LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Living in one desert is enough...

A healthy chunk of the Columbia Basin’s population likes living in a desert. The sagebrush calls out. The tumbleweeds meander through town and the sunshine is warm without the gross need to use the word “muggy.”  

On the other hand, there’s a lot of Eastern Washington that isn’t just a desert — it's a news desert. Those are communities without any dependable local news source. The best some of them have is a social media group where everyone can share gripes and complaints, but there’s no real news coverage researched by someone with the intent of educating their community. There's nobody with the training on how to sift fact from fiction.  

According to the Medill State of Local News Report for last year, 127 newspapers closed in 2024. Since 2005, more than 3,000 newspapers have disappeared nationwide, some of them right here in the Columbia Basin. We all miss the Grant County Journal. Yes, the paper was a competitor, but as the editor here at the Columbia Basin Herald, let me assure you — we needed their help to hit the news that needs to be covered. It was friendly competition and, frankly, that paper did some impeccable work. We were proud to call them colleagues and friends.  

I’ll also send kudos out to the Wenatchee World and Grand Coulee Star for serving their communities with dedication. 

Throughout Eastern Washington, some communities don’t have a Columbia Basin Herald, a Grand Coulee Star or a Wenatchee World. Those small towns and cities are in what is considered a news desert.  

I know some reading this will say, “Yeah, but that’s what the lyin’ news media gets. Fake news!”  

Honestly, though, those folks are wrong. Study after study after study shows that local newspapers make a difference and local papers are trusted much more than national outlets that get caught up in the fight between right and left. Instead, small and medium publications are reflections of the communities they serve in many ways.  

Who else tells you what’s happening with city council? Who else puts pictures of your football-playing student on the front of the sports section? Who else finds the people doing good work in the community, and reports on those folks’ efforts? Only the local newspaper does that consistently.  

Local outlets let you know what’s happening and in detail that you need to make decisions on local ballots, when looking for something to do over the weekend, or when finding locally owned businesses to provide the things you need. We let you know when someone steals or mismanages taxpayer dollars. We tell you when someone in the community is hurting so that you can rally around them with a few dollars, a word of support or a helping hand.  

Imagine what a community looks like without a local newspaper. Public officials can do whatever they like because nobody’s watching them. Students don’t get the athletic scholarships they might have because there’s no sports reporter putting their name in headlines. The people who need help have to throw their calls for aid into the infinite void of the internet and hope the algorithms work in their favor.  

Local news matters. What happens at the city hall or the county courthouse often affects you more directly than anything the pundits are yapping about on the national news channels. Your property taxes are set in those meetings. Your roads are maintained through decisions and actions in those halls. Your quality of life is determined there.  

Local newspapers are the thing that keeps you informed on those things that impact you. I know that. My reporters know that. The advertising and distribution people here at the paper know that. We’re all dedicated to ensuring you don’t live in two deserts, one you love because you call it home and another you despise because you don’t know what’s going on. 

We understand that local news builds community, and seriously, that’s what we’re all here for — the community that calls the Columbia Basin home.  

In appreciation for the communities we serve,

R. Hans "Rob" Miller
Managing Editor
Columbia Basin Herald
Basin Business Journal