There are several punishing signs that there is trouble ahead for Oregon’s top newspapers.
- Guard suffered financial setbacks this year and will lay off 400 journalists nationwide. To save money, these newspapers may eliminate their editorials.
- The Klamath Herald faces complete closure.
- The Catholic Sentinel, which has existed since the 19th century, will close this fall.
- During the pandemic, Pamplin’s media outlets (the Portland Tribune, Gresham Outlook, Tigard Times, among others) have reported dozens of layoffs.
- The Oregonian is facing a different setback in terms of labor shortages. A lack of delivery drivers is causing delivery delays in some areas, where the paper doesn’t arrive until noon, and on some days, not at all. Print editions are crucial for advertising revenue.
Oregon needs independent journalism, but it also needs journalism that is unbiased, relevant, and adaptable to changing times. One of Oregon’s successful newspapers, the Malhuer Enterprise, has succeeded where others failed thanks to its well-established investigative reporting.
