Here's the headline: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown pledges $55 million in state aid for businesses hurt by COVID-19
I thought, "Wow! Governor Brown is finally giving state money to help businesses hurt by her policies." NOT!
The money is federal aid given to the state to administer. It's not state money. It took the Oregonian until the 7th of 9 paragraphs to note that Governor Brown was giving federal money not state money.
"The $55 million relief funds come from federal CARES Act funds Congress approved in March. The governor’s office said Tuesday she set some of Oregon’s share aside anticipating additional business support might be needed later in the pandemic."If the money was approved in March and distributed in April, why did the Governor wait until mid-November to distribute the federal relief money? The City of Portland made its plans for distribution of CARES Act funds in July. Except for Portland, Multnomah and Washington counties, CARES aid to the other cities and counties in the state had to go through the Governor.
As to why it finally comes in November, there is a partial answer. Governor Brown can't wait much longer to spend the money as it "must be allocated by the end of the year unless Congress grants an extension to the states." So, the clock ticking since March is close to running down.
It's a poorly done story from the beginning. Governor Brown isn't giving state aid, she's administering federal funds. It's as though the reporter, Mike Rogoway, knows nothing about the CARES aid and what better administered jurisdictions in Oregon have done much earlier than the Governor with their funds.
This is why paid circulation of the Oregonian keeps dropping. This isn't just an inept reporter. This is an issue those in charge of editing the newspaper should know about and did not show due diligence in overseeing the work of the reporter and how the story was presented. The earlier stories by Everton Bailey Jr. cited above were informative. This story reads like a regurgitation of a press release puff piece put out by Governor Brown's office. The Oregonian's quality of reporting and editing is, to say it kindly, uneven. (See my next post for the latest bad news for the Oregonian on paid circulation decline.)
2 comments:
I've stopped reading most Oregonian stuff. Just not worth the time.
Yep. I get their two or three headlines a day, and only once in awhile, like with this one, have interest. It would have been astounding had Gov. Brown acted to soften the horrific economic and personal impact of her executive orders. Well, she didn't. The Federal government was the source of her "pledge" of aid. Just shows what you say, Max. Not worth the time.
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