont' be absent from the Seattle region, thanks to a range of business ventures he started while in town.

Wilson's Good Man Brand (clothing that makes you feel like you must earn a lot more money, to pay for expensive clothes, in order to look like a good man) is still being sold at Seattle-based Nordstrom stores. His clothing is also a featured brand at the House of LR&C, a store in University Village where Wilson is a board member along with his wife Ciara. Also at University Village is Juice Press. A co-venture between Wilson and this East Coast company brought the store to the West Coast.

In 2019, Wilson became part of the Seattle Sounders FC ownership group.

Wilson's Why Not You Productions (similar name to his non-profit organization) is still registered in Washington state. The production company has a first-look deal with Seattle-based Amazon Studios and aims to produce positive content for the streaming service.

And side note: I mentioned in yesterday's newsletter that Bobby Wagner was still with the Seahawks. After that newsletter came out, news broke that the Seahawks have released Wagner. So now I don't know who to expect to be on the Beacon Plumbing commercials.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

Researcher finds 'stunning' rate of COVID among deer. Here's what it means for humans

This is one result from a new pair of soon-to-be-published studies with the latest evidence for Covid spillover from humans into wild deer where the virus picked up a raft of new mutations. In addition, in one case, Covid most likely later spilled back from the deer into a human. That's a first.

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