Publisher's Note

Last week, we ran an article on the controversy around the Strong Park tree. This was an ambitious article, getting at important issues around how decisions are made and communicated. However, we published it before it was ready—more work was needed to achieve the level of journalistic excellence we aspire to.

It is a challenge to provide the kind of coverage of local government issues like this deserve without the knowledge of government workings and the skill with communication that comes with a journalism degree. Our staff and contributors have great enthusiasm and willingness to learn, but we do not yet have that expertise. Sometimes our inexperience or the demands of our publication schedule mean that we publish work that misses the mark.

Fortunately, we are making progress in bringing more of this skill back to The Eagle. You can see the start of this on page 8, where a new contributor is helping us expand coverage of Clatskanie. Beyond his interest in sports, he is experienced in covering local government. We hope to expand his role to include reporting, editing, and mentorship as well.