ASJA PACIFIC NORTHWEST NEWSLETTER
From ASJA members in
Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington
January 2026
https://asjapnw.org
In This Issue
An Editor’s Note, Randy Stapilus
From the Prez, Permission, Carolyn Miller, ASJA PNW President
Did You Know? ASJA Symposia, Bruce Miller
News Is Changing, Not Dying, Jim Carberry
Subscriptions on the Cheap, Bruce Miller
Member News and Announcements
Our January chapter meeting at 11 am:
M. Carolyn Miller is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Time: Wednesday, January 21, 2025
11:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87898612924
Meeting ID: 878 9861 2924
Maxine Cass has been producing this newsletter for more than five years, and it’s been a delight to receive at the start of every month. But last month was her last edition.
For a while at least (the exact time is indeterminate), I’ll be stepping in now, with help from the group who worked with Maxine: Bruce Miller on the technical side (along with his regular delivery of articles) and Catherine Kolonko with proofreading. (Let me know if you have interest in working on the newsletter!)
Maxine was a regular voice at the meetings calling for articles and personal updates, and now I’ll be doing the same. Let us know what what you’re up to and what you’re learning, and anything that might be of help to fellow writers.
Thanks in advance, and I look forward to working with you all!
— Randy Stapilus
From the President
by M. Carolyn Miller
ASJA PNW Chapter President
Permission granted
“You can do that in a story?” This was Victor LaValle’s reaction when he read his first Stephen King horror story, he wrote in the January/February 2026 issue of Poets & Writers. (He was referring to a particularly gruesome scene.)
LaValle went on to write about all the ways we, as writers, must give ourselves permission—to write at all, to write about the unspeakable, to make our writing as important as a day job. Reading his words reminded me of a column I wrote once that used a body metaphor and brought a similar reaction from readers. “I don’t want my kids reading that,” one reader wrote, and “Did you see what Carolyn wrote?” a neighbor commented.
Granted, the real estate rag where it appeared was probably not the appropriate venue for that metaphor I used, but I had to laugh at the reaction. I was the one with the pen, or in this case, the computer, and the power. My editor approved the copy before it went into print. Yes, some readers were outraged, but they were not my target audience anyway. Those that were understood.
Now, as I give myself permission to publish the unspeakable—in the book my agent is pitching after the first of the year, in the essays I write and plan to post and publish—the idea that my oh-so-intimate story may find a larger audience well, quite frankly, freaks me out.
But here’s the deal. The stories I want to read are those that tell what the work of reclaiming one’s power is like in the psychic trenches of our lives. Few writers actually share that intimate work. And so we all bumble along, our neuroses hidden deep within our stories, until some major life event pushes us into a therapist’s office.
I want to change that, and as I read younger writers, I see the beginning of that change bubbling up. They offer a clarion call for me, as an older writer who is a bit war-weary. So, too does our current US administration. Indeed, if there’s anything Donald Trump has given me, it is permission to live—and write—outrageously.
Carolyn
M. Carolyn Miller, MA, spent her career designing narrative- and game-based learning. Today, she consults and writes about narrative in our lives and world, the inextricable link between the two, and the critical role of self-awareness in transforming both. www.cultureshape.com
Did You Know? ASJA Symposia
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) developed specialized symposia to educate professionals — physicians, mental health workers, and financial professionals — on how to communicate to the lay public and how to publish a book. These one-half to full-day events became important sources of income and visibility for the Society. The first symposium was for physicians in October 1988 at the New york University Medical Center.
—From Bruce Milller
by James Carberry
News is changing, not dying
In the State of Local News 2025, an annual report published by Northwestern’s University Medill School of Journalism, the story is much the same as in previous years. Local newspapers are continuing to go out of business. Since 2005 Oregon has lost 40% of its newspapers and Washington state 31% — about the same rate of decline as in most other states. (Source: State of Local News, Newspapers Lost by State, 2005-2025). Communities are continuing to turn into news deserts: those with only a single source of local news or none at all. In these communities, studies have shown, residents are less engaged in community life and less likely to vote. Those in power are not as accountable and more prone to corruption. In other communities, some newspapers are struggling to survive.
And yet, all is not lost. Across the country, enterprising journalists, business and professional people, retirees and others are collaborating to launch digital publications serving their communities. They’re spending weeks or even months doing community surveys, talking to people in the community and attending public meetings and community events. In the process, they’re developing a better understanding of a community’s information needs and how to meet those needs. Recent startups in Oregon include The Oregon Journalism Project, which says it’s “building a network of enterprise and investigative journalists, covering the entire state,” Lookout Eugene-Springfield, the latest in a network of Lookout digital publications, and Uplift Local, which it says “represents a new kind of participatory journalism.” In Washington, recent startups include Cascadia Daily News, which covers Whatcom and Skagit counties, and the Lynwood Times, serving Snohomish County. Some established newspapers have found ways to recover from setbacks through community support, new ownership or changing business models such as from for profit to nonprofit.
