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Comment Blog - Note: All Comments Subject To Approval

Ray Dickerson wrote on Apr 3, 2009 5:10 PM:

" To Disgusted. How dare you insult the Argus by calling it “right leaning". If you can’t tell the difference between right and left in politics and media bias, you should cancel your subscription and get some schooling. Keep up the good work, Pat. Ray "

Larry wrote on Apr 2, 2009 10:28 PM:

" Yeah Pat.....your bias amazes me. Many including me have indicated there is some dealings going on behind the scenes regarding with two councilmembers and some ex city employees. Your bias ensured the election of these two and look what they are trying to do to those who voted them in. I wrote you a letter regarding how I thought your bias was destroying this community and I stand on this. Get it through your thick head. Get off your lazy rump and do some real investigative reporting and you will be surprised. Council watches government but WHO watches council when there are bad ones sitting in those chairs. I will fight till the very end ! The word needs to get out. If not you who? "

Disgusted wrote on Apr 2, 2009 3:15 PM:

" I, too, will cancel my subscription. Not because of the elimination of the Monday edition, but really for the (lack of)content, the unrelenting errors in reporting, the clear bias against Ontario, and the extreme right-leaning character of the paper. Pat Caldwell is a poor excuse for an editor and I've had more than I can stand. I won't support an organization that uses such poor business practices yet portrays an amazing sense of self-importance in their justification. Pat, your days of walking on water seem numbered. Your paper is an abominable excuse for a publication and people know why! "

Shelley W wrote on Mar 30, 2009 10:50 PM:

" Wow, I guess there can only be one Shelley in this whole world. I am not going to debate as to whom you think I am. Once again this goes to show how narrow minded this community really is. I guess next time I will hide behind some name that is not my own. Too Tired must of forgotten how to spell theirs. "

Too tired wrote on Mar 30, 2009 3:01 PM:

" I notice a post from Shelly W. Would that be Shelley aka Mrs. or former Mrs. Pat Caldwell, editor of the Argus? How biased. No wonder you are sinking -- the stench starts at the top of the newsroom. "

Carolyn Ginkens wrote on Mar 30, 2009 2:50 PM:

" The demise of the Argus Observer has been a long, long time coming. There is more at work here than just the economy.

Has anyone read the Argus Observer in the last few years? I have been a reader for more than 20 years. At one time the Argus Observer was an outstanding local newspaper. In the past the Argus had fine writers such as Tom Murphy, Ann Crosby, Mindi Rambo, Michael Leighton, Tracy Widner, Travis Bommersbach and Cathie Molder to name a few. They all jumped ship. Thank goodness, Larry Meyer remains a stalwart professional reporter. These people I have named provided concise, well-written stories which were a pleasure to read. I looked forward to my daily paper.

Today, we get the tired, recycled drivelings of Pat Caldwell and his military/Democratic viewpoint, brought to us with his limited vocabulary -- over and over and over. Forget proofreading this paper because the grammar is atrocious; the writing is lackluster.

There is such a thing as doing more with less, however, we as readers have been getting less for years -- even when the economy was better.

It looks to me like the Argus Observer needs to make a change in leadership to save itself. We need a local newsppaer. The current "regime" has ran it into the ground. I am sure some of your old writers with their knowledge and superior writing skills could help turn the ship around. "

Larry wrote on Mar 30, 2009 5:46 AM:

" Shelly brings up a good point. I have been reading the Argus for years. It's the leadership that's gunky. That is why I am nominating Sean Hart for editor. But even he would not be able to reverse the major changes we are seeing in printed journalism Keep up the good work Sean "

wrote on Mar 29, 2009 7:37 PM:

" My guess is that cutting the Monday edition is just the beginning of the end for the printed version of the Argus. By this time next year the Argus will be totally on line.... "

Shelley W wrote on Mar 28, 2009 5:47 PM:

" Wow, I can not believe that we are attacking the paper for not wanting to raise their prices and attacking them for trying to keep a few more people in this area employed. I guess they could of made the paper less affordable in these times when money is hard to come by. Why not add a few more people to the welfare line? Let it rest and get over it. Papers all over this fine country are having hard times not just the one in your backyard. "

choo choo wrote on Mar 28, 2009 9:49 AM:

" This train has been headed down the tracks for a long time. Two words can sum up this mess, Steve and Pat. Come on Wick Com. get these clowns out of here and give them a job in the back room of a paper in the Midwest somewhere. Talk to your past, and potential advertisers and they will tell you the degree of ineptness suffered by this dying business. Get some managers in there that are engaged in the community and know how to manage a newspaper. Shame on you Wick Communications for letting this get a out of hand as it is. "

Former Reader wrote on Mar 25, 2009 7:39 PM:

