Documented

  The Outrage Machine Has Officially Driven Into the Ditch There are some things you see online that make you stop and wonder how we got to this point as a society. Then there are the things posted by Cowlitz County News that make you realize the outrage machine has officially driven into the ditch . Let's be clear about what CCN is actually outraged about, because this isn't really about Poison Waters reading a children's story. CCN's outrage is much more than that. CCN is outraged because they have no control over what a school district, in another city, in another county, and in another state does. CCN is outraged that a drag performer is getting really great community recognition. CCN is outraged because, while the majority of the kids would be able to sit through a storytime with this drag performer and have a great time, CCN's kids would be yanked out of school and miss out on the fun that the other kids are having. CCN doesn't want themselves to look li...

  The Story About Children That CCN Keeps Making About Stacey Rivera  There is something remarkably pathetic about watching a Facebook page with more than 50,000 followers work this hard to turn a serious subject into a political grudge match. The original post about this situation did not even come from Cowlitz County News. Failed Leadership posted about it first. CCN then picked out a screenshot from that discussion and somehow managed to build an increasingly elaborate political narrative around it. The screenshot shows Susan Donahue saying she received a screenshot of a comment made by Stacey Rivera from a friend who had seen it on Facebook . That is what CCN had. One screenshot. One statement that Susan received it from a friend. The screenshot does not say Stacey Rivera was that friend. It does not say Stacey sent it to Susan. It does not establish that the two women were friends or that they were communicating about the allegations. Yet somehow CCN managed to turn that...

  Let's Talk About That $35 Insulin Vote There is a lot of political posturing these days about how certain lawmakers are supposedly fighting for working families, lowering costs, and making life more affordable. Those are nice words. They also tend to sound a little different once you actually look at the voting record. In 2023, Washington lawmakers considered SSB 5729 , legislation that extended Washington's existing protection limiting out-of-pocket costs for covered insulin to $35 for a 30-day supply. The Senate passed the bill unanimously, 47-0. It then went to the House, where it passed 95-2. Those two votes against the bill came from Representatives Joel McEntire and Jim Walsh . Not 20 Republicans. Not a handful of legislators who thought there was something wrong with the bill. Two. McEntire and Walsh were the only House members who voted no. What Was Actually Being Voted On? Let's be precise, because this is where people can play games with wording if you let them....

  Apparently, Facts Were Not Invited to the Meeting There is a difference between reporting on a serious problem and using a serious problem as an excuse to recycle racial stereotypes. Cowlitz County News seems to have decided that difference is simply too much work. The latest example is CCN's attempt to connect the drug problems affecting Longview and the surrounding area to undocumented immigrants while presenting that narrative as though it were some settled matter of fact. There is just one tiny problem: the facts do not actually cooperate with the story they are trying to sell. Apparently, facts were not invited to CCN's table when they had this particular conversation. CCN's Version of How Drugs Get Here CCN asks, “Do people understand how drugs get into our community?” It then points toward I-5, California, Oregon, and Mexico before declaring that cartels “utilize illegal aliens, and some citizens or Green Card holders, to traffic narcotics into our communities.” No...