An 18-year-old editor, Edward Robison, began publishing a newspaper in January 1892 to provide news coverage and reading material for the small town of Talent, Ore.
Robison said his publication, the Talent News, would cost 25 cents a year for two editions a month. The paper contained community news of residents’ comings and goings, social events, community projects and functions. Readers often submitted their own poetry and articles for publication.
Robison also gave space in the paper for national news to keep people informed. Many already had strong opinions about politicians and elected officials.
The Nov. 1, 1892, issue states, “Many people have a queer notion that politicians ‘represent’ those who elect them. This may have been in the good old times, but in these degenerated days the average politician’s main objective is to represent himself.”
A letter to the editor stated in 1893 that the Oregon Legislature would have done better if it had adjourned on the first day of the session.
After 2 ½ years, the Talent News came to an end in July 1894
Sources: "Newspaper Archives." The Historacle. 2012th ed. Vol. 2. Talent, Ore.: Talent Historical Society, 2012. 7. Web. 20 Oct. 2016; Reynolds, Yvonne. Talent Worth Its Weight in Gold. Talent, Ore.: Lolot Press, 1996. 58-66. Print.
