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Farewell
BrainstormNW 1997-2009
In the post-Revolutionary War period, as the nation struggled
to define itself and ratify a new constitution, small newspapers
sprung up to spread the word across the colonies about the
conflicting ideas and critical choices hanging in the balance.
The Aurora and Porcupine’s Gazette were both supported
by monied interests in the newly united states of America.
That these early news pamphlets reported with a particular
bias was no more a secret than the New York Times’ political
bias is today.
Agrarian interests in favor of stronger states’ rights,
led by Thomas Jefferson, waged a war of words with financial/industrial
interests in favor of stronger federal authority, led by Alexander
Hamilton. In the heat of this fight, the Alien and Sedition
Acts were passed by the Congress in 1798, which resulted in
one of the newspaper editors being sent back to England and
another being jailed and eventually killed. Among other things,
the acts made it illegal to “print, utter, or publish
… any false, scandalous, and malicious writing”
about the government. Though later repealed, the acts are
a cautionary example of the coercive power of government.
It was a wild and wooly time full of intrigue, fierce political
battles and bitter rivalries. Those early newspapers, first
to operate under the constitution that guaranteed a free press,
faced many challenges, from maintaining adequate funding to
legal persecution by political adversaries — not for
the faint of heart and not so different from the politics
and challenges today. Some things never change. Though both
Jefferson and Hamilton would be outraged that the conflict
today is between business and government, rather than segments
of business.
But it appears that the press is in a period of transformation.
Print publications across the country now face upheaval in
the industry that threatens their survival. Electronic media
have crowded out countless print publications as readers turn
to television and the Internet for “free” news.
At the same time, heavy political bias demonstrated by many
newspapers has diminished their credibility and readership,
while contributing to their own demise.
For the past 12 years, BrainstormNW has published in Oregon
and been read by thousands of well-educated, active, thoughtful
citizens. We, of course, are a niche magazine, not a newspaper.
Did we have a message, a slant, like the Aurora of 1798? Yes.
For 12 years we have sounded the alarm that Oregon’s
business climate was rapidly cooling. We have made the case
that our planet was just as likely to be cooling and that
the global warming fanatics were just that, con artists seeking
power and financial gain. For 12 years we warned that ignoring
the rich resources of rural Oregon was foolhardy and would
lead to poverty and social decay. For 12 years we have sounded
the alert that 22 years of one-party rule by Democrats would
eventually corrupt, and that the concentrated power, numbers
and inflated pensions and benefits of public unions would
undermine and finally destroy Oregon’s economy.
And now we will be silent. Like the Aurora and Porcupine’s
Gazette, our time has ended. This month’s issue, February
2009, will be our last. We were the voice of many Oregonians,
but we have been stilled by the failing economy we predicted
for this past decade. Ironic. Sad. In this instance it has
been less than gratifying to be right. But given that a pro-business
publication in Oregon is a bit more of a rare hothouse orchid
than an old growth Doug fir, it is not surprising that we
could not weather the economic and political firestorm. Still,
for our writers, editors and readers, the loss of this 12-year
endeavor is painful.
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