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When I wrote my previous year-end article, I had hopes for 2022. Some things have improved, but many of the issues we were concerned about (and some new issues) are generally felt among the Press-Citizen editorial board. not improved or worsened. Here’s an overview of Iowa’s current issues, then the issues we hope to address in 2023.
Of greatest concern internally to the Iowa City Press-Citizen editorial board is Gannett’s recent actions, which have led to increasingly low staff at Iowa City Press-Citizen and Des (and a staff turnover rate of is increasing). Moines registers over the years. Journalism will inevitably suffer when local news outlets are hijacked by corporations that only care about revenue. That’s where we are now. While we applaud reporters who bravely try to cover issues important to our community (and we miss the many talented reporters and editors we’ve been able to work with) , their work is getting harder and harder. These issues are not unique to Gannett or the City of Iowa. Local news is being culled across the country, and many communities now live in news deserts. This not only affected reporting, but also the operation of the board. However, we believe in the need for an independent voice to represent our communities, and we will continue to fight to be that voice for as long as we can, and to engage with them.
Another concern is that Iowa has moved from a sober purple state that elected President Barack Obama to a dark red state that supports former President Donald Trump and his discontent politics. is a state governed by a party that is increasingly focused on fighting the culture wars rather than governing all Iowans, and the Iowa Democrats intend to put up any kind of strong defense. seems not. Given the issues we’ve outlined over the past year, we began to ask ourselves: How has this impacted our state? Is Iowa still a good place to live? K-12 education and the state of higher education, the environment, health care, the economy, the protection of individual rights and underrepresented groups, the state of local news and politics, where do we stand? ?
Here we outline our general feeling on these issues. We want to dig deeper during 2023 and consider whether our instincts prove to be true and, if so, what leaders can do to address such issues. .
education
Our concerns about education are far-reaching. We have seen massive cuts in investment in both K-12 and higher education by state legislatures. I’ve seen attacks on the academic freedom of teachers and students and the loss of Iowa’s appeal as a place to teach and learn. Our public schools’ national rankings are declining, and Republican governments are making it harder for teachers to teach the full history of the United States. , there seems to be a growing interest in diverting public funds to private, often religious, schools. Iowa is historically known for her two things: education and agriculture. The state of either decline is irrational.
environment
In Iowa, which relies heavily on agriculture, environmental issues are always important, especially those related to water quality and climate change. We consistently rank low on water quality issues. What does that mean for our most important industry? Our waterways are also important for recreation such as fishing, swimming and other water sports, and are free of harmful algae that are especially dangerous to children and animals. are affected by problems such as the breeding of The water quality in our waterways, whether in municipal or well water systems, also affects the quality of drinking water. Climate change, whether related to fluctuations in temperature, changes in precipitation patterns, or an increase in severe weather events, will have far-reaching implications not only for agriculture, but also for emergency management coordinators across the state. What are we doing to help our communities remain resilient in the face of these climate changes?
health care
The past year has seen issues related to Medicaid administration in Iowa, attacks on women’s reproductive rights, continued health professional burnout, and the need to focus on access to mental health care. I was. The University of Iowa’s healthcare system is a major engine of our economy here in Iowa City, so it’s important that we pay attention to these issues and continue to improve healthcare access and costs.
Economic development
How does Iowa’s economy fare relative to its neighbors? We should do all we can to keep these Iowans and balance the needs of the community while We need to make sure we are business friendly. Many companies are moving out of the more expensive areas and we should actively seek out these opportunities.
culture war
As I have emphasized in past statements, there is a growing concern that our leaders want to govern only certain groups in Iowa. Whether it’s complicating common-sense gun laws, attacking transgender students, or blaming Republican leaders who voted for the Respect Marriage Act, state and local Republican leaders are committed to doing what they can through legislation. It seems that he is keen on fighting the culture war. This should concern all Iowans, but especially those who belong to underrepresented or vulnerable groups.
We look forward to working with members of the community on these and other issues in the coming year. All members of the Board remain proud Iowans, but I want to ask some tough questions about what we may have lost in the last few decades. Is it Jim Leach, Tom Harkin’s Iowa? Or is it going in another direction that may discourage many citizens? We want our state leaders to work for all of Iowa and be proud to be from Hawkeye!
The Iowa City Press-Citizen Editorial Board is a reader volunteer group that meets weekly. Benny’s Berry, Dave Bright, Shams Gonamem, Robert Goodfellow, Kyla Hedding, John McAty. The editorial board is separate from the editors and reporters in the newsroom, and the views of the editorial board do not influence news reporting decisions.
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