📢 Cascadia Voices 06/06/26

The subject on a lot of minds: News last week that Cascadia Daily News’ founding editor Ron Judd had been fired over disagreement with CDN owner David Syre regarding newsroom resources, prompted a torrent of reaction in our pages from our readers, as well as reflection from CDN’s managing editors — Jaya Flanary and Audra Anderson — who helped Judd build the newspaper and its online publication, since it launched in early 2022.

With more than 25 letters to the editor — and counting — regarding Judd’s unplanned departure, the Opinion pages of the weekly newspaper as well as the online publication filled far more page “real estate” than typical. That’s a testament to the sense of ownership that readers often assume for a newspaper they believe is serving their needs; and it’s a stark reminder to a publication’s journalists and its ownership that they are expected to do their utmost to provide for and sustain what is depended upon and supported by readers and advertisers.

Each letter regarding CDN shared each author’s particular perspective, but all — even those threatening to end their subscriptions — professed support for what Judd and his staff have built and a sincere hope for the publication’s continuation and its commitment to “hyper-local” journalism that serves all communities in Whatcom and Skagit counties.

Those perspectives deserve the full attention of all CDN employees, its publisher and its owner.

As always, thanks for writing.

Managing Editor Jaya Flanary, among Ron Judd’s first hires for CDN, shared with readers what Judd meant to her as a young journalist, calling him “the North Star of the newsroom” who brought decades of experience to his leadership of a fledgling staff: ”I spent some of the most formative years of my life working directly under a man whom I quickly came to respect as a journalist, a mentor, and eventually, a best friend — regardless of his age, which I will not disclose (but let’s just say he’s on a certain generational cutoff just like myself). During his time at CDN, I learned nearly everything I know about being a good journalist from him.”

Managing Editor Audra Anderson, in her column, recounted how CDN was born of a desire to “save local news,” as news deserts expand and merge and newspapers have increasingly come to be managed at a distance by corporate owners, who themselves are directed by hedge-fund denizens with no interest in the practice of journalism: “We began publishing news of county and municipal governments, school districts, our port, health care, immigration, the international border and growing pains as Bellingham becomes a bigger dot on the map. Not to mention, high school sports coverage and deeply reported sense-of-place stories. In four years, CDN has become an institution, despite waning national trust in media. Our work has influenced new county bylaws, highlighted inefficiencies, exposed faulty leaders and amplified decisions previously made in quiet boardrooms. We have uplifted community members, from grocery store clerks to kidney donors. … Our community tells us daily they need our journalism. The newsroom needs your continued support.”

So, I’m at a loss as to understand how CDN leadership could see fit to release Ron Judd. I don’t know Ron, we’ve never met — my only connection is as a CDN subscriber, but differences of opinion can be resolved and our current world reflects the need for more of this, not less. This feels like what’s happening at a national level — removing a point of discord vs. slowing down, listening and ascribing value to a different point of view, especially from someone who has helped create what can only be described as stunning results.

My experience has taught me the importance of leadership — it starts at the top. CDN’s success isn’t based on a formula; it’s a function of excellence at all levels, a reflection of CDN’s team and Ron’s leadership. I’m not dismissing the talent of the other editors but leadership matters, and with this decision. I’m disappointed.

I hope CDN will find a way to continue to serve our local community’s need for relevant, digestible and smart news.

Cindy Whiston
Bellingham

Read more letters to the editor here.

Submit a letter to the editor (250 words max) or guest commentary (500–800 words) online at cascadiadaily.com/submissions.

High school and college graduations are in full swing. Along with cards of congratulations — the ones with the check holders, of course — what previously shared sage advice would you most like to share with graduates?

Signing off: Many will have noted the end of the nearly century-long run for CBS News Radio last month, as the network succumbed to demographic changes. (Although, if podcasts remain all the rage, how much different is radio?) And while most will point to the Cascadia region’s own Edward R. Murrow as a CBS News pioneer during World War II, “On The Media” last week delved even earlier into CBS News Radio history in an interview with historian A. Brad Schwartz about a disturbing fire at the Ohio State Penitentiary in 1930. The network, still finding its national footing, picked up a live broadcast on the fire; from an inmate in the prison who had been entrusted, because of his religious training behind bars, with the prison’s radio station. Otto “Deacon” Gardner’s live reporting of the fire that killed 322, proved America’s appetite for live, on-the-spot news. Also see Schwartz’s own article about Gardner in the latest Columbia Journalism Review.

Don’t boo AI; boot it: New York Times contributing Opinion writer Molly Jong-Fast notes that college commencement speakers — at least the tech bros telling job-seeking graduates that artificial intelligence is here; get used to it — are being booed by those waiting to accept diplomas. Understandable, she says: “Think of this from the graduates’ perspective: Wealthy old people telling you your future is being pulped by acres and acres of electricity-sucking, water-guzzling data centers feels dystopian because it is.” Jong-Fast’s own advice for grads: Do something about it. “It’s within young people’s power to stop. Demand regulation of tech companies. Elect people who will legislate that regulation. Organize against data centers in your hometowns.”

Pomp and circumstances: CDN has again gathered several graduating high school seniors from Whatcom and Skagit counties for its Senior Spotlight, this year getting their take on the shape of political discourse, affordability, artificial intelligence and climate change. The intelligence and perspective on display will hearten older adults wondering how the kids will cope. A couple of examples:
Makaya Morris, Lummi Nation, regarding AI: “I have a different approach to it because I’m fully in college [at Running Start]. In a lot of my classes, they support AI use, but they just tell us to use it responsibly. [In asynchronous classes] I use it to support my learning a lot, like I essentially teach myself a lot of the material. It’s just that it does affect our environment a lot.”
Ashley Acton, Lynden, on political discourse: “Pretty much all my friends in the school lean a different way than I do, and it leads to a lot more discussions. We’ve gotten to the point where it’s like, you can have your opinion, I can have my opinion, and we still love each other, no matter what.”