Comprehensive guide to Oregon's daily newspapers, weekly publications, and community news sources. Since 1846, newspapers have been documenting the Pacific Northwest's history, politics, and culture across 36 counties.
120
Total Print Newspapers
12
Daily Publications
85+
Weekly & Community Papers
175+
Years Old (Oregonian)
Note: The Oregonian reduced print frequency in January 2024, discontinuing Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday editions. Print is now published Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In January 2025, the paper switched from tabloid to broadsheet format.
Major Daily Newspapers
The Oregonian
Location: Portland (State's Largest City)
Founded: December 4, 1850
Circulation: Oregon's largest newspaper
Ownership: Advance Publications
Notable: Oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast
Founded: 1909 (merger of Corvallis Gazette and Corvallis Times)
Circulation: 11,524 daily / 12,021 Sunday
Ownership: Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa
Sister Paper: Albany Democrat-Herald (identical publication with alternate banner)
Joint Sunday Edition: Mid-Valley Sunday
Albany Democrat-Herald
Location: Albany
Founded: 1859 (as Oregon Democrat)
Circulation: 11,695 Mon-Fri PM / 12,596 Sat-Sun
Ownership: Lee Enterprises (since 1998)
Publication Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Coverage: Linn and Benton Counties, Albany, Lebanon, Sweet Home
Mail Tribune (Medford) - CLOSED
Location: Medford (Rogue Valley)
Founded: 1909
Ceased Operations: January 13, 2023
Notable: Largest newspaper serving Southern Oregon for over a century
Replacement: Rogue Valley Times (launched February 2023 by EO Media Group)
Rogue Valley Times
Location: Medford/Ashland
Founded: February 2023 (replacing Mail Tribune)
Ownership: EO Media Group
Editor: David Smigelski (former Mail Tribune editor)
Staff: Mostly former Tribune employees
Weekly & Community Newspapers
Oregon has 85+ weekly and community newspapers serving small towns and rural areas across the state. These publications provide essential local government coverage, sports, and community news.
Notable Weekly Newspapers
Portland Alternative Weeklies
Willamette Week - Portland's alternative weekly since 1974, winner of 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting, free weekly covering news, politics, arts, and culture
Portland Tribune - Launched 2001, part of Pamplin Media Group (sold to Carpenter Media Group 2024), ceased print June 2025 and went online-only
Street Roots - Weekly publication addressing homelessness and poverty since 1998, Portland's flagship social justice publication
Regional Weekly Newspapers
Eugene Weekly - Eugene's alternative paper known for progressive politics, arts, and environmental activism
The Source Weekly - Bend's alternative weekly
Illinois Valley News - Cave Junction, distributed throughout Josephine County
The Nugget Newspaper - Sisters, Central Oregon
Cottage Grove Sentinel - Cottage Grove community newspaper
Argus Observer - Eastern Oregon
EO Media Group Publications
EO Media Group is a fourth-generation family-owned company based in Oregon with publications in several communities:
East Oregonian (Pendleton) - Daily
The Astorian (Astoria) - Daily
The Bulletin (Bend) - Daily
Rogue Valley Times (Medford) - Weekly
Baker City Herald - Stopped print July 2024
Blue Mountain Eagle (John Day) - Stopped print July 2024
Hermiston Herald - Stopped print July 2024
La Grande Observer - Stopped print July 2024
Wallowa County Chieftain (Enterprise) - Stopped print July 2024
2024 Restructuring: EO Media Group announced in June 2024 that it was cutting 15% of staff (28 of 185 employees) and stopping print editions for five newspapers. Subscribers to those papers now receive the East Oregonian instead.
