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A pledge to our subscribers By Steven Saslow Jul 14, 2019 12:00 AM A A Dear subscribers and those of you on social media: Two years ago, when Rosebud purchased this newspaper from GateHouse Media, I pledged a few things in some brief statements. We were going to rebuild this organization to the once robust source that it was, and promised to make our reporting unbiased and our editorials more open to many different points of view. To a great extent, we are on that path, continually evolving and expanding into a 21st century news and information source. The goal and vision was not to save a newspaper, but to transition news and information onto multiple platforms in a more modern way. That is the only way to survive as a viable organization and not be one of the more than 2,000 newspapers in this country that have shuttered. To that end, we are on course, and getting widespread engagement on social media platforms. Of the 1.4 million page views per month, most of the engagement comes via social media portals indirectly to our own. Traditionally, editorials in privately owned newspapers tended to reflect the point of view of the owner and publisher. The approach we have taken is to encourage different viewpoints and perspectives. We have sometimes spirited debates about topics, and, if we do not agree, we will publish both or in some cases multiple points of view on a topic. I don’t control, steer or overrule what we write as an editorial board. That gives our community the opportunity to hear different perspectives. Some you might like, some you might not. Recently I wrote an opinion, one of several that I have written and will continue to write. The topic was a warning about true socialism and the economic disaster that could lead to the demise of our great country. As a life-long registered Democrat, I was appalled in 2016 by ideas made prominent by Bernie Sanders when he ran for president. His ideas were not those of the party of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. They were radically different. His ideas were to change this country from capitalism to socialism. It was not adding on some socialized programs to a democracy, as Scandinavian countries have done. They are not true socialists, but capitalist democracies that have socialized programs (more about that in an upcoming article). In the opinion, I acknowledged that sustainable social programs must be a part of our American capitalist system. In our editorial pages we will continue to address these topics and feature different viewpoints. Not all will appeal to everyone, but you will see a range of ideas reflecting those that exist in our valley. We’re not interested in engaging with those of you who resort to being disruptive, uncivil or snarky. Unfortunately, this is especially true for those who get their news from social media — too often a place where people duck debating issues or misquote key points and statistics, taking them out of context. That said, we are moving into the digital world, and that is where 1.4 million views to our website occur, consistently every month. This is the platform of growth for all of Rosebud Media. I won’t apologize for that. If you want a food fight, go watch cable news. All of those channels feature refined mock-anger programming closely resembling a reality show, and they are not news. So please don’t paint us with the same brush. We have advocated for clean air, mental health reform and ways to overcome addiction, among many other things, and we have chastised extremism on both sides of every argument. I have received calls and letters both praising and criticizing what I wrote. I’m open to criticism, but not personal, immature attacks. So if you leave a message on my office phone, positive or negative, please leave your name and phone number. Voicemail, like the internet, is not a place to hide. Come and be part of the conversation. Join us, support us and take comfort in the knowledge that one of the last bastions of American freedom — journalism and a place for diversity of ideas — is not going away in the Rogue Valley. Steven Saslow is owner of Rosebud Media and publisher of the Mail Tribune and Ashland Tidings. 16786483 - abstract christmas lights on background