About Salem Reporter
Salem Reporter is focused exclusively on reporting about the Salem area, delivering our work through our website and newsletters.
We’re owned by veteran Oregon journalist Les Zaitz, who co-founded Salem Reporter in 2018. Our company revenue comes nearly entirely from paying subscribers with additional revenue from advertising.
Salem Reporter provides clear and compelling coverage of local government, insights into the people who hold power in the Salem community and daily news about everything from community events to students making a difference.
We deliver award-winning fact-based reporting that shows why an issue matters, gives you the information you need during major events or disasters, and empowers you to get involved in Salem issues. Our work holds elected officials and your local government accountable for how they spend your tax dollars and use their power. We are focused on always being accurate and fair in our reporting.We believe local news and information is essential for Salem communities to thrive.
To stay focused on that reporting, Salem Reporter carries no opinion columns or editorials. Read our principles here.
While our articles are usually accessible by subscription, there are circumstances where we don’t charge to read our reporting. That includes:
- We don’t paywall information that affects community safety or during major events or disasters, whether it’s a wildfire or a community food shortage.
- Salem Reporter is free to read at the Salem Public Library by signing onto library wi-fi — no login or special information needed.
- We provide free access to all Salem-Keizer School District students and employees on their district computers, allowing young people to learn about their community from trusted, professional reporters.
- Anyone can sign up for free newsletters, delivered by email on weekday mornings
- We provide video recaps and summaries of major stories through our Instagram page and on Coffee Break, a weekly 10-minute podcast hosted by What’s Happening Salem.
In addition to local news by our team of Salem-based reporters, we publish Oregon news from other outlets that make their work available to our readers, including the Oregon Capital Chronicle, Investigate West, ProPublica and others. Articles from other newsrooms are identified in the byline, which list the reporter’s name and their outlet.
Events and community announcements
Salem Reporter maintains an events calendar which automatically publishes items from the city of Salem, Facebook and several other local sources. You can submit events for free here.
We publish a monthly listing of art, historical and cultural exhibits at local museums and venues.
We publish a weekly event roundup Wednesday evening that covers the following seven days, and typically draw those events from our calendar, as well as major community events.
Our two daily email newsletters reach thousands of people in Salem each day. We’ll sometimes use the newsletter to announce community events or alert people to other developing news.
If you have an upcoming event or announcement you’d like to get the word out about or request coverage of, please email Managing Editor Rachel Alexander at [email protected].
Read more about events coverage here.
Neighborhood news
Each month, we invite leaders of Salem’s 17 neighborhood associations to submit a brief update about their work or issues of concern.
The deadline for our Neighborhood News roundup is the second Monday of each month, and items are typically published the next day, Tuesday. Browse previous editions here.
Reaching us
See our contact page here.
Phone: 503-575-9930
General inquiries: [email protected]
Subscription help: Check our Frequently Asked Questions page here for help with your subscription or account. If you can’t resolve the issue, email or call us. When you contact us, please include the email address associated with your subscription so we can locate your account.
Mailing address: 494 State St., #410 • Salem, Oregon 97301