College Newspapers
University of Oregon (Eugene)
Oregon Daily Emerald
Founded: 1899
History: Named Oregon Emerald (1909), published twice weekly until 1920 when it became the Oregon Daily Emerald publishing five days a week
The Student Insurgent - Democratically organized journalistic endeavor providing voice for under-represented students, safe space for radical dissent and free expression
Oregon Commentator - Journal of opinion and humor founded September 27, 1983, second-oldest publication on campus
Global Talk - Student-created multilingual news publication founded November 2005
Align Magazine - UO's official arts and culture magazine emphasizing lifestyle and fashion, established 2015, largest club and publication on campus with 250+ members
Oregon State University (Corvallis)
The Barometer / The Baro
Founded: March 1896 (as The College Barometer)
Format History: Magazine format (1896-1906), weekly newspaper (1906), Daily Barometer (1923)
Current Format: Weekly publication in tabloid format (2016), rebranded as The Baro
Oregon Spectator (Oregon City, 1846) - Earliest newspaper in Oregon, published by press association headed by George Abernethy
Milwaukie Western Star (November 1850)
Whig Oregonian (Portland, December 4, 1850) - Later became The Oregonian
Historical Resources
Historic Oregon Newspapers - Digitized Oregon newspapers from many smaller towns throughout the state, dates vary per paper
Oregon Digital Newspaper Program - Contains more than 1,300,000 pages from Oregon newspapers published between 1846 and 2020
Oregon Blue Book - Official state government list of newspapers published in Oregon maintained by Secretary of State
Business & Specialty Publications
Business Newspapers
Daily Journal of Commerce - Portland-based publication focused on construction, real estate, legal notices, and business news throughout Oregon
Portland Business Journal - Weekly business publication covering economy, real estate, corporate news
Community & Alternative Publications
Street Roots - Weekly publication addressing homelessness and poverty since 1998
Portland Tribune - Community news, politics, business (online-only since June 2025)
African American Community Publication - Serving Portland's African American community with news, commentary, and issues affecting communities of color
Services: Member directory, advertising rates, statewide classifieds 2x2 Ad Network
Frequently Asked Questions
The Oregonian is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. West Coast. Founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850, it has been published daily since 1861. The paper predates even Oregon's statehood (February 14, 1859) by more than eight years. The Oregon Spectator, published in Oregon City from 1846, was actually the earliest newspaper in Oregon but ceased publication. The Oregonian remains Oregon's largest newspaper and the second largest in the Pacific Northwest by circulation, making it both the oldest and most prominent newspaper in the state.
In January 2024, The Oregonian discontinued its Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday print editions. The newspaper now publishes print editions on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only. This reduction reflects industry-wide trends toward digital news consumption. In late October 2024, the paper announced it would switch its print edition page format from tabloid style to broadsheet, with the change going into effect in mid-January 2025. The Sunday edition continues to be published under the title The Sunday Oregonian. OregonLive.com, which started in 1997, serves as the online home of The Oregonian and provides daily digital coverage.
Oregon has approximately 120 newspapers in total circulation. Of these, 85 newspapers are paid circulation and 35 newspapers are in free circulation. There are about 12 daily newspapers currently publishing in print format, with the remainder being weekly and community publications. The total circulation of newspapers in Oregon state is 1,929,383, compared to the United States total of 161,108,977. Oregon's newspaper count has declined in recent years due to consolidation, digital transitions, and closures. In 2024, EO Media Group stopped print editions for five newspapers (La Grande Observer, Blue Mountain Eagle, Hermiston Herald, Wallowa County Chieftain, Baker City Herald), with subscribers receiving the East Oregonian instead.
The Medford Mail Tribune, founded in 1909 by George D. Peebles, was a vital source of news for Southern Oregon for over a century. Initially a combination of the Rogue River Mail and the Medford Tribune, it was the largest newspaper serving the Rogue Valley. The newspaper stopped offering a print edition in September 2022 and ceased all operations on Friday, January 13, 2023. In response to this closure, EO Media Group created the Rogue Valley Times in February 2023 to serve southern Oregon. David Smigelski, former editor of the Mail Tribune, became editor of the new publication, and most staff members formerly worked for the Tribune. The Rogue Valley Times changed its name from Rogue Valley Tribune after publishing five regular issues and a premiere issue dated February 11, 2023.
