The Way: Rep. Wilde on Biden's Bill, Hester on Supply Chain Issues, Harris on PRO, and more!
Coming soon: new student contributors!
Did you miss “The Liftoff”?
Read the latest version here
You shouldn’t have to be an “Insider” to be in the know.
Editor’s Note:
ABC interrupted The Bachelorette on Tuesday to share what they must have regarded as national news — the Democrats lost the Virginia governor’s race. In the thirty second recap of the election that followed, viewers learned zero substance about the candidates nor the issues they debated. Instead, the station covered the election as another battle in a never-ending partisan war.
I’d guess that a few Bachelorette viewers stayed on ABC to watch the continued “analysis” of the election results. If they did, they’d see that our political media is arguably more full of fluff and puffery than a dating show that relies on unnecessary drama to draw eyeballs.
If we want to improve our politics, then we have to improve our political media. There are more similarities between ESPN’s GameDay program and any of the major political shows than anyone would think is healthy for a democracy. In both cases, the focus is on predicting who will win rather than understanding the fundamentals, gimmicks are employed to keep the viewer entertained rather than informed, and the biggest winners from the whole production are the advertisers and financial stakeholders.
I get that a more “serious” approach to covering elections would not be as fascinating as watching a guy in khakis draw circles on a big board. I know that diving into the policies and platforms of candidates would take longer than the five minutes slots between commercials. But I am convinced that if we fail to apply higher standards to our political media, then we will lose a key tool in our effort to improve our information ecosystem and civic culture.
Here’s to a better Oregon,
Kevin
To look forward to:
Our #GovernorGoals series. Learn more about how you can help shape the future of our state here.
Jared Garson discusses the importance of a housing first strategy for addressing homelessness.
Aeric Estep offers his latest contribution on climate change.
To read:
Rob Harris and Proportional Representation Oregon (PRO) are ready to change our election system. This newly formed group has some big ideas, but they all start with citizen engagement.
read more and learn how you can get involved here.
How would Biden’s Build Back Better proposal change Oregon? Rep. Wilde provides the answer.
read more here.
Why is joblessness so important? Kevin Frazier looks at the role of high labor force participation in building strong communities.
read more here.
What should you actually look for from a candidate for governor? Humble plans might be more informative than big, bold promises.
read more here.
Will supply chain issues resolve themselves before Christmas? Mark Hester doesn’t think so — real progress on this issue (and many others) won’t come about until our political culture changes.
read more here.
To do:
Share The Oregon Way with three friends
Join our editorial team or nominate someone to join
Tell us how we can improve!
Photo credit: "Willamette River (Eugene, Oregon)" by Al Case is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0