The Oregonian

The Oregonian is a daily newspaper headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Founded as a weekly on December 4, 1850, by Thomas J. Dryer, it is commonly described as the oldest continuously published newspaper on the United States West Coast. The paper began during Portland’s formative years, when local civic leaders regarded a newspaper as an essential institution for a growing settlement. Its early editorial identity was strongly political and aligned with the Whig Party, but the publication gradually developed into a broader news organization. Henry Pittock acquired the newspaper in 1861 after Dryer failed to pay wages owed to him and converted it into a daily publication, except on Sundays. Pittock invested in faster presses and news distribution, helping move the paper away from a primarily political weekly toward a more substantial news operation. Harvey W. Scott became its most influential nineteenth-century editor. Apart from an interruption during the 1870s, Scott led the newsroom for decades and established an editorial tradition associated with business-oriented Republican politics. The first Sunday Oregonian appeared in 1881, and the paper moved into a prominent nine-story building at Sixth and Alder Streets in 1892. The publication was known as The Morning Oregonian from 1861 until 1937, when it returned to the shorter title The Oregonian. During the twentieth century it expanded beyond print. It discontinued its weekly edition in 1922 and launched KGW, Oregon’s first commercial radio station. The organization later acquired or developed additional broadcasting assets, including KEX and KGW-FM, before those operations were sold as the company withdrew from broadcasting. The newspaper also published a major Sunday edition under the title The Sunday Oregonian. In 1950, S. I. Newhouse purchased the newspaper for Advance Publications, creating the ownership relationship that continues today. Newhouse also acquired The Oregon Journal in 1961. The two Portland dailies combined production and commercial operations while maintaining separate editorial staffs until The Oregon Journal was closed in 1982. That decision left The Oregonian as Portland’s only daily newspaper and strengthened its position as Oregon’s dominant general-interest print news brand. The Oregonian has received substantial recognition for investigative, public-service, editorial, and local reporting. It won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and has received seven additional Pulitzer Prizes for its staff or individual journalists, including the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. Its reporting has included investigations of municipal corruption, organized crime and vice, the Rajneeshpuram community, environmental and regional issues, and political accountability. The newspaper also played a prominent role in reporting and editorial debates involving civil rights, LGBTQ issues, and public officials. Like many metropolitan newspapers, The Oregonian has shifted from a print-centered business to a mixed print-and-digital model. Its online presence is associated with OregonLive.com, while print distribution has been reduced over time. In late 2013, regular home delivery was reduced to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, although copies continued to be available daily through newsstands and newsracks. In January 2024, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday print editions were discontinued. The newspaper retains a statewide focus and continues to operate as a principal source of Oregon news, politics, public affairs, sports, culture, and regional reporting.

The Oregonian originated in Portland in 1850, before the city was formally incorporated. Civic figures W. W. Chapman and Henry W. Corbett sought an editor and found Thomas J. Dryer in San Francisco. Dryer brought printing equipment to Portland, where the first four-page issue of The Weekly Oregonian appeared on December 4, 1850. The early paper emphasized political argument and biography and supported the Whig Party, placing it in opposition to Democratic newspapers in the region. Henry Pittock became owner in 1861 and began daily publication, except on Sundays. His administration emphasized timely news and improved communications, including the use of telegraph, stagecoach, and pony-express links to bring information to Portland. Harvey W. Scott served as editor during much of the paper’s formative period. After a change in ownership and a temporary interruption in publication associated with William Holladay’s competing newspaper, Pittock reacquired the paper in 1877 and Scott returned. Scott remained editor-in-chief until shortly before his death in 1910. The newspaper expanded its civic presence during the late nineteenth century. The first Sunday Oregonian was issued in 1881, and a large Oregonian Building opened at Sixth and Alder Streets in 1892. The publication developed a reputation as a business-oriented Republican voice, endorsing Republican presidential candidates for decades. Its coverage also attracted criticism, including criticism of sensational treatment of political and social controversies and hostile editorial positions toward Chinese Americans. In the twentieth century, the paper broadened its media activities. It discontinued its weekly edition in 1922 and launched KGW, the state’s first commercial radio station. KGW joined NBC in 1927, and the company later acquired KEX and launched KGW-FM. These broadcasting properties were eventually sold, reflecting a broader corporate retreat from broadcasting. The newspaper’s title changed from The Morning Oregonian to The Oregonian in 1937. A new headquarters designed by Pietro Belluschi opened in 1948 after a costly construction project and was subsequently involved in a sale-and-leaseback arrangement. S. I. Newhouse purchased the paper in 1950 through the organization that became Advance Publications. In 1961, Newhouse also bought The Oregon Journal. The two newspapers shared production and business functions, while editorial staffs remained separate. A lengthy 1959–1965 strike arose from disputes over automated printing and staffing. Striking workers produced The Portland Reporter, which ceased publication in 1964. The Oregon Journal closed in 1982 amid declining advertising revenue, leaving The Oregonian as Portland’s only daily newspaper. Later decades brought editorial and organizational changes. William A. Hilliard became the paper’s first African-American editor in 1987. The paper opened an Asia bureau in Tokyo in 1989. Sandra Rowe became executive editor in 1993 and editor in 1994, reorganizing the newsroom around subject-focused teams rather than only traditional general-assignment structures. The Oregonian continued to develop investigative and public-service reporting, including a twenty-part 1985 series on Rajneeshpuram and coverage of political accountability and civil-rights issues. The paper won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and has earned seven further Pulitzer Prizes, most recently the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. In the digital era, OregonLive.com became an important distribution channel. Print delivery was reduced in 2013 and three additional weekday print editions were eliminated in January 2024. The Oregonian remains an active Advance Publications newspaper with a regional and statewide Oregon focus.

