Journalism in Oregon
The Oregon Printing Association formally declared that the press they acquired was never to be used as a vehicle for partisan politics.
[6][7] (Historian Frances Fuller Victor speculated that the non-partisan rule reflected misgivings about missionary influence among early American Oregon pioneers.
[8]) The group secured a press from New York, and produced the first newspaper in the western United States, the Oregon Spectator, in 1846.
Curry remained in the post until 1848, when he resigned due to a dispute with the Association over his wish to adopt a "firm and consistent American tone.
[10] Other early Oregon papers included the short-lived Free Press, founded by Curry upon his departure from the Spectator, with type purchased from Catholic missionaries and an improvised press; the Western Star, later renamed the Oregon Weekly Times, founded in Milwaukie in 1850 and moving to Portland in 1851.
[6][14] The "first real Republican paper" on the west coast was the Oregon City Argus, founded in 1855 and merged into the Statesman in 1863.
In the 1860s, telegraph service came to Oregon, initially connecting Portland and other Willamette Valley cities to northern California.
[16] In the teens, Oregon (along with Washington) banned liquor advertising, prompting at least some out-of-state newspapers to cancel subscriptions in the state.
Samuel was known for turning down advertising deemed problematic, prior to the emergence of more formal journalism ethics and standards.
[27] The Washington State Press Association hosted an annual conference beginning in the mid-1880s, which attracted Oregon journalists.
[32] The Annual Oregon Newspaper Conference is said to have been first held in 1916,[33] though another reference suggests it was established as much as a decade prior.
[34] At the fourth such conference, in 1922, participants adopted Oregon Code of Ethics for Newspapers, considered the problem of paper cost, proposed a wireless news service, and held concurrent meetings of members of the Associated Press and United Press International.
[39] In 1949 a Houghton-Mifflin textbook, Newsmen at Work, related stories of several reporters who originally hailed from Oregon, including Eric W. Allen (first dean of the University of Oregon School of Journalism), Palmer Hoyt (publisher of the Denver Post), and Charles E. Gratke (of the Christian Science Monitor).
[40][41] Tom McCall The ONPA sponsored "The Print Market," believed to be the first trade show in the United States to focus on advertising sales, in 1976.
[43][44] During the George Floyd protests in summer 2020, independent journalists covered the events on a nightly basis, in contrast with local media (which sent reporters to some, but not all, of the events) and national media (which generally did not cover the story until federal agents arrived in Portland, about 45 days into the protests).
1. Col. W. G. T'Vault, 1843, first editor of the "Spectator," issued at Oregon City, February 5, 1846, the first paper west of the Missouri River.
2. Thomas J. Dryer, 1850, founder of the "Oregonian," first issue December 6, 1850, on the corner of Front and Morrison streets.
3. Asahel Bush, 1851, founder of the "Statesman," Salem, first issue March 21, 1851.
4. Thornton T. McElroy, 1851, printer on the "Spectator," Oregon City, and founder of the "Columbian," first newspaper north of the Columbia River, issued at Olympia, September 1, 1852.
5. Delazon Smith, 1852, founder of the "Democrat," Albany, 1853: one of the first United States senators from Oregon.
