The latest issue of the Inlander is hitting newsstands today. Find it at your local grocery store and hundreds of other locations; use this map to find a pickup point near you. You can also read through the digital edition here.
HIGHLIGHTS
This week we’re spotlighting 10 important national stories that were underreported by the mainstream media. We’re publishing the list in partnership with PROJECT CENSORED, which since 1976 has issued an annual report of the “news that didn’t make the news.” As with all lists, it invites second-guessing and debate. But what is not debatable is the crisis facing journalism in America: U.S. newspapers have cut tens of thousands of jobs — shedding half their newsroom employees since 2008. And that was before the pandemic hit.
So far this year, 16,000 newsroom jobs have vanished. Poof, gone, and now we have 16,000 fewer people attending government meetings, poring over budgets, asking questions and demanding answers from people who’d prefer no one was looking. So, this week, of all weeks, we’ll be thinking about them and about a broader concept of “censorship,” one that is less about mustache-twirling corporate fat cats and more about all the stories that go untold when newsrooms go dark.
Here in the Inland Northwest, we’re pretty lucky, certainly better off than the 1,800 communities in America that are now considered “news deserts.” But we should take nothing for granted. Protect the news outlets you rely on; to learn how you can support our reporters and editors, visit Inlander.com/insiders. Hopefully, this much we can all agree on: No news is very, very bad news for everyone.
Also this week:
- BACK TO BUSINESS, VOLUME 6: Inside this week’s paper you’ll find a 48-page Back to Business guide; this particular volume highlights Spokane County’s arts and culture businesses and organizations and how you can continue to support them during the pandemic. (Read more about the Back to Business campaign here.)
- THE FOURTH COMMISSIONER: State Rep. Marcus Riccelli keeps remaking Spokane County’s governing bodies — and raising the ire of Commissioner Al French.
- WINGSPAN: Paul McCartney is releasing his 25th solo album, so we’re ranking his post-Beatles career highlights.
- HOT TREATS: Hot cocoa bombs, markets move outdoors, and restaurants take it outside with heated patios.
- GIFT GUIDE: What to give people this year.
THE ROOT OF CREATIVITY
Chef Josh Lorenzen of RÜT elevates a humble root vegetable to rock star status. MORE
HOLDING STEADY
Washington state’s bans on indoor gatherings and indoor dining will remain in place for an additional three weeks. MORE
CURVE BALLS
The coronavirus is already playing havoc with Gonzaga's season less than two weeks in. MORE
IF YOU COULD CHOOSE...
Which produces a stronger immune response: a natural infection or a vaccine? MORE
