I got a new email update from the Eugene Weekly last night. Numerous community businesses and organizations, including two unlikely sources, have helped raise funds for the paper. Recently, the paper discovered that one of their employees had been embezzling money for years, meaning creditors had gone unpaid, employees had nothing in their 401(k)3 accounts, they couldn’t make payroll, and the printer wouldn’t print anymore without upfront payments. Now, they are seeking to raise funds to get back on their feet.
In my previous diary, one commenter noted that they were going to do yearly audits now. I have two pieces of advice to add of my own. Whoever they trust with handling their money should be bonded. There are performance bond companies out there that will insure you against theft if another employee steals money from them. I tossed papers for a couple of places, and in both cases, I was bonded, so that if I had dumped (for want of a better term) on the paper, I would be out a lot of money and be hounded by bill collectors for a good long time. I’ve seen places at least get their money back. Most of the local governing bodies where I live have their treasurers bonded. Make sure it’s a company that doesn’t have a mandatory arbitration clause. I have horror stories. Also, if banks were involved, and didn’t follow their own policies, sue the banks. Banks that don’t have adequate safeguards against fraud and theft do not deserve to exist.
Off of my soapbox and on to the update. First, the local Tacovore donated all the proceeds from its sales from yesterday (January 4th) towards the paper. From their Facebook post:
“We really don’t want our true local paper to go out of print in weird times like these. Keep it weird Eugene and keep it Weekly!”
They have gotten two unlikely messages of support through all this. One was from the Eugene Police Department. The other is from a Facebook group called Lane County Mugshots Uncensored, which discusses crime in the area. What this tells me is that regardless of any philosophical differences people on the right might have, they still want to know the news.
Sweet Life Patisserie is a local bakery which has won numerous awards over the years. They have also won sustainability awards over the years. They plan to do a fundraiser. Nothing Bundt Cakes dropped off treats for the staff, many of whom are working without pay to get the paper back on its feet.
Chicken Crossing is, as its name suggests, a locally owned fast food chicken place. But they have vegan options, and their mission is to show that one can be a fast food place and still care for the planet. Their ingredients are sourced as locally as possible. They have offered to feed the staff.
The Eugene Animal Hospital offers a full line of veterinary services and also offers alternative medicine for pets. They have offered to help with the Eugene Weekly’s two office pets.
Two of the local TV stations did writeups on the Eugene Weekly. Station KVAL did a writeup in which Camilla Mortenson, the editor, discussed plans for the Eugene Weekly:
"Our first thought was, okay so we're completely down, so how are we going to get back up again? How are we going to get this paper printing again?" Mortenson said. "I know for me my short term goal is to get a paper printed. I don't see it happening next week, but the following [week], because for one thing our advertisers value and need it, and our readers, it's what they look forward to. So short term, getting it printed, and long term, getting it viable again."
And in the KLCC piece, one of the office dogs was featured. Mortenson had this to say:
According to Mortensen, the fraud investigation is limiting the paper’s future access to funds, but the goal is to rehire staff and resume printing near the end of January. She said she’s cautiously hopeful.
“With the amount of community support that has shown up,” said Mortensen, “I can't imagine not pulling this off.”
The paper is slowly starting to come back and starting to publish pieces online again. I will post periodically about some of these pieces here and elsewhere, time permitting. Paul Bodin writes about how we are living in a post truth world, where feelings matter more than facts. He is a local philosophy instructor at the University of Oregon and is going into the local schools and teaching kids about philosophy. Socrates was executed in Greece for allegations that he was doing the same thing that Mr. Bodin is doing now. As an aside, if you want to piss off a Republican, support your local philosophy department. He writes, in part:
Lee McIntyre, a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University, talks about different forms of post-truth. There are falsehoods, when people say things that are untrue without meaning to do so. There are outright lies, which are falsehoods made with the intention to deceive others. There is a willful ignorance of facts, when people spread untruths without bothering to take the time to find out if their information is accurate.
There is self-deception, when people believe in falsehoods that are shared by others in their friendship circle or online chat group – the “group think” that Dowd talks about.
Sometimes post-truths are purposefully spread through corporate greed. The tobacco industry’s claims that smoking was safe is well-documented. Disinformation about climate change came from lobbying and advertising schemes made by the coal and petroleum industry.
This is exactly why we need papers such as the Eugene Weekly. Papers like that can tell us what the truth is, and then we can put everything together.
As of right now, the Eugene Weekly has raised $72,000 of the $188,000 it is seeking to raise through its GoFundMe page. This does not include the money it has raised through fundraisers like the ones we posted above, direct contributions, and contributions to its foundation, TRIPS. You can find more information about how to donate directly here. Contributions to TRIPS are tax-deductible.
And if you live in or around Eugene or are passing through, be sure to patronize the businesses that advertise in the Eugene Weekly and tell them you saw their ad in the Eugene Weekly. I publish a newspaper myself, and I can say for a fact that many advertisers make advertising decisions based on people telling them they saw their ad in my paper.