Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Creating a site profile

What does creating a site profile on Spokesman.com let me do?

Site profiles are free and easy to set up. Having a profile will allow you to:

Manage your identity on Spokesman-Review websites
Write comments about stories, videos, photos and more
Email story links to friends

You'll also be able to manage your account settings, edit your profile information, and even choose favorite topics to add a custom news stream to your profile page. And as we add new features and websites to our network, your Spokesman profile will let you do even more.

To create a Spokesman.com site profile:

Go to http://www.spokesman.com/accounts/register/ or click the “Create Site profile” link in the top left-hand corner of any page.
Enter a username (only letters, numbers and underscores are allowed here), your email address, and a password you will remember.
You will then receive an email from us with instructions on how to activate the profile you created.

Once activated, you will be able to add additional information to your profile.

When I click on the link you emailed me to activate my site profile, I get a message that says the link is not valid. Why won't it work?

If the link we send you wraps to more than one line within the body of the email, you may have to copy the complete URL and then paste it into your browser’s address field so you can access the website the link points to. If, after doing that, you still receive an error message, please contact a customer service representative by emailing the full text of the error message to circ@spokesman.com or by calling (800) 338-8801. We will be happy to assist you.

Registration and my account

I was an online user on the old site. Why do I need to re-register on your new site?

We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you, but all users are required to register on our new Spokesman.com website – even those who had previously registered on SpokesmanReview.com. The main reason we cannot transfer registration information from the old site to the new one is that the new site is written and designed using a different programming language.

I have a print subscription for The Spokesman-Review newspaper, and I want to register online, too. When I entered my address on the form page, I got a message saying your system didn’t recognize it. Why is that, and how do I get my free online access?

Since you have a print subscription, you are entitled to free access to all stories on Spokesman.com. Our system may not have recognized your address if you entered more information than is requested (e.g. if you added Street (St) after your street name) or if the information you entered is spelled differently than what we have listed for your print account. Please try our online registration page again, making sure you enter only the information requested. For example:

* Street Number: 12345
* Street Name: Main
* Zipcode: 99201

If you continue to have problems registering, you may contact a customer service representative by email at circ@spokesman.com or by phone at (800) 338-8801. We’ll be happy to help you.

I’m trying to log in to the site, but I keep getting an error message that says, “Sorry, you did not enter a valid username or password. Please try again.” I don’t even know which entry is wrong! Can you help?

On our new website, both your username and password are case sensitive. This means that if either your username or password contains a capital letter, then you must enter it as a capital letter every time you log in. Make sure your Caps Lock key is off and please try again, making sure you capitalize any necessary letters in your username or password.

If you have forgotten your password, go to the login page and click the “Forgot your password?” link. On the next screen, enter the email address you signed up with, then click the “Reset my password” button. We will email you instructions on how to reset your password.

Why doesn't my password work? I pay $7 a month and when you changed to the new website, my username and password don't work.

On our new website, your email address is no longer your username. In addition, on our new website, both your username and password are case sensitive. In order to properly switch your account over, you’ll need to:

Create a Spokesman.com profile if you haven't already done so.
Merge Your Accounts: Once you have activated your profile, you’ll be able to manage your account settings. Log in and click your name at the upper left of any page to visit your profile. Click "Account Settings," and then “Merge an existing Spokesman-Review.com print or online account into this profile.” Enter your old username from spokesmanreview.com (your email address) and your old online password and click the “Merge” button.

I can't remember my password, and when I enter my email address on your website and click “Forgot your password?” it says that I don't have a valid username.

You don’t have to enter anything into the username box on the login page before clicking the “Forgot your password?” link. When you click that link, we'll then ask you for the email address you signed up with, and email you instructions on how to reset your password.

How do I change my username?

We don’t offer an option to change the username on a Spokesman.com profile. This helps maintain consistent identities for our site users and customers. If you really need to change your username, you could register a new profile and abandon your previous one; if you do this, customer service can help you transfer any subscriber information to the new account.

How do I change the name that appears next to comments I leave on this website?

Once you're logged into Spokesman.com, you can click on your name in the upper left of any page to manage your profile information. Under "Account Settings," you may add your first name and/or last name to your online profile, and then any comments you submit will display that name instead of the username you log in with.

How do I change my email address?

Once you're logged into Spokesman.com, you can click on your name in the upper left of any page to manage your profile information. Under "Account Settings," you can enter a new email address for your account.

How do I change my password?

Once you're logged into Spokesman.com, you can click on your name in the upper left of any page to manage your profile information. Under "Account Settings," click the link that says “Change your login password.” Enter your current password, then enter your new password twice and click “Change password.”

