Looking back on Lookout’s first year

Friday, Lookout Eugene-Springfield turned 1 year old. If you were to ask the five of us who have been here the entire time, it doesn’t feel like a year. Some days, it feels a lot longer; others, it seems like just last week.

The idea of Lookout Eugene-Springfield started a couple of years before the April 10, 2025, launch.

Ken Doctor is a graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication and local news is his passion, built on a half-century of work in it. When he saw local media in his corner of California being decimated, he decided to do something and launched Lookout Santa Cruz in November 2020.

That news team would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Coverage in 2024.

Growing Lookout was always part of the plan, and in 2023, Ken began making regular trips from Santa Cruz to the southern Willamette Valley, meeting as many groups as he could, building support for a new local news organization.

The local media landscape had been eroded, and our community, used to having a robust local newspaper — The Register-Guard — was left feeling deserted after that paper was purchased by a chain and gutted.

Enter Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

The months leading up to our launch were nonstop. Still living in Kentucky, I interviewed candidates, including a drive to the outskirts of Indianapolis to meet with a potential correspondent.

Our office at 771 Willamette St. was taking shape. We had cubicles, some chairs, a few conference room tables, all donated by the Baker family. It was fitting in a way that we started using furniture left behind when The Register-Guard vacated its offices on Chad Drive.

By mid-March, we had three correspondents: Ben Botkin, Ashli Blow and Vanessa Salvia; two additional editors: Sarah Lorge Butler and Mike McInally; and a couple of familiar faces: Bob Welch and Dorcas Smucker, who agreed to be a part of this project. Local photographer Craig Strobeck provided most of the early images on our site.

In the newsroom, our focus was the launch and pulling together a list of stories we felt represented what we wanted Lookout Eugene-Springfield to be.

Oh, and putting desk chairs together. By the time we finished, I was able to put one of those puppies together in about 10 minutes from unboxing to rolling.

We drew a calendar on a big, wooden-framed whiteboard in front of the newsroom, which we used to budget coverage for our first two weeks. There wasn’t a lot on it, but it was work we were proud to publish.

We decided to anchor the launch with a story Ben Botkin had been working on about the Oregon State Hospital.

It was the kind of story we knew would showcase what readers could expect from Lookout in Lane County. It was deep, richly reported and included information that had not previously been uncovered. It exposed problems with an Oregon institution and had a strong local connection.

But it was a story we didn’t want to wait to publish. Journalists can get impatient at times, especially when we are sitting on a great story.

One of the many advantages of being a digital publication is that we are not hamstrung by traditional print deadlines: No press waiting on plates or mailroom workers waiting to take those papers, stuff and sort them into piles for carriers to deliver.

We already told everyone our first edition would publish April 10, but that was the first edition.  We had thousands of people already receiving our emails, and we had a website, so we went early. Readers responded.

“Great article, way to go. Thanks for reporting on an issue that has been floating under the surface of public awareness for years. Thank you, I can’t wait for more.”

That story set the tone for what we would launch a week later and for the caliber of journalism Lookout Eugene-Springfield has become known for since.

The evening of April 9, 2025, was long. We made sure our first day of publication had substance and depth. Some of the stories were reported and written days earlier, some were finished shortly