Media

Weekly independents

Much like many cities, Portland has suffered the loss of print media. Fortunately, the embattled weekly Willamette Week (WWeek) is still publishing in print. Portland Mercury is online only, but still writes some interesting stories. The Mercury occasionally prints seasonal printed guides to the city and surrounding areas, which are great for new arrivals to peruse. You can find them in New Seasons grocery stores, among other places.

WWeek is a vital driver of government accountability. They regularly run stories that expose government corruption and incompetence. For example, their reporting on an Oregon Secretary of State's moonlighting as a consultant for a cannabis business (not technically illegal, but a major conflict of interest and very bad form) led to her resignation. Complaining about this newspaper's shortcomings seems like a local sport. Sometimes the paper gets it wrong, and they often make obvious proofreading mistakes. Overall, however, I think their work is important.

To me, reading print media with the focus and pace that the medium implies (instead of rage scrolling through social media) is analogous to biking around town instead of driving everywhere.

"Traditional" media

The Oregonian
In 2023, this newspaper, the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast, reduced its print edition to four days per week, but it's still rolling.

Portland Tribune
Publishes in print Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Others

City Cast Portland has articles, a podcast, and a daily newsletter.

Despite having lived here a while now, I've not found any other local publications, print or digital, of interest. I'm sure they exist, if you can think of one, drop me a line. (See link in footer.)