Behind the scenes: 13 years as a newspaper reporter | Opinion

Anyway, here’s the reason for this trip down memory lane. His first day at Hood River News was February 21, 2011. Just like 13 years ago today!

I took a rather circuitous route into journalism. It started when he was a senior in high school, when he joined Valley High School’s Eagle Express newspaper team (hello, Mr. Meyer!). I loved it so much that I decided that’s what I was going to do for the rest of my life.

But then! When I was in my first year of college, I was working on an assignment for my journalism class and witnessed a reporter yelling at a city council member after a meeting. Like, it was cruel to watch these two men bicker all day. And I thought, “If that’s what you expect, then I’m not cut out to be a reporter.”

So I did what anyone would do in my situation. I changed my major to English, told my newspaper advisor that I didn’t actually want to be an editor the next year, and transferred.

Yadda yadda yadda…I think it was 2001, Kirby Newman Ray was hired as editor of the Hood River News and was looking for a community columnist. I was a stay-at-home mom with a 15-month-old child. In other words, I was bored. So I applied to be a columnist for Odell. And yay, I got it. Doing something just for myself was exactly what I needed at the time.

Yadda yadda yadda, in 2011, I currently had a kindergartener and a 6th grader, so I saw an ad for a part-time receptionist position in the Hood River News office and applied. I didn’t know if I was a front desk person, but I liked newspapers and words, and thought it would be fun to be closer to the field. It didn’t take long for me to start writing novels in addition to my actual paid work. And I was still writing O’Dell’s column because I just loved doing it.

A few years later, when Chelsea Maher joined our staff as a publisher, she noticed that I was juggling a mix of administrative and reporter duties, but that I loved writing the most. That’s what it was. Then she put me back into editing and extended my hours.

——Yes, it’s ironic, isn’t it? As it turns out, I couldn’t avoid journalism. Spoiler alert: It turns out screaming is the exception, not the rule. Thank heaven.

A lot has changed in the past 13 years. So, from front desk to reporter to lifestyle editor to editor-in-chief, my career path was set. But more than that, I’ve had a front row seat to the ups and downs of the business. Working at a newspaper company is not for the faint of heart. It’s a big deal when everyone wants words but no one wants to pay for them. The costs of doing business are vastly underestimated and can be a pain to explain (because no one believes how high they are). Deadlines can be stressful. Breaking news confuses everything and takes a toll on your mental health. People don’t call back or stories don’t get filed in time. When you’re understaffed, everything becomes difficult.

But it’s never boring, that’s for sure.

There have been many moments in this industry that I’m glad I ended up here, but what I’m most proud of is being part of the team that has continued to bring local news to the Valley. Both print and online options. For the first few weeks of Columbia Gorge News, we got here by sheer force of will. The paperwork was ugly and we didn’t know if the paperwork across the canyon would work, but people immediately stepped up to help us, some anonymously sending us stimulus checks. We learned how to work remotely and make the most of technology. And we never missed a problem.

So here I am, many years later, gray haired and a little wiser, still enjoying the puzzles that come with every print edition. Even though I never intended to be a reporter, I love this job.

(I wonder what 18-year-old Trisha would say about this. Maybe she just thinks she’s a blowout.)

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