EO Media Group is a fourth-generation family-owned company based in Oregon with publications in several communities including Pendleton, Bend, Astoria, Baker City, Enterprise, La Grande, Hermiston, John Day, and Medford. Notable acquisitions include The Bend Bulletin, which EO Media purchased in 2019 after Western Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Five Bend residents helped raise $1 million for EO Media Group to outbid competitors and purchase the Bulletin. In 2023, EO Media created the Rogue Valley Times to replace the closed Medford Mail Tribune. However, in June 2024, the company announced it was cutting 15% of its staff (28 of 185 employees) and stopping print editions for five newspapers: La Grande Observer, Blue Mountain Eagle, Hermiston Herald, Wallowa County Chieftain, and Baker City Herald. Subscribers to those papers now receive the East Oregonian instead.
OregonLive.com is a website covering local news in Oregon and Southwest Washington, serving as the online home of The Oregonian. Started in 1997, it is owned by Advance Publications, the same company that owns The Oregonian. OregonLive.com provides comprehensive digital coverage including breaking news, sports, entertainment, politics, business, and community events. The site operates 24/7 and offers more frequent updates than the print edition of The Oregonian. Content from The Oregonian's print edition appears on OregonLive.com, along with additional digital-only content. The website has become increasingly important as The Oregonian reduced its print schedule to four days per week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) in January 2024.
Yes, several independent and family-owned newspapers continue operating in Oregon. EO Media Group itself is a fourth-generation family-owned company operating multiple newspapers across Oregon including the East Oregonian (Pendleton), The Astorian, The Bulletin (Bend), and Rogue Valley Times. Many weekly newspapers across Oregon's 36 counties remain locally owned, providing essential community journalism in small towns. These independent papers often have deep roots in their communities and focus on local government coverage, high school sports, and community events that larger chain-owned papers may overlook. The Pamplin Media Group (sold to Carpenter Media Group in 2024) operates several community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area. These independent operations face financial challenges but continue serving their communities with local news coverage.
Willamette Week is the only weekly newspaper ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. Reporter Nigel Jaquiss won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for his investigative reporting on a story about Neil Goldschmidt's concealed sexual misconduct. Willamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper and website published in Portland, Oregon since 1974. Founded by Ronald A. Buel, who served as its first publisher, the paper has been free since 1984. The publication features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. This prestigious award demonstrated that alternative weekly newspapers could produce investigative journalism rivaling that of major daily newspapers. The Oregonian has also won multiple journalism awards throughout its 175-year history.
The Oregon Daily Emerald at the University of Oregon is one of the state's premier student newspapers. Founded in 1899, it has been in publication for more than 100 years, making it one of the oldest student newspapers in the Pacific Northwest. The Emerald is a student-run independent daily campus newspaper that has trained generations of journalists. At Oregon State University, The Barometer (now The Baro) has documented campus life since March 1896. Originally published in magazine format, it became a weekly newspaper in 1906 and the Daily Barometer in 1923. In 2016, it reduced to weekly publication in tabloid format and rebranded as The Baro. Both universities also support numerous specialty publications including literary magazines, opinion journals, multicultural publications, and lifestyle magazines, providing diverse student media opportunities.
Several excellent resources provide access to historical Oregon newspapers. The Oregon Digital Newspaper Program contains more than 1,300,000 pages from Oregon newspapers published between 1846 and 2020. Historic Oregon Newspapers includes digitized Oregon newspapers from many smaller towns throughout the state, with dates of coverage varying per paper. The Oregon Secretary of State Blue Book maintains an official list of newspapers published in Oregon. The Library of Congress has digitized collections available through chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. Newspapers.com offers searchable archives of many Oregon titles. The University of Oregon and Oregon State University libraries maintain special collections and archives. The Multnomah County Library provides access to historic Oregon newspapers through various databases. Portland State University Library maintains guides to Portland and Oregon newspapers including historical resources.