Greetings, reader
Brad Schmidt, the watchdog editor, reviewed The Oregonian/OregonLive’s 2024 work with the goal of emphasizing impactful enterprise journalism.
Hillary Borrud, a watchdog reporter, prepared a year-end report that concentrated on 25 of the dozens of pieces he collected.
I’m highlighting ten plotlines that directly affected our community based on their lists. Strengthening and empowering the communities we serve is the goal of Advance Local, our parent company.
That entails watchdog journalism that draws attention to issues and concentrates on possible solutions for the newsroom of The Oregonian/OregonLive.
According to Laura Gunderson, director of public interest and accountability at The Oregonian/OregonLive, “we have a group of investigative reporters who make this their priority, but as you can see from the long lists, these stories are executed across our newsroom.” We are ready for another successful year of journalism that produces outcomes, and this reporting is one of the most significant things we do.
died at the hospital.Despite police protests, reporter Maxine Bernstein documented the release of an unresponsive man from Providence Milwaukie Hospital. Before reaching another medical institution, the man passed away. She also disclosed that TriMet supervisors had begun instructing employees to record patient safety concerns or complaints in the event that incapacitated customers were placed on buses outside of hospitals.
Impact: Following Bernstein’s reporting, Providence Milwaukie admitted that it had not treated Jean M. Descamps well. Following the incident, the hospital implemented a new procedure to examine all homeless and vulnerable patient discharges, and it was collaborating with the Oregon Health Authority on additional enhancements.
DaBella.The CEO of a new corporate jersey sponsor for the Portland Timbers was the subject of an investigation by sports reporter Ryan Clarke and business reporter Jeff Manning. They learned that Donnie McMillan Jr., the CEO of DaBella Exteriors, was accused of sexual harassment and making unwelcome sexual approaches toward both present and past employees. McMillan said he had done nothing wrong.
Impact: The Timbers terminated their sponsorship agreement with DaBella, who filed a lawsuit over the decision, within minutes of the OregonLive article’s publication.
Lottery of Oregon.Ted Sickinger, an investigative writer, exposed the practice of foreign corporations buying lottery tickets in bulk in Oregon—a behavior that is prohibited in other states. Additionally, he covered ticket discounters, who purchase winning tickets from Oregon players who do not wish to use them themselves in order to avoid paying taxes or receiving notice—a practice that is illegal in other jurisdictions.
Impact: A number of state authorities declared that they were unaware of ticket discounting before to Sickinger’s reporting and pledged to enact laws to prevent it. There is a measure pending for the 2025 session.
back taxes.The state of Oregon was trading millions of dollars with one of its biggest tax arrears at the time, according to investigative reporters Borrud and Yesenia Amarore. A legal loophole in Oregon that forbids the state from doing business with corporations that are behind on their taxes but does not forbid doing business with a company whose executives personally owe back taxes was made public by their reporting.
Impact: Sean Keys, the contractor, started paying off past-due property taxes and liens on linked companies while reporters were getting ready to publish the story.
OHSU.After a doctor at Oregon Health & Science University took covert pictures of female students, enterprise reporter Noelle Crombie revealed one story after another. According to Crombie, OHSU gave Daniel Marks a $46,000 bonus even though the doctor left following an internal probe.
Impact: The direct results of The Oregonian’s and OregonLive’s unrelenting coverage are impossible to determine. However, Dr. David Jacoby, the dean of OHSU’s medical school, resigned as a result of the aftermath. Last year, Dr. Danny O. Jacobs, the president of OHSU, also resigned due to broad faculty dissatisfaction over various concerns. An external review was also spurred by the incident.
data centers.As part of his ongoing coverage on the impact of data centers in Oregon, business writer Mike Rogoway disclosed that a cooperative in Oregon that supplies Amazon had experienced a significant rise in carbon emissions in recent years. Additionally, Rogoway noted that as tech companies’ demands for power continue to rise, residential consumers may be forced to pay higher costs.
Impact: Rogoway’s findings elevated the specialized topic to the fore of discussions about data center repercussions. Legislators are developing a measure to grant the Public Utility Commission the ability to protect ratepayers from cost hikes induced by data centers, while the Umatilla Electric Cooperative modified its energy mix to lower its carbon intensity.
foster care.While investigating state government, Borrud learned about the situation of Grace, a foster child. After looking over the records, she discovered that even during Grace’s time in state custody, state representatives had not taken any steps to safeguard her from sexual exploitation. Many warning signs that Grace was being sold for sex went unnoticed by the state.
Impact: Prior to the story’s release, the state said that it would finish a critical incident assessment of Grace’s case in an effort to identify any mistakes that may have been made by the Department of Human Services in how it handled her case. Such reviews usually only take place in cases when a kid in state custody died or suffered severe injuries.
Lake Crater.Jamie Hale, a travel writer, highlighted a series of failures by the vendor responsible for running facilities at Crater Lake National Park, a popular destination in Oregon. For years, federal officials had been aware of the problems, which included neglected upkeep that threatened workers and put certain historic properties in peril.
Impact: Following Hale’s exclusive story, the National Park Service eventually fulfilled its threat to switch vendors.
City Hall.Portland mayoral hopefuls were undergoing a standard background investigation by reporter Shane Dixon Kavanaugh. He found that during the previous 20 years, city commissioner Carmen Rubio had accumulated 150 parking and traffic infractions and six driver’s license suspensions in court documents. Then, according to Kavanaugh, she parked a car close by and didn’t leave a note for the owners.
Impact: Rubio faced immediate and harsh criticism for not only having an unusually high number of tickets but also for not paying and, in certain situations, failing to reply to court papers. In October, The Oregonian/OregonLive commissioned independent polling that revealed Rubio, who had previously been the front-runner, was in a far-off third place in terms of voter support.
Pitassi.Separate tips regarding an unusual lawsuit pending in Multnomah County Circuit Court were sent to Crombie and Bernstein. The plaintiffs alleging sexual misconduct sued under their initials, which is fairly common, but in a rare twist the defendant also was seeking to keep his identity secret.
However, Crombie put out all the information from the complaint, and Bernstein attended a hearing virtually where the defendant was identified in public. By year s end, she and Rogoway had detailed along trail of allegationsof sexual abuse and misconduct aimed at Douglas Pitassi, CEO of Pacific Office Automation, one of Oregon s largest private companies.
Impact: Portland Community College severed its relationship with the corporation the following month after the company stated in October that Pitassi would be placed on an indefinite leave of absence. Rogoway announced late Friday that Pitassi had been permanently replaced.
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