Since the 2016 presidential campaign, Street Roots has stood strong in its coverage of the resistance
As American values and those living on our country’s margins have come increasingly under attack, Street Roots has responded with meaningful coverage.
Giving a voice to our community’s most vulnerable has always been at the core of our newspaper’s mission, but it became clear in 2016 that, in our role as an independent news source, we had a duty to fight back against the onslaught of lies and propaganda being spewed forth upon our country.
In December 2016, we established four pillars of coverage to guide our editorial agenda as we moved forward: freedom of the press, the environment, immigrants and refugees, and housing and homelessness.
While our coverage has not been limited to these categories alone, these pillars helped us to establish an intentional response to the attacks on the media, on our planet and on marginalized communities that were raining down from the highest office in the nation.
While much news coverage in the ensuing politically charged climate has been reactionary, we have sought to give context and provide a deeper understanding around the larger issues that percolate beneath the surface.
As a chaotic news cycle bounces from one scandal and affront to human rights to the next, we have featured thought-provoking stories and in-depth coverage centered on the people most affected; we’ve featured commentaries and interviews with academics, authors and other experts who can provide relevant analysis; and we’ve profiled members of our community whose stories give a human face to those who otherwise would have only a target on their backs.
Our long-form articles and interviews have delved into the multibillion-dollar immigrant detention and prison industries, the criminalization of poverty, understanding media literacy, the many facets of the ever-increasing wealth divide, and the nuances of systemic racism.
We’ve given a platform to national leaders at the frontlines of the fight against hate and misinformation, those who are fighting to protect the rights of women and of the LGBTQ+ community, to end police brutality against people of color, to stymie the incarceration of immigrants and asylum seekers, to stop the burning of fossil fuels and the unregulated sale of assault rifles, and those who use art, film and music to inspire and sustain an at-times fatigued resistance movement.
Through interviews with Naomi Klein, Ralph Nader, Cecile Richards, DeRay Mckesson, Al Sharpton and others, we’ve given social justice leaders a platform to elaborate on their efforts and perspectives from their bird’s-eye views.
We’ve also brought you stories about the resistance here at home. We’ve taken you inside the Pacific Northwest’s climate movement, from Indigenous efforts and the Valve Turners to Extinction Rebellion and how some of our state’s top industries are contributing to the world’s greenhouse gas levels. We’ve profiled the lives and struggles of Portlanders in the immigrant, LGBTQ+ and homeless communities. We’ve given a spotlight to women’s rights and civil rights leaders. We’ve highlighted resistance efforts in Portland’s religious communities with our Faith & Justice series, and most importantly, we’ve kept, you, our readers, informed of ways you can get involved – from attending protests and workshops to actions you can take as an individual.
That’s because at Street Roots, we know that if we can foster understanding with our news coverage and provide our readers with the tools they need to make a difference, together we can continue to stand strong.
Street Roots is an award-winning, nonprofit, weekly newspaper focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. Our newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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