Community Journalism in the Spotlight

It is, says Andrew DeVigal, “a good starting point. How do we start a conversation?” That conversation is about community journalism and the hurdles it must clear daily, be it financially or with the swirl of ignoble disinformation that surrounds us. That starting point is the 2023 documentary film For The Record by independent filmmaker Heather Courtney, an up close look at community journalism with Laurie Brown, editor and publisher of The Canadian Record. The weekly paper has served Canadian, Texas (population 2,339 at the 2020 census), and Hemphill County in the Texas Panhandle since 1893. As the Austin Film Festival notes, the film “is a mostly verite documentary that follows one year in the life of the small-town newspaper The Canadian (Texas) Record in what might be its last year.” The Canadian Record stopped printing in March 2023, as the family-owned newspaper was unable to find a buyer. Both Brown and Courtney will attend the screening and participate in a discussion afterward facilitated by DeVigal. “We’re not going to solve the problem in our two-hour time frame,” DeVigal says, but he hopes the conversation steers its way to how community newspapers can be financially sustainable and re-establish trust in the communities they serve. DeVigal is the director of the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication, which advances community-centered journalism.

For The Record: A Film Screening and Community Dialogue is 5:30 pm Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Erb Memorial Union Redwood Auditorium at the University of Oregon. Register at eventbrite. FREE.

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.

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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!