| Type | Digital news service |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Salem Reporter LLC |
| Editor | Les Zaitz |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Salem, Oregon |
| Circulation | digital-only |
| Website | salemreporter |
Salem Reporter is a digital news service based in Salem, Oregon. It was launched in September 2018 by longtime investigative journalist Les Zaitz, with investment from businessman Larry Tokarski, president of a real estate development firm. [1] [2] [3] Its primary revenue source is from reader subscriptions, which cost $10/month. [2] The site aims to distinguish itself from its competitors with the quality and credibility of its reporting. [2] According to local news scholar Damian Radcliffe, the Reporter's freedom from the legacy costs that a traditional newspaper like the Statesman Journal has allowed it to enter the field with unusual agility. [4]
Shortly after its launch, the Salem Reporter joined the Pamplin Media Group and the EO Media Group in a partnership named the Oregon Capital Bureau. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] The bureau was formed by the original partners 2014, to provide its constituent newspapers with reporting on state government; [10] it produces a newsletter called the Oregon Capital Insider. [11] [12] Zaitz leads the bureau's team of three reporters. [9]
Zaitz, a renowned investigative reporter for The Oregonian who, upon his retirement, bought and revitalized the Malheur Enterprise several years prior, saying he was motivated by a desire to create "a new financial paradigm for the newspaper that can be replicated and scaled up." [1] In speeches in 2018, Zaitz emphasized restoring trust in media as a top priority for the journalism industry. [13] [14]