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A: Main, news
October 9, 2024
Bless the press during Oklahoma Newspaper Week
By Mark Thomas EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION

It is impossible to count the number of times we stop each year to celebrate and commemorate special occasions.

It happens every holiday, anniversary, birthday blessings, and graduation. We salute

This year I hope you’ll add veterans, toast friends, host one more celebration to your neighbors, praise children list. Oklahoma Newspaper and glorify grandchildren. Week is October 6-12, 2024. God-fearing folk pray with- Take a few moments and out ceasing, thankful for their pause to appreciate the work of your local newspaper.

Reflect on the times the local newspaper covered local events, helping you commemorate the good and bad times we experience together. In the same way, celebrate an important part of our republic and a founding principle of democracy – a free and independent press.

It is too easy to forget that citizens of this country are constitutionally protected every day by the five freedoms of the First Amendment. Those five freedoms – speech, press, worship, petition and assembly – are not known in much of the world.

In this country some people take these freedoms for granted without thinking about the challenges they face every day. We must cherish all five with the same celebration and commemoration as other important events in our life.

It is unfortunate when these freedoms are abused. Social media platforms, in the hands of a responsible individual, can be a force for good. However, often these platforms are tools of destruction for communities, families and relationships. Who hasn’t experienced this situation with social media posts and pages that abuse the freedoms of press and speech?

Research has shown algorithms embedded in social media platforms create addictive behavior. Social media companies capture your online behavior and feed you information to keep you under an undetectable fog of fear, greed and hate.

It is no coincidence that Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has joined 41 other attorneys general to ask legislators to require the U.S. surgeon general to put a warning on algorithmic- driven social media platforms. There is growing scrutiny and understanding that social media companies are playing a role in generational harm to young people’s mental health.

Free speech and free press must be used responsibly. To do otherwise invites legal action. Social media users and page administrators would be well advised to stop allowing or publishing false and libelous statements because lawsuits are now being filed in Oklahoma and elsewhere.

In the past year I attended the memorial service for several longtime Oklahoma journalists. I am saddened for their families, and I lost friends. I never want to forget that we lost true journalists who worked to make the community a better place to live and work, not a purveyor of algorithmic addictive behaviors and statements harming the world around them.

Local journalists at your newspaper understand the immense responsibility that comes with free speech and press. They are responsive to their communities and are there to help commemorate and celebrate events and activities in your town.

As events in our life pass, we celebrate with fond and familiar phrases. We write ‘Happy Anniversary’ or ‘Happy Birthday.’ We say ‘thank you for your service’ and ‘sorry for your loss.’

During Oklahoma Newspaper Week, I hope we all will pause to celebrate and commemorate free press and free speech and make a personal commitment to use those freedoms responsibly. Just once during the week I hope you will celebrate your local newspaper with one simple phrase, “Bless the press.”

Braving the festival, honoring a friend
A: Main, news
Braving the festival, honoring a friend
By LENORE BECHTEL 
September 3, 2025
Every Labor Day weekend since moving to Oklahoma, I thought about going to the Dusk to Dawn Blues Festival. But the idea of a yard party running from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. was intimidating—and I could neve...
A: Main, news
Man injured diving into shallow water
September 3, 2025
A 22-year-old Yukon man was injured when he dove from a pontoon boat into shallow water at Lake Eufaula, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Patrick Tanner reportedly stopped his vessel to swim ...
A: Main, news
Man found dead in yard; possible suspect investigated
September 3, 2025
WARNER – Warner Police responded to a call early Saturday morning about a dead man laying outside of a residence in the area of Fifth and Third streets. The deceased has been identified as 51-year-old...
A: Main, news
Wellness Day for seniors Sept. 16
September 3, 2025
Heritage Home Care’s fifth annual Senior Wellness Day will be held Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 126 N. 1st St. (now Bridges Street), which is the former location of Family Dollar. The e...
A: Main, news
Looking ahead: Firm to help guide the way
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 3, 2025
What will Eufaula look like in 50 years? Without a plan, it’s anybody’s guess. But the City Council has taken steps to remove at least some of the guesswork. At a special meeting Friday, Aug. 29, the ...
Wine and Art Festival extravaganza Saturday
A: Main, news
Wine and Art Festival extravaganza Saturday
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 3, 2025
What: Vision Eufaula Wine & Art Festival When: Saturday Sept. 6, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Where: 150 N. Front St. Information: 405-248-2992 or visit visioneufaula.org The fourth annual Wine and Art Festival ...
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OKLAHOMA CITY – I hope your Labor Day weekend was full of relaxation. I schedule a vacation each year with friends to get away over this holiday which allows me to “charge up the batteries” for upcomi...
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