How do I upgrade to premium access?

If you have a print subscription to The Spokesman-Review, your premium access on Spokesman.com is free. Here’s how to sign up:

Once you've created a Spokesman.com account, log in with your username and password.
Click your name at the upper left of any page to manage your profile.
Under "Premium Settings," choose the link for Spokesman-Review print subscribers.
Enter your street number, your street name and your ZIP code, then click "Submit."

We'll search for your print subscription information in our database and add premium access to your Spokesman.com account at no additional charge. If we're unable to automatically locate your print subscription information, please contact a customer service representative by email or by phone at (800) 338-8801. We’ll be happy to help you.

If you do not have a print subscription to the newspaper, you can purchase an online-only subscription for $7 per month. Here’s how:

Once you've created a Spokesman.com account, log in with your username and password.
Click your name at the upper left of any page to manage your profile.
Under "Premium Settings," choose the link that says: “If you would like to buy an online only subscription ...”
Complete the online subscription form.

Your credit card will be charged and you will be granted immediate premium access.

If you do not have a print subscription to the newspaper and would like to get one, you can sign up online. Here’s how:

Click the "Customer Service" link in the blue bar at the top of any page on this site.
Under "Subscriptions" in the right-hand column, choose "Home Delivery."
If you’ve had a print subscription before, you may enter your phone and street numbers, then click "Continue."
If you’ve never had a print subscription, simply hit the "Continue" button.
Complete the form for a new subscription.

How do I update the credit card information for my online account?

Log in with your username and password.
Click your name at the upper left of any page to manage your profile.
Under Premium Settings, choose “Change the credit card used for your premium online subscription.”
Update your credit card information and save the changes.

Can I get a monthly receipt showing charges to my credit card for my online premium account?

We do not supply monthly receipts for online premium accounts. However, your credit card statement will show the recurring charge. The credit card charge will appear as "The Spokesman-Review Home Delivery" or "SR" on your statement.

How do I unsubscribe from my online premium account? From my newspaper subscription?

To unsubscribe from your online premium account:

Log in with your username and password.
Click your name at the upper left of any page to manage your profile.
Under Premium Settings, choose “Cancel your Premium online subscription.”

Your account will continue to be active for the time period you have already paid for. However, we will not automatically charge your credit card for any additional months of online service.

To cancel your print subscription, call our customer service phone line at (800) 338-8801.

Searching for site features

How do I find news articles about a specific topic?

To search by topic, you can:

Hover over the word "Topics" just below The Spokesman-Review logo on any page to see a menu. Click on any menu item for stories on that topic.
Enter keywords into the search box at the upper right of any page.
Go to our Tags page (or select the “Topics & Tags” link under “Topics”). Explore by entering keyword(s) in the “Search tags” box to see stories that have been associated with it (e.g. "Washington Legislature," "education") or click on a link from our Popular Tags list.

How do I find stories only from a certain date?

To search by date, you can:

Hover over the word "Times" just below The Spokesman-Review logo on any page to see a menu. Click any day of the week for the most current stories.
Click on today's date just above the search box at the upper right of any page. This will give you a list of all stories for today. From here, you can click the calendar icon () and select any date you want from the pop-up calendar.
Click on the calendar icon () at the bottom of the story lists on the home page, under the header "Explore" and the subheader "By day." Select any date you like from the pop-up calendar.

How do I find news articles about a specific place?

To search by place, you can:

Hover over the word "Places" just below The Spokesman-Review logo on any page to see a menu. Click on any menu item for stories on that location.
Enter keywords into the search box at the upper right of any page (i.e., Deer Park, India, Costa Rica, etc.) and you’ll get a list of all stories that contain that keyword.
Go to our Tags page (or select the “Topics & Tags” link under “Topics”). Explore by entering keyword(s) in the “Search tags” box to see stories that have been associated with it (e.g. "Hayden," "Kootenai County”) or click on a link from our Popular Tags list.

How do I find a list of columnists and their weekly columns, such as Doug Clark columns or Paul Turner’s “The Slice”?

Our local columnists and links to their latest work can be found on our Columnists page, (also linked under "Topics" in our navigation menu).

To find work by syndicated columnists (e.g. Cal Thomas, Annie’s Mailbox, etc.), you can:

Enter keywords into the search box at the upper right of any page.
Go to our Tags page (or select the “Topics & Tags” link under “Topics”). Type the name of the columnist or enter “syndicated columnists” in the “Search tags” box. You can also click on the columnist’s name or the “syndicated columnists” link in our Popular Tags list.

How do I find specific features that run regularly in the newspaper, like public records, or the horoscope?

