Oakmont Observer: Independent Source for News, Events, Opinions and More
Today we launch the updated Oakmont Observer website. Thank you to those of you who reached out with your comments and congratulations on this new community resource.
Two short weeks ago, The Oakmont Observer was created to provide an independent resource for news articles, opinion pieces, club events and entertainment, stories brought to you by people who are thoughtful and passionate about their community.
The Observer is built on a web platform providing residents an open-access site, available to everyone who enjoys writing or has an interest in illustration, photography or videography. The Observer invites residents to share constructive and diverse content either as a contributor or in comments to what has been published. As a Contributor, you will be provided with additional publishing access. We’ve outlined the Terms and Conditions HERE.
Over the next few weeks, watch for stories covering news and events in and around Oakmont. Your comments are always welcome and you are invited to submit your own written and photographic content by emailing us directly at The Oakmont Observer.
I am really happy that Oakmont now has a News source that can be free to write all kinds of stories about the natural area, community, events and more. Also, that there will be a diversity of views that will both challenge the current status quo, and provide a written celebration of stories about this fabled region and the people who live here.
It has been a challenge to gain support for online or printed free and open expression in Oakmont, even though so many have said they desire it. The new BOD members, and a small chorus of OVA members in opposition wanted to “go back to the old” writers. Seems they will get what they wanted, but it also opened up a new opportunity…
The Oakmont Observer will be more in-depth, timely and expansive than people are accustomed to in Oakmont. It will raise the bar for writing and commentary, establishing a new era for news in Oakmont.
Cheers to the writers, organizers and all those who decide to contribute to this exciting news and information outlet. May it thrive!
Thanks for your support, James. Having a second-source of news is important to the democratic health of a village such as ours. It will be interesting to see if the community responds. Unfortunately, I have my doubts – but I will press on.
“Social media has become the ideal manifestation of the “Marketplace of Ideas” that Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes articulated.”
I applaud the Observer’s stated efforts to be “more in-depth, timely, and expansive”.
At the same time, I wonder if the contributing writers will actually report the news rather than slant their stories with opinions and editorializations as they have demonstrated a propensity to do in prior publications. Perhaps a page titled Opinions or Editorials will assist them in separating the news from bias. Lastly, the by-line accompanying the title and date of an article usually is accompanied by the author’s name. None of the articles so identified the writer when I scanned the articles on my phone. Perhaps this was an oversight?
Jane,
Thanks for the input. You’ll find on every post there is a publishing date, authors name and the number of comments. There are also four sections to the site, News, Features, Events and Opinions.
As mentioned in the post, the Observer is a platform built on the premise of providing residents an open-access site, available to anyone who enjoys writing or has an interest in illustration, photography or videography. Human interest features or editorial/opinion pieces will tend to represent a nuanced perspective of the author.
Objectivity in news reporting, on the other hand, aims to help the readers make up their own mind about the story, providing the facts alone and then letting readers interpret those on their own. The intent is to portray the issues and events in a neutral and unbiased manner, regardless of the writers opinion or personal beliefs.
Critical thinking about the media is something we should all do:
– Type: What kind of content is this?
– Source: Who and what are the sources cited and why should I believe them?
– Evidence: What’s the evidence and how was it vetted?
– Interpretation: Is the main point of the piece proven by the evidence?
– Completeness: What’s missing?
– Knowledge: Am I learning every day what I need?
When people comment on an article it will help to provide further context to the story. Jane, is there a feature, opinion piece or news story you’d be interested in publishing? A diversity of backgrounds and perspectives is what makes Oakmont unique. Click HERE to email the Observer.
Greg
Moderator