by Bob Schober
This is my last issue as managing editor of Whatcom Watch. My wife and I are retiring from work and will spend the next several months wandering around the West, stopping to join protests to save public lands, monuments and national parks from decimation. Pushing back has always been our aim, but now it seems so much more important.
Dan Reese and former editor Sally Hewitt will assume the duties, and I know these dedicated and talented folks will do the Watch proud.
We all know what’s going on in this country, and Bellingham and Whatcom County won’t escape the consequences. Any reading of U.S. history reveals the periodic rise, like malignant yeast, of fascist tendencies and hate politics that cycle through our social and political past. What has stabilized us over time are the well-intentioned men and women who enter politics or journalism who respond by calling us to live up to our ideals declared in the Declaration of Independence.
The rise of social media, as we all know, has eviscerated print media, long considered the gold standard in fact-based journalism. How else to hold government and societal leaders accountable? It seems clear to me that all of us must rally support for legitimate, fact-based news outlets however we can. I encourage all our readers to support all our local newspapers, print and online, because we need them now to stand up more than ever.
Whatcom Watch, a volunteer operation that for 25 years has offered cutting-edge coverage of local environmental and social issues to thousands of readers, needs your financial help — with donations, subscriptions and advertisements. But just as important, we need your knowledge and experience in whichever field you work/worked. Alert us to issues you care about, share with us your expertise so we can continue presenting facts and figures to counter the falsehoods and fantasies that dominate today’s news.
We locally, and the country generally, will benefit from your help.