MAILBOX
Terry Torgerson
Husky Pride Editor: I want to thank the school board at Fortuna for putting education first (“’Staff Challenges’ Amid Quarantines Has Fortuna High School District Classes Going Virtual,” posted Jan. 16.). They gave families the choice of attending class or learning online. My student has been in class since August, is being educated and is loving it. My student will not be one of the countless students who may never recover from being denied an education or not being in class. Fortuna should be very proud of their school leaders. Go Huskies! Eric Cortez, Eureka
Ethics, Smokes and Revenue Editor: There has been much hand wringing regarding the full-page tobacco ad in the NCJ (Mailbox, Jan. 21 and Jan. 28). Perhaps some have not noticed that with much reduced revenue for print media, not to mention restaurants, bars and music venues, etc., they are just barely hanging on. The Times-Standard is using the USPS to deliver, no more delivery agents at least for my subscriber relative. Death spiral? Perhaps readers of purity would accept an even further reduced staff and consequently reduced coverage of all Humboldt print media as long as their minds aren’t poisoned by tobacco ads. The reader has no free will of their own to reject their overtures, I get that. When was the last time you saw the music critic Collin Yeo’s column? Music
venues are closed but does that mean no new local music is being produced? How much further do you want to see the Journal reduce staff and coverage of our area due to extraordinary fiscal challenges? You have to decide, do you even value print media and critical coverage of Humboldt County issues that affect you? Maybe easily molded putty brains can’t reject efforts by big tobacco to entice you into vaping or cigarettes, but the revenue is badly needed. If you want the continued existence of print media like the T-S, and NCJ, armchair economists may have to choose between ideological purity and even having any media whatsoever. Personally, I hate big tobacco. I am able to reject their message and their ad in the NCJ without the activists holding my hand. If the revenue keeps the doors open for our vital local print media. John Dillon, Eureka Editor: I understand that freely distributed newspapers depend on advertising and donations to stay afloat and pay the staff that brings interesting news to readers. Advertisements are also a reflection of the market to whom the paper is appealing and by the cultural norms of a given region. The lure of a full-page color advert for cigarettes with its health warning is probably a financial shot in the arm at a time when many local businesses are unable to affording advertising as they did prior to the pandemic. At the same time, I can only imagine that the staff struggled long and hard over a decision that they knew would alienate a segment of their readership. There are risks
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Continued on next page » northcoastjournal.com • Thursday, Feb. 4, 2020 • NORTH COAST JOURNAL
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