Portland News Review is inspired by Columbia Journalism Review, American Journalism Review (now defunct), The Poynter Institute, Neiman Journalism Lab, On the Media and similar media watchdogs and friends of the press. We join these organizations as they not only work to hold the news media to account for their errors and shortcomings, but also to give accolades where due and stand in defense of journalism against the relentless attacks, both subtle and overt, of those who seek to stifle rigorous, ethical journalism and a free press. We are inspired by the work of news outlets such as Democracy Now, Truthout, YES! Magazine and many others.
Our unique focus at Portland News Review is the news coverage of marginalized communities who are not only left out of most reporting, but are often tokenized, stigmatized and dehumanized when they are included. We seek to correct the record, balance the coverage, and encourage individual journalists and news outlets to look beyond the increasingly dominant and problematic measures of a story’s commercial success to the power and promise of ethical truth telling.