Social media users got a scoop about Street Roots a little less than 24 hours before Street Roots published this letter — some (big) news about the news, if you will.
Street Roots is joining forces with ProPublica for one year beginning Oct. 1.
Street Roots is honored and excited to partner with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network via the investigative journalism outlet’s 50 State Initiative. ProPublica launched the initiative earlier this year, seeking to place one reporting partnership in each state in five years. The seven-time Pulitzer Prize-winning outlet’s Local Reporting Network partnerships have a history of impact, as evidenced by Anchorage Daily News’ 2020 Pulitzer Prize for public service, which it earned through its work as a Local Reporting Network partner.
Street Roots, the only nonprofit print newspaper in Portland, has a longstanding (and growing) reputation for hard-hitting investigative journalism. In Street Roots’ 25th year, this prestigious partnership represents a nod to the newspaper’s past and present and a boon to its future. While this certainly counts as an accolade and a sign of the newspaper’s growth, it’s also a tremendous opportunity for Street Roots to better serve its readers and community.
Due to this partnership, Street Roots gets one step closer to providing the journalism Portlanders deserve by gaining an additional reporter Oct. 1 — me. I will serve as the lead reporter on the project, digging deep into Portland’s ongoing homelessness crisis for causes and solutions. (Feel free to reach out with tips and suggestions.)
While I will retain my title and editorial oversight to keep the ship steady on its course, Street Roots is contracting a managing editor to operate the daily functions of newspaper production. This new structure will enable me to work as a reporter 40 hours per week while still fulfilling the most crucial aspects of being the editor in chief. It also helps expand our staff reporting power at a time when funding constraints otherwise severely limit it.
Readers, supporters and sources are often surprised when I tell them Street Roots has only one staff reporter, Jeremiah Hayden. Although Street Roots sometimes had two staff reporters over the last three years, it relied on Hayden, freelancers, and, for a time, the immensely talented intern Kimberly Cortez since March. I’ve chipped in with stories when possible. But as readers and journalists have all learned from this weakened industry, there’s no substitute for an adequately staffed newspaper.
It’s something we know quite well at Street Roots.
When I took the wheel at Street Roots in July 2021, it didn’t have a staff reporter, a digital producer, an editorial illustrator/designer or even an editor (I was an “editing fellow”). Still, I relied on incredible freelancers and wire content to fill the paper each week. Kanani Cortez started at Street Roots as the editorial producer (now digital producer) shortly after. Kanani and I barrelled through many long days, weeks and months to ensure vendors had a quality newspaper to sell each Wednesday.
We couldn’t hire a staff reporter for six months, but we continued leveling up. Street Roots hired Piper McDaniel, former Street Roots staff reporter, and Melanie Henshaw, former Street Roots Indigenous affairs reporter, in early and mid-2022, respectively. McDaniel and Henshaw were instrumental in stabilizing Street Roots.
Hayden first came to Street Roots as an intern in summer 2023 and soon earned the role vacated by McDaniel’s departure from the paper. Street Roots also hired the (now award-winning) editorial illustrator/designer Etta O’Donnell-King in fall 2023.
Currently, it has a staff reporter, digital producer, illustrator/designer and editor in chief in Hayden, Kanani, O’Donnell-King and me. But with everything Street Roots needs to cover as an outlet trying to close the gaping hole in local investigative journalism, one staff reporter isn’t enough. Two is still stretching it, but we’ve learned small steps can make a big difference.
While gaining one reporter is a small step, entering a partnership with ProPublica, particularly as the first street paper to do so, is a big deal. It’s an honor and a tremendous responsibility.
Within all that is the opportunity for Street Roots to progress to the next level again. In doing so, the greatest hope is to communicate accurate information holding powerful people accountable and having a positive impact on our community.
As always, this work depends on our readers, supporters and those with information they believe the public needs to know. Whether you’re buying the paper from a vendor, donating to support newspaper efforts or reaching out with story tips throughout the next year, you’ll see my byline and, hopefully, this partnership’s positive impacts.
Thank you,
K. Rambo
SR Editor in Chief
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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This article appears in September 25, 2024.