Bob Welch, Jackman Wilson join Lookout Eugene-Springfield

from Lookout Eugene-Springfield and staff reports

Lookout Eugene-Springfield is currently hiring for executive editor, managing editor, correspondent, Ducks sports correspondent, and photojournalist positions. This month, two beloved local journalists joined the digital news venture.

Bob Welch (Lookout Eugene-Springfield, columnist): I’m honored by Lookout’s interest in having me write a column twice a month. I said yes to the opportunity because I believe in local journalism, believe in Lookout’s community-first approach and delight in the chance to be part of what I think could be a historic resurgence of news and opinion for Lane County. My pledge to readers is to add insight into what makes us uniquely ‘us’ and to cut back on my sports metaphors — a little.

Jackman Wilson (Lookout Eugene-Springfield, opinion editor): The first time I heard Ken Doctor speak about his plans for an online local news enterprise in Lane County, he talked about the importance of including a vibrant element of opinion. It wasn’t just talk. Everything I’ve seen and heard since then has left me convinced that Ken and those around him understand that robust editorials, letters and guest columns will be vital to Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s success. Now, as Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s launch draws near, I’ve agreed to join Ken’s team as opinion editor.

I was a member of The Register-Guard’s editorial department for a third of a century, including 20 years as editorial page editor. Early on, the R-G was pretty much the only game in town when it came to opinion journalism. Toward the end, our readers were drowning in opinions, with 500 cable channels, five million websites, and online access to news and information services from around the world.

So why add to the rising tide of opinion already swirling around readers’ ankles? Because nearly all of what presents itself as opinion journalism today is self-serving, partisan, fact-free, unserious, time-wasting or just plain dreck. And despite the torrent of opinion on the web, there’s a drought of commentary and analysis about local matters. We aim to fill a void by providing a platform for comprehensive discussion of local civic affairs.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield will be different, yet familiar. We will apply the principles of 20th-century American journalism to the digital age—principles of accuracy, accountability, and above all fairness. We won’t ignore global and national events, but our overriding priority will be life in Lane County and Oregon.

I’ll be writing editorials—which I’ve always thought of as being more than just opinions, but as sets of facts structured to support opinions. We’ll have letters to the editor—lots of them, I hope. We’ll have guest columns written by local people with expertise, passion, knowledge and insight. We’ll set high standards for ourselves and our contributors. We’ll respect our readers’ intelligence.

Many people reading this were contributors to the pages I edited at The Register-Guard. I encourage them to renew that old partnership in this new venture. And I invite everyone to participate in the conversations and debates we’ll be hosting at Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

This is important work—social justice, clean government and community cohesion depend on journalism of the kind we intend to practice. I also intend to learn new things, meet new people and have fun. Join me. As we get rolling, you can write to me at jack@lookoutlocal.com, with your ideas.

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Image: Former Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy (right), being interviewed by Linda Duggan about how you can help support Lookout Eugene-Springfield.