• 2024

  Three weekday print editions discontinued

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday print editions were ended.

• 2014

  Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  The newspaper received the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.

• 2013

  Home-delivery schedule reduced

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  Regular home delivery was reduced to four days per week.

• 2001

  Pulitzer Prize for Public Service

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  The newspaper received the Pulitzer organization’s public-service gold medal.

• 1982

  The Oregon Journal closes

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  The competing daily ceased publication, leaving The Oregonian as Portland’s only daily newspaper.

• 1961

  The Oregon Journal acquired

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  Newhouse acquired Portland afternoon newspaper The Oregon Journal.

• 1950

  Purchased by S. I. Newhouse

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  S. I. Newhouse bought the newspaper, bringing it into the Advance Publications ownership group.

• 1937

  Name shortened to The Oregonian

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  The Morning Oregonian adopted the shorter title used today.

• 1922

  Weekly edition discontinued and KGW launched

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  The newspaper ended its weekly edition and established KGW, Oregon’s first commercial radio station.

• 1881

  Sunday edition launched

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  The first Sunday Oregonian was published.

• 1861

  Daily publication begins

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  Henry Pittock acquired the paper and began publishing it daily except Sundays.

• 1850

  First weekly issue published

  [1]The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas J. Dryer published the first issue of The Weekly Oregonian in Portland on December 4.

A leading Oregon news institution combining Portland metropolitan reporting with statewide coverage, investigative journalism, opinion, sports, culture, and digital publishing.

• Daily newspaper · 1850

  The Oregonian

  The principal print newspaper, covering Portland, Oregon politics and public affairs as well as statewide news, investigations, business, sports, culture, and community issues. It historically appeared daily, but its print schedule has been reduced as the business has shifted toward digital publishing.

• Sunday newspaper · 1881

  The Sunday Oregonian

  The newspaper’s Sunday edition, introduced in 1881. It provides expanded news, features, opinion, advertising, and other weekend-oriented content compared with the regular daily edition.

• Digital news website

  OregonLive.com

  The Oregonian’s principal digital publishing platform, providing online access to Oregon news, reporting, opinion, sports, culture, and related editorial content.

• Commercial radio station · 1922

  KGW

  A radio station launched by The Oregonian in 1922 and later affiliated with NBC. It was eventually sold as the company exited broadcasting.

• Radio station · 1933

  KEX

  A second radio station acquired by The Oregonian in 1933 and sold in 1944 to Westinghouse Radio Stations.

• 1993

  Reporting controversy involving Bob Packwood coverage

  The episode drew national attention to the newspaper’s reporting and editorial processes around allegations involving a prominent public official.

  Source

Read more

• 1993Coverage opposing an anti-homosexual constitutional amendment

  Oregon

  Editorial-page editor Robert M. Landauer led a campaign challenging myths and prejudice associated with a proposed anti-homosexual constitutional amendment.

  Outcome. The amendment was defeated, and Landauer was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Editorial Writing.

  Source
• 1985Rajneeshpuram investigation

  Oregon

  The newspaper published a twenty-part series examining Rajneeshpuram, a religious community established in central Oregon.

  Outcome. The series became a notable example of the paper’s long-form regional investigative reporting.

  Source

• 2024

  Discontinuation of three weekday print editionsStrategy

  Background

  The Oregonian continued adapting its print operation as digital distribution became increasingly central.

  Action taken

  Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday print editions were discontinued.

  Aftermath

  The newspaper retained an active print presence on the remaining publication days alongside its digital operation.

  Source

• 2013

  Reduction of home deliveryStrategy

  Background

  The newspaper responded to changing print economics and audience behavior.

  Action taken

  Regular home delivery was reduced to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, while daily retail copies remained available.

  Aftermath

  The change marked a major step toward a reduced-frequency print and digital publishing model.

  Source

• 1982

  Closure of The Oregon JournalStrategy

  Background

  Declining advertising revenue weakened Portland’s afternoon daily in a market with two newspapers.

  Action taken

  Advance/Newhouse discontinued The Oregon Journal.

  Aftermath

  Portland became a one-daily-newspaper city, leaving The Oregonian as the dominant daily newspaper.

  Source

• 1961

  Acquisition of The Oregon JournalM&A

  Background

  Advance/Newhouse sought to combine the business and production resources of Portland’s two daily newspapers while retaining separate editorial operations.

  Action taken

  The Oregonian’s owner acquired The Oregon Journal and consolidated their production and business functions.

  Aftermath

  The Journal continued as a separate editorial product until it closed in 1982.

  Source

1. 1The Oregonianen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Oregonian digital publication websiteoregonlive.com