" I quit reading the Argus a few years because of their manipulation of stories and articles. I have been interviewed a few times by the Argus. When a reporter ask you the same question over three time to try to get the results they want to hear, you learn not to have much respect for the newspaper. I remember years ago, I bragged about how a home town newspaper really had the best interest in the community. Now it’s not there. I think a couple years back, the Argus took a wrong path. "

To Mr Smith wrote on Mar 25, 2009 2:12 PM:

" WE ARE ONE. Wow you my friend have been under the same rock you were talking about. We are Eastern Oregon we pretty much stand alone. "

Mr. Smith wrote on Mar 25, 2009 12:27 PM:

" The last poster with his short-sighted opinions about the Argus covering Fruitland...etc. You cancelled your paper. Did you turn off your T.V. and radio too? You must be totally turned off to the rest of the world's goings-on. It seems as such because your statement that "it isn't the economy" is infantile.
I am grateful for what the Argus and IE do for our little communities. I appreciate the fact that they cover the region...equally. I understand that they have high overhead to deal with and very limited staff resources. The spelling may not always be perfect but we get the story. NO OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS COVER OUR AREA! Even the local radio group has all but abandoned us. As a business owner I appreciate the advertising option. As a community activist, they have always been responsive to getting the word out. If you can live without the paper, so be it. I already have the Argus at my office and I am adding a subscription to my home. If you do subscribe, patronize the advertisers and let the editor know what you want in your paper.
Finally, I am about fed up with the miopic curmudgeons who declare their town as the ONLY town in the area. We are a community, Malheur and Payette Counties. We are ONE! If you don't like that, crawl back under your rock and quiet down! "

To the argus wrote on Mar 25, 2009 9:47 AM:

" If you would have read all the warning signs this could have been avoided. All the article that would come before the ones about our own town. How you always put fruitland first rather then your own home town. Bad employees writing even worse articles. I quit the paper because of how bad it was written and how much the writers cared about their thought first and the story second. I can afford the paper but chose not to do to lack of interest. So in closing it is not the economy it is you. Thank you "

Thank-you wrote on Mar 24, 2009 8:12 PM:

" Thank-you Argus Observer for covering Ontario and surrounding towns when we are all but forgotten by the rest of Oregon. You are the only place to get local news. Thank-you for over 100 years of service. No one will ever agree with every article but thanks for having the courage to put it in. The more educated a person is the less they complain. It sounds likes many people in the area need more education. "

John Kirby wrote on Mar 24, 2009 5:23 PM:

" The Argus is doing what other businesses are doing...making cuts where appropriate to survive. We as a country value a free press to keep government in check. We need a free press now more than ever. While I do not always agree with the stance this newspaper takes...it fills the need of a free press for this valley. Seattle and Colorado have lost newspapers recently, but they still have others to replace the lost providers. The Idaho Statesman is having another newspaper (Idaho Press Tribune) print their editions to save money. They also have laid off many tenured employees. Those who editorialize in this venue would not provide unbiased and factual news if offered as an alternative. As an advertiser it is important that this community have a quality news source, so I hope and pray that their business decision satisfies their business need.
I read these blogs to wrestle with local opinions...and boy do the residents of this country have some.
Even this blog would go away without the paper. Please continue to comment whether the paper is too liberal or conservative or inaccurate; but just like a library, we need a local newspaper. I know not everyone will like my comments, but I will sign my name, as does Ray D. and Mike A.

John Kirby "

Re WHAT wrote on Mar 24, 2009 10:39 AM:

" Steve's blog is still posted and was not removed. His blog is on the other story. "

WHAT wrote on Mar 24, 2009 7:59 AM:

" All of a sudden you didn't think Steves blog was very funny? Is that why you took it out? He cracks jokes about not being able to do crossword puzzels now when you really have an issue that you should take seriously! I hope others got to see it before you took it out! "

to soon wrote on Mar 24, 2009 7:57 AM:

" Maybe if you learned to read better, you'd get more out of the newspaper. In lieu of raising prices, they're cutting the Monday edition and adding more to the other issues.

It's too bad some people just look for the negative. "

Leon wrote on Mar 24, 2009 7:23 AM:

" Great idea cut 4 more days and do a Sunday editon only, one day well is worth far more than 5 days done poorly. One more thing find a decent editor the one you have does not have a clue. "

Consumer wrote on Mar 23, 2009 3:48 PM:

" A rare event happened today, I clicked on an online advertisement. "

soon to be ex-subscriber wrote on Mar 23, 2009 3:27 PM:

" Are you going to cut subscription prices? Lets see, I am looking for some cuts out of my budget as well, and it seems like a paper that is giving me less for the same price will probably be the first to go. You see, we as people also have to make cuts in an economic crisis, and I think the Argus made my choice pretty easy. Maybe next my cell phone company will raise my rates and then decrease my minutes or shut down on mondays. It isn't that good of a paper anyways. I know you dont make a lot off of subscriptions, but when advertisers see the drop in readership, they will be smart to put their money where there is more views per dollar. "

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