Let me talk a little bit about enterprise reporting, and let me begin by quoting a definition of what we mean by that from Phil Wright, the managing editor of the East Oregonian:

“Defined broadly,” Wright writes (I’m sorry; I couldn’t resist the cheap pun), “enterprise reporting is relying on sources and research to generate an original news report or feature rather than reporting from press releases or news conferences.”

Looked at another way, it’s the kind of work that feeds the minds and souls of journalists — and helps readers make sense of their increasingly complex world. It’s an essential part of our mission. Without enterprise work, we’d be spending much more of our time rewriting press releases (which is not to say I have anything against press releases; keep ’em coming). But a good enterprise story lets a reporter dig into a topic and ask questions that help create stories that are deeper and richer.

Enterprise work is also time-consuming, and the EO Media Group’s east side newsrooms are smaller than ever.

But we’re still trying to produce more than our fair share of enterprise reporting. 

Consider these recent examples:

• Baker City Herald editor Jayson Jacoby’s report, featured online at wallowa.com and on the front page of the Aug. 28 edition of the East Oregonian, about how ranchers will endure the effects of this summer’s wildfires is an excellent example of first-rate enterprise reporting.

• Another good example is La Grande Observer intern’s Ellie Graham report about this month’s Cycle Oregon rally in Wallowa and Union counties; Ellie went well beyond the basics to explore how the event will impact area businesses and Cycle Oregon itself.

• Speaking of Ellie, her recent story about the long-term health impacts of wildfire smoke required a number of interviews with health experts and additional research. 

Enterprise reporting comes in different varieties, though: For more than a year, Chieftain reporter Bill Bradshaw has been following the reconstruction of a Japanese farmhouse — shipped from Japan and lovingly reassembled, part by part, in Wallowa County. Now that work on the “kominka” is finished, Bill is working on a follow-up story.

The Chieftain continues to focus on housing issues throughout Eastern Oregon, and I’ll have a story posted early this week about a packed meeting last week in Joseph, where attendees heard some of the preliminary findings of a study that seeks to analyze the housing market.

And now that the possession of certain controlled drugs is once again a crime, many Oregon counties have established tentative “deflection” programs aimed at guiding addicts out of the court system and into treatment programs. Wallowa County is an exception; it has not yet established a deflection program, and I’m working on a story explaining some of the reasons why. 

These are the kinds of stories that allows reporters to stretch out and explore an issue in depth. And they are the kind of stories that our readers tell us they count on us to provide. 

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You can check out some of the outstanding enterprise work being done throughout EO Media’s east side newsrooms now that your digital subscription access to the Chieftain has been expanded to include the East Oregonian, the La Grande Observer, the Hermiston Herald, the Baker City Herald and the Blue Mountain Eagle.

Here’s how can access all those sites, at no additional cost:

• Simply register your account on every site you wish to read with the same email address and password you currently use.

• Once you’ve registered, enter your username and password to enjoy the full range of content on that news site.

• You should not have to login again unless you log out, clear history or experience software updates.

• Save your password when prompted by your browser and if you are inadvertently logged out, your browser can fill in your login and password for you. (Only use this option on your personal digital devices.)

To view the latest e-editions, be sure to register your account and sign in to wallowa.com.

Sign up for e-newsletters from each website by going to the “Email lists” link on your account dashboard for each site.

If you have any questions or need assistance, contact us at 800-781-3214 or email support@eomediagroup.com.

If you have comments or questions about the East Oregonian, or want to pass along a story idea, you can send an email to Phil Wright, the managing editor at the EO, at this address: editor@eastoregonian.com.

And, of course, if you have questions, comments or story ideas for the Chieftain, you can email me at this address: mmcinally@wallowa.com. I may not be able to return your email immediately, but I try to answer every one eventually. 

Thank you for supporting local journalists in Eastern Oregon, and a special thanks to Chieftain subscribers; we could not do this vital work without you.

Mike McInally is the editor of the Wallowa County Chieftain and the associate editor of the La Grande Observer.