Salem Reporter editor inducted into Hall of Fame for service to newspapers, community

Les Zaitz, editor of Salem Reporter and publisher and editor of the Malheur Enterprise, was inducted into the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame last week for his contributions to the industry over a career spanning more than 50 years.

The honor was announced July 18 during the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual conference at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond. Recipients have made “an outstanding contribution to Oregon newspaper journalism” and “an extraordinary contribution to their community and region or state through newspaper journalism,” according to the association.

Zaitz was honored for a longtime focus on investigative and in-depth reporting, and also for the turn-around he led that not only saved the Malheur Enterprise, based in Vale, Oregon, from likely closure but also transformed it into an award-winning and critical community resource.

The event also honored the Malheur Enterprise with first place in general excellence in its circulation category and 13 awards in various news categories. The Enterprise’s sister publication, Keizertimes, also won general excellence in its category.

“I have spent a lifetime devoted to informing Oregonians and have done so while trying to adhere every day to the highest standards and ethics of my profession,” Zaitz said. “I am humbled that that effort has been met with recognition by my peers.”

Zaitz, 69, was born into a news family; his father Clarence Zaitz bought a newspaper in Keizer, Oregon, in the 1960s and put the aspiring journalist to work.

Zaitz began his professional career writing first for the Capital Journal in Salem and then at The Oregonian, where he was an investigative reporter and editor. His work drew two Pulitzer Prize nominations.

“Les’ sense of fair play was cemented early in his career. Malfeasance by those in authority was akin to a red flag in front of a bull,” said his brother, Lyndon Zaitz, who is publisher of the family-owned Keizertimes.

Zaitz and his wife, Scotta Callister, bought the Enterprise eight years ago. He saw it as an opportunity to save a century-old newspaper but also to show what strong, responsible journalism can do for communities and democracy.

“The work by the team at the Enterprise shows that even in these challenging times, people are hungry for news sources they can trust,” Zaitz said. “There is no greater challenge for journalists today than to win back the trust of the American people.”

While strengthening the print product, he also pushed the news operation into the digital age, launching a website and social media outlet to cover important news and issues facing Malheur County.

Across the state, he also was a co-founder of Salem Reporter, a digital news site that serves Oregon’s capital city . He was the founding editor of the nonprofit news service, the Oregon Capital Chronicle, and formerly was publisher of Keizertimes.

The Hall of Fame induction event was the first for the newspaper association in six years. In addition to Zaitz, the association inducted Jeb Bladine, publisher of the News Register in McMinnville, at this year’s conference.

Zaitz and the Enterprise staff also celebrated their first-place win in the General Excellence category, and five first-place honors in news categories.