Hover over the word "Topics" just below The Spokesman-Review logo on any page to see a menu. You’ll find many of our regular features as subcategories under “Community.”
Enter keywords into the search box at the upper right of any page (i.e., horoscope, health bulletin board, etc.) and you’ll get a list of recently published features.
Go to our Tags page (or select the “Topics & Tags” link under “Topics”) and enter keyword(s) for the feature you want in the “Search tags” box or click on a link in our Popular Tags list.

Where are the obituaries?

Our online obituaries are provided by Legacy.com. You'll find links in a few places:

In the blue bar at the top of every page on this site.
On the homepage, next to the "Local News" header.
Under "Topics" in our navigation menu, next to the "Community" header.

Where are the comics and puzzles now? What’s the easiest way to find them?

We offer many more comics online than we do in print, so check them out. You’ll find a direct link to the comics on Spokesman.com, as well as a link to the Spokane.net comics page, when you hover over the “Comics & Puzzles” link at the top right-hand corner of any page.
You'll also find links to the online Sudoku and Crossword puzzles when you hover over the “Comics & Puzzles” link at the top right-hand corner of any page. For other puzzles, like online jigsaw and word search puzzles, select the Spokane.net Puzzles link.

Note: The online Sudoku and Crossword puzzles are different from those you’ll find printed in the newspaper.

Where can I find the Voices online?

The Voices are online, but they're not separated into individual publications (Valley, South Hill, etc.) because so many of the stories are shared among the various publications. However, they do have their own section:

For Voices stories from Washington, hover over the word “Places” in our navigation menu and click the Voices: Neighborhood news link to the right of Spokane.
For stories from the Idaho Handle Extra, hover over the word “Places” in our navigation menu and click the Handle Extra link to the right of Idaho.

How do I send a letter to the editor?

The fastest way to make your voice heard on our new website is to comment on one of our many online blogs and on stories that interest you. To add comments online, you just need a free site profile.

To create a Spokesman.com site profile:

Go to http://www.spokesman.com/accounts/register/ or click the “Create Site profile” link in the top left-hand corner of any page.
Enter a username (only letters, numbers and underscores are allowed here), your email address and a password you will remember.
You will then receive an email from us with instructions on how to activate the profile you created.

Once activated, you will be able to add additional information to your profile, and add comments to blogs and stories. Try A Matter of Opinion, for example.

To send a letter to the editor for print consideration:

Mail your letter to Letters to the Editor, The Spokesman-Review, 999 W. Riverside Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201;
Fax your letter to (509) 459-3815; or
Email your letter to editor@spokesman.com.

Please keep in mind that letters should be no longer than 200 words and must include the writer's home street address and a daytime telephone number for verification.

To read recent Letters to the Editor online, visit our Letters page. You'll find a link under "Topics" in our navigation menu, next to the "Opinion" header.

How do I forward articles to friends and family?

If you've created a site profile and are logged in, just click the "Email" link below the headline of any story. We'll email the link to the addresses you enter, and you will be returned to the story page. One thing to keep in mind: If the person receiving your email doesn't have premium access at Spokesman.com, they may not be able to read the entire article unless they sign up for an online account.

You may also print up to two copies of any article written by our staff for your personal use. (See our full copyright policy for more details.)

About our blogs

I’d like to comment on Spokesman.com blogs. How do I do that?

To leave comments on this website, you'll need a Spokesman.com site profile:

Go to http://www.spokesman.com/accounts/register/ or click the “Create Site profile” link in the top left-hand corner of any page.
Enter a username (only letters, numbers and underscores are allowed here), your email address and a password you will remember.
You will then receive an email from us with instructions on how to activate the profile you created.

Once activated, you will be able to add additional information to your profile, and add comments to blogs and stories.

What is an avatar, and how do I add one to my profile?

An avatar is a photo icon you can add to your profile. It will appear next to your name in comments you add to our blogs and stories. The recommended size for an avatar is 150px by 150px. If the image you upload is larger than that, it will automatically be resized to fit our site.

To add an avatar to your profile, make sure you have the image saved as a .jpg, .gif or .png on your computer. Then:

Log in with your username and password.
Click your name at the upper left of any page to manage your profile, and choose "Edit profile."
Click the "Browse" button next to the avatar field, and locate the image you want to use on your computer. Double-click it (or click it once and click the "Open" button).
Make any other changes or additions to your profile while you’re here, then click the “Update profile” button at the bottom of the page to save changes.

If you have a question that isn't answered by this FAQ, please contact a customer service representative by email or by phone at (800) 338-8801. We’ll be happy to help you.