Longview deserves a real local news source.

Not one operated from a thousand miles away.
Not one locked behind a paywall.
Not one that talks down to its readers or pretends Facebook comment threads are a substitute for reporting.

This publication exists because we live here.

We walk past the squirrel bridges.
We sit in the Longview Public Library.
We gather in R.A. Long Square when something matters enough to show up for.

And for too long, the story of this place has been filtered through outlets that are not rooted here, not accountable to the people who live here, and increasingly uninterested in doing the actual work of journalism.

A free press is not a luxury product.
It is a civic necessity.

The First Amendment does not exist so corporations can meter access to basic information. It exists so communities can govern themselves with shared facts, context, and accountability. Local news should be accessible because you are a member of the public, not because you passed a checkout screen.

This publication will not hide essential information behind paywalls.
Ever.

Just as importantly, we reject the idea that low expectations are inevitable. The people of Longview, Kelso, and the surrounding communities are thoughtful, curious, and capable of engaging with real information. You deserve reporting that respects your intelligence, provides context, and asks better questions than “what will get clicks today?”

When credible local journalism disappears, the vacuum does not stay empty. It fills with rumor, outrage farming, disinformation, and ideologically motivated social media sludge. We have all seen the results. Confusion replaces understanding. Anger replaces insight. Communities fracture.

We are not interested in contributing to that.

This publication is community-built by design.

Articles are written and submitted by members of the community. They are reviewed by a board of local editors who live here, care about this place, and are committed to clarity, accuracy, and fairness. That process exists to raise the quality of what we publish, not to gatekeep voices or launder agendas.

We are also explicit about our values.

This platform is hostile to intolerance, bigotry, and the systems that enable them. That stance is not negotiable and not neutral. A community press that treats dehumanization as “just another opinion” has already failed its civic role. We believe in free expression and we also believe in responsibility, dignity, and truth.

Those are not in conflict.

This is not a paper of record pretending to be above the town.
It is a paper of record emerging from it.

If you live here, this is for you.
If you care about this place, there is room for you to contribute.
If you believe local democracy requires shared reality, you are already part of the audience.

This is the beginning.

Not owned elsewhere.
Not filtered through distance.
Not silent.

Welcome to local news with a longer view.