In The Newsroom

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What Joanna’s working on …

Clarification of what In The Newsroom is supposed to be

After Steve, Ken and I write our In The Newsroom blurbs each day, I am responsible for putting the finished product onto The Reflector website. After I do that, I also go through and post a link to that day’s In The Newsroom on several different group Facebook pages, including the Battle Ground, WA, page; the Talking About Battle Ground page; the Real Battle Ground, WA, page; and the Ridgefield, WA, page. I also, of course, post a link on The Reflector’s own Facebook page.

After posting a link to yesterday’s In The Newsroom on those Facebook pages, a member of one of the Battle Ground groups raised the issue that our post could be considered advertising for a business, and because of that this person suggested we should only be able to post this on Fridays like other businesses.

I would like to reiterate the purpose of our In The Newsroom posts. Having been around for more than 100 years, the print version of The Reflector Newspaper has many loyal readers who are very engaged with the newspaper and read it religiously every week. However, with technology becoming so prevalent these days, we wanted to find ways to engage those readers who maybe only get their news online and aren’t fond of picking up a print newspaper.

In The Newsroom is a fun, creative way for our news team to connect with readers of The Reflector and give people a little peek into what some of our days are like. Yes, clicking on the link that is posted on the Facebook pages does take you to The Reflector website (to the full In The Newsroom article), but The Reflector does not charge for website access and we don’t get any money or anything for the number of visits or “clicks” or what not.

Our advertising staff does sell some ad space on our website, but almost all of our revenue comes from advertising that we sell in our print newspaper (we probably get about 95 percent of our advertising revenue from ads in our print product and MAYBE 5 percent from the website, if even that).

Steve, Ken and I all really enjoy writing our In The Newsroom posts each day and I love to share them on the different Facebook pages in order to let even more people know what we’re up to. And trust me, none of us are getting any extra money by getting you all to read our posts, if only life were that luxurious! We hope you all continue to read and enjoy our In The Newsroom posts!

What Ken’s working on …

Don’t quit your day job

A funny thing happened in the newsroom. A reader sent me an email with a list of humorous headlines from papers around the country. As I was sharing some of my favorites with reporters Joanna Michaud and Steve Kadel, Steve pointed out that I had one of my own in this week’s paper that could have easily been included in such an email.



On Robert Wassman’s letter to the editor that appeared on page C14 of the Oct. 29 issue of The Reflector, the headline read: “Republicans and Democrats have opposing views.’’ Really? How come we didn’t stop the presses for that earth-shattering news. It should have been on page A1! If only Jay Leno still had The Tonight Show, I would send it in. I bet he would find humor in my work.

I only wish I could take credit for conscientiously trying to make a funny, but it was the result of processing 20 pages of letters to the editor in a three-week span. Thank goodness the election is next week.

What Steve’s working on ….

Good government relies on involved citizens

The city of Ridgefield is taking applications for two advisory board positions: one on the Planning Commission and one on the Parks Board. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 14.

The Planning Commission consists of seven volunteer citizens who make recommendations to the city council on planning, development and growth issues. With Ridgefield being the fastest-growing city in Washington, there are sure to be some meaty issues to discuss in the coming years.

Planning Commission members serve four-year terms and attend meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Candidates must live within the city limits.

The Parks Board provides recommendations to city staff and the city council on parks planning, acquisition and operation, and maintenance. Board members serve three-year terms and attend meetings at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month.

Applicants must be residents, property owners or business owners within the urban growth area of the city or must reside within the boundaries of Ridgefield School District.

Application forms are available on the city’s website, at Ridgefield City Hall, 230 Pioneer St.; or by calling (360) 887-3557.

A well-run city depends on involvement by its citizens, so consider giving back by participating on one of the two volunteer bodies. It will be an investment in your community.