From its first days publishing as a daily in 1861 until well into the 20th century, The Oregonian existed as a newspaper by white men, for white men. The consequences were profound. Its white supremacist worldviews — excusing lynching, supporting segregation, stigmatizing people of color — helped shape the state today.

This is Beat Check with The Oregonian.

Last week we heard from editor and vice president of content for the Oregonian and OregonLive, Therese Bottomly. This week we turn to a family that was directly affected by The Oregonian’s racism.

This week, investigative reporter Rob Davis takes the mic. In the second half of the show, Rob interviews Zachary Stocks, the executive director of the Oregon Black Pioneers.

But first, Rob chats with Vicki Nakashima. Vicki’s dad Ted, wrote a searing piece for The New Republic in 1942 about his experience in a prison camp during World War II. Ted Nakashima was a second-generation Japanese American who was imprisoned without due process, one of 120,000 people nationwide, two thirds of whom were U.S. citizens like Ted.

Shortly after his magazine piece, the Oregonian sent a young reporter to an Oregon prison camp. The story downplayed the horrors, saying “a vast majority seemed to consider their detention a vacation.” 

On October 6th, Bottomly apologized to Vicki Nakashima for the xenophobic article.

Related:

See the JAMO Exhibit entitled, "Resilience - A Sensei Sense of Legacy" until Dec. 22nd

See the Pittock Mansion's exhibit on Black Oregon from 1840-1970 until Nov. 13.

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