Best Journalist

1. Tre Stewart Boop Troop Eugene

2. Camilla Mortensen Eugene Weekly

3. Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick The Register-Guard

Tre Stewart describes himself as “string cheese,” saying he gets pulled in so many directions. And that makes sense for the DJ and journalist who developed recognition in the community by live streaming protests. Stewart also won second place for best photographer, though he was a little confused by that nomination being that he isn’t a photographer.

“It feels pretty good to have people recognize the work I put in,” Stewart says. He became a well known figure after he started filming the Black Lives Matter movement in Eugene. Now, he is known during the weekdays as “Boop Daddy,” hitting the streets to live stream protests for Boop Troop Eugene. On Sunday nights, he becomes DJ Stoggrd at Cowfish in downtown Eugene. As bars open up, Stewart looks forward to playing more gigs.

Living this double life has been difficult for Stewart. There are long hours, late nights and violence. “It’s been stressful, exciting, happy, sad,” he says. “It’s been a lot because of everything we’ve experienced and the name we’ve made for ourselves.”

Best Of voters also recognized EW editor Camilla Mortensen and Register-Guard reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick for best journalist, no doubt because of their work of producing quality community journalism. — Taylor Perse

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!