Support for local journalism is growing. Organizations such as LION Publishers are providing local publishers with the training and know-how to manage the business side of their publications. Other organizations provide financial support. Press Forward Washington is a collaborative led by community foundations throughout Washington state. “Through investing in local journalism, Press Forward Washington promotes informed, equitable and resilient communities,” it says on its website. Washington is one of the local chapters around the country funded by Press Forward, a national coalition of 20 lenders investing half a billion dollars over a five year period in supporting local news and information. The American Journalism Project’s grant recipients include Underscore Native News, a Portland-based news organization covering the Pacific Northwest. I’m a cofounder and board member of Pro News Coaches, a team of former Wall Street Journal reporters and editors that provides pro bono coaching, mentoring, editing, project management and workshop services to local news organizations around the country.
Especially noteworthy is the growth of journalism collaboratives: partnerships of news organizations, individual journalists, universities, and citizens to share ideas and resources in producing stories from breaking news to investigative pieces. The Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism has taken the lead in forming the Oregon Media Collaborative, a space for journalists, civic information providers, or supporters of local news in Oregon. “Our goal is to foster a collaborative, good-faith environment where we support each other in strengthening local news and civic health,” the Agora Center states.
While the top story about local news today is the decline of local news outlets, the emerging story is that more local news organizations are starting, and more established local news organizations are figuring out not only how to survive but grow in a challenging media environment. As one industry observer noted, the news business isn’t dying, it’s changing.
James Carberry is a former Wall Street Journal reporter, now retired and living in Barcelona, Spain. At the invitation of his son and daughter-in-law, who are long-time Barcelona residents, he and his wife Gail, a retired nurse, moved to Barcelona from Portland in 2020. James is the cofounder and a director of Pro News Coaches, a team of former WSJ reporters and editors that provides pro bono mentoring, editing, workshop and other services to local news organizations around the U.S. When he’s not engaged in volunteer work, he’s attempting to learn Spanish..
by Bruce Miller
Subscriptions on the Cheap
Who doesn’t want to cut expenses? Here’s a roundup of some ways I cut costs for subscriptions.
Newspaper subscriptions
In December 2025 I subscribed to USA Today for $5 for a year of full digital access. (Then about $30 per after that.) I’ve gotten similar deals, such as $1 for six months of digital access to the Seattle Times. I encounter these deals in various ways.
I use Google’s Discover feature on an Android phone. This pulls in article blurbs from various places with a link to a full article. The destination site may pop up a deal to subscribe for a low initial cost.
Sometimes just visiting the site and the subscription page in a browser will display some introductory deals.
Many sites will allow you to sign up for free newsletters or news alerts. Eventually, an enticing offer will arrive.
Another trick for free digital access is to ride on a friend’s print subscription. A friend of mine subscribes to the New York Times (except Sunday) print version with home delivery. He never uses the digital access that comes with his subscription, so he lets me use it. I have full access to the New York Times and its archive that goes back into the 1800s.
When the end of a trial or low-cost subscription nears, I cancel the subscription and wait for a “come-back” deal to arrive in email or for an enticing add to pop-up somewhere. Sometimes I’ve had to use a different email address to get another introductory offer.
Magazine subscriptions
Deals on magazine subscriptions can be found in ways similar to newspaper subscriptions.
Additionally, there is Apple News Plus service. For about $13 per month you get access to hundreds of magazines and newspapers. Included, for example, is the Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker. The cost of either alone can be more than a year of Apple News Plus. Not surprisingly, you need an Apple device for Apple News Plus. Even the lower-cost iPad’s will work.
Subscription Management
Keeping track of multiple subscriptions can be a hassle — unless you get organized.
Organization could be a text file, spreadsheet, or database service such as Airtable.com. There are also subscription-focused services such as Subly.app. It is important to keep track of user ID, password, email address, start time, and duration. I prefer a more structured system, such as Subly.app or Airtable.com.
Email Management for Newsletters, Briefs, and Alerts
Each subscription typically comes with daily or weekly briefs or alerts.
Most of my subscriptions come into a gmail account. I’ve set up labels for each publication and have the labels automatically applied to incoming emails so those emails don’t clutter up my Inbox.
I’ve gone one step further to manage most of the subscriptions. I bought a cheap domain and set up a forwarding email address for each subscription. The emails are forwarded to the gmail account. I bought the lowest cost domain I could find (a .TOP domain) . The lowest cost for domains I’ve found so far are from Porkbun.com and Spaceship.com. Both services provide email forwarding for no additional cost.
The primary reason for setting up a unique email address for each subscription is to have the ability to set up a new introductory account and email address if necessary and still have any incoming mail go into the same gmail account.
Seattle resident Bruce Miller is sort of a news junky.
Member News and Announcements
Randy Stapilus has just begun editing the ASJA Pacific Northwest chapter newsletter. Suggestions and contributions (such as to this space: What are you up to lately?) are more than welcome.
Bruce Miller has added to the asjapnw.org website including a list of articles written for the chapter newsletter since it began in November, 2018. (https://asjapnw.org/newsindex/). Also included are articles on PNW chapter history, national awards, several books and a list of conferences. Find the history through the History option in the menu.
NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY
EDITOR: Randy Stapilus
PROOFREADER: Catherine Kolonko
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE: Bruce Miller
*All stories are copyright by their respective writers.
*All photographs and illustrations are copyright by their creative makers.
*All rights are reserved to each of them for their own material.