The past year has brought tremendous change in Oregon’s newspaper landscape, with the closure of the Mail Tribune in Medford and the struggles of the Register-Guard and Statesman-Journal under corporate ownership.

Business reporter Jeff Manning took a extensive look at the decline of the two longstanding daily newspapers in the Willamette Valley. He found the corporate ownership of the papers resulted in diminished newsrooms and resources for reporting. Just six people remain in the Register-Guard’s newsroom, for instance.

Since his article was published, the Albany Democrat Herald and Corvallis Gazette Times, which share ownership, announced they would reduce print publication to just three days a week and move to the postal service for delivery.

The Oregonian/OregonLive moved to four-day home delivery 10 years ago, while still publishing seven days a week.

On this episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, Editor Therese Bottomly discusses Manning’s findings with him and also Regina Lawrence, lead author on last year’s report, “Assessing Oregon’s Local News and Information Ecosystem 2022.” Along with co-author Agora Journalism Center Director Andrew DeVigal, Lawrence described in detail the decline of local newsrooms as well as the cost to local communties in terms of civic engagement and public oversight.

Both Lawrence and Manning point to bright spots as well: increased collaboration among Oregon news organizations and the rise of some online-only newsrooms around the state such as the Salem Reporter, the Oregon Capital Chronicle, YachatsNews and more. As well, locally owned EO Media Group moved to establish a new Rogue Valley publication and the Grants Pass Daily Courier expanded into Medford as well.

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