What if the University of Oregon had a top-5 ranked basketball team with excellent chances of making it into the Final Four in March? What if that team was laden with stars, including an All-American who is likely the best player to ever wear an Oregon basketball uniform?
And what if that team recently drew almost 9,000 spectators at Matthew Knight Arena to see them knock off previously unbeaten Mississippi State? And what if that elite team receives less coverage in The Register-Guard sports pages than another team plagued by injuries and struggling to overcome mediocrity?
This isn’t a hypothetical situation. It is a reality.
What could be the reason for the disparity in press coverage by The Register-Guard? The elite team is the women’s, and the struggling team is the men’s.
The Jan. 13 women’s game with UCLA got only a small mention on sports page three.
Wayne Ferrell
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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