To The Editor:
When news is breaking, either in a newspaper, on television or the radio, or on social media, look for, and if necessary, wait for the coverage that will be provided by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Why wait? Because OPB is a reliable source of factual, objective and balanced reporting. And you might not have to wait long, if at all, because OPB has been building its reporting staff in response to the shrinkage and disappearance of community newspapers.
Why is OPB reliable? Because it is true to its name: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Over 70 percent of its financial support comes from about 160,000 donors who care enough about the quality and accuracy of their news and information to pay for it. Those donors are found in every one of Oregon’s 36 counties, suggesting there is no “rural/urban divide” in reliance on OPB and its varied programming.
The growth and increasing influence of social media have been one of the causes of the decline of community newspapers. Another effect of social media has been the development of sides that live in bubbles that avoid everything but what the occupants want to see and hear. That effect has been the chief cause of a deepening divide between opinion leaders and followers in their respective bubbles.
Of increasing concern is the impact of disinformation as it spreads and grows within the isolated bubbles, deepening the divide between the sides. NPR (National Public Radio) has developed a dedicated disinformation team to assist in finding the truth and putting it on the air, including that brought to you by OPB. National and Oregon news and information that you hear on OPB will be reliable and factual.
If you are troubled by the current political environment, rely on OPB and NPR, and help preserve and strengthen our democracy by knowing, and then sharing real facts.
- Keith Mobley
