Three weeks, eight hours and what a coincidence

We at Street Roots don’t even attempt to compete with the Mighty O, what with their daily circulation and big staff, as it were. We trudge away on our tiny editorial budget, relying on volunteers, freelancers and vendors to cover stories from a perspective often overlooked by other media, including The Oregonian. Which is why it is heartening to see other papers like the O recognize important issues that we’ve brought to light in our pages and web presence.

But what a coincidence to see The Oregonian’s coverage of “Cops” filming at the St. Francis dining hall a mere eight hours after we posted it here on our blog and Facebook profile, along with an editorial and commentary from a St. Frances patron. It was almost immediately picked up by The Mercury, which noted the source and generated an even larger discussion about police judgement and the rights of the homeless.

However, The Oregonian never mentioned our original coverage of the story. Sure, news happens, and we’re often out there talking to the same people and covering the same issues around the same times, but the incident being written about happened three weeks ago. Three weeks.

It serves neither the publishers nor the consumers of news in this town to cannibalize our own.  The cache of news propriety is fleeting compared to the more important issues of journalistic standards and simple respect. Readers already know this. How could the O forget?

Posted by Joanne Zuhl

April Fools: WW, Mercury, KGW, Oregonian cover Street Roots and homelessness

From the April 1 edition of Street Roots. (The April Fools edition was one of the most popular Street Roots ever published. We sold out of the newspaper in a week and ordered more. It’s on the streets for two more days – get your copy while it’s hot!)

- A Willamette Week intern asked Street Roots this week if money provided by the city of Portland for the Rose City Resource Guide is in fact being channeled to the mostly volunteer editorial board as a payoff. Questions arose after Street Roots claimed it could help facilitate communication among more than 350 social-service agencies and people experiencing poverty. The paper reported that Street Roots had in fact, “Sit. Lied. Rolled over. And fetched” for the payoff from City Hall.

- The Portland Mercury has decided to cover issues of poverty and homelessness without doing research on the subject for one-year. Mercury reporters told inquiring minds on their company blog that they are working circles around the Street Roots staff. One reporter blames Street Roots for not “manning up” and covering the issues he thinks the paper should be covering. “Why aren’t they just printing our stories on the front page?” he asked reporters.

- The Oregonian called to verify that homeless people are still, in fact, homeless.

- The Portland Monthly has decided to profile the Top Ten Reasons Why no one really gives a crap what the Portland Monthly says about the economy. Coming in at No. 1 was, “No one really does give a crap about what we say about the economy.”

- KGW decided to air a special about how homeless people living out on the streets actually get wet during the rainy season. In an early morning investigative report, KGW found that 14 out of the 14 individuals they interviewed who had slept outside during Rainstorm 2009 actually woke up wet and miserable.

- Several neighborhood newspapers have reported a homeless invasion of neighborhoods. One neighborhood leader told the Portland Sentinel that if any public housing was built in the area, they would post videos on YouTube of neighborhood activists ripping the hearts out of poor people at a public event. Editorials from various neighborhood newspapers agreed, after brokering a deal for sponsoring the event in exchange for three months of advertising. Various musicians around Portland agreed to play the YouTube event, saying, “We owe this to ourselves; we’re poor too.” Microbrews from local breweries and restaurants will be available at the event. Children and pets are welcome.

Street Roots highlighted in the Oregonian, Examiner

From the Oregonian: At 10-years, Street Roots builds on its base.

 From Examiner.com: Street Roots: an unemployment parable.

Secret list on trial

Matt Davis with the Portland Mercury reports on the controversial list used to target individuals on the streets.

On Jan. 7, the O  finally picked up the piece as well.

Street Roots wrote about the controversial program back in April. Story is below.

Life story Roger Gates in Oregonian

August 10, 2008

Struggles with homelessness, alcohol and health problems benched a former college pitcher, but he stayed positive and eventually found a sense of peace as a Street Roots vendor. 

Posted by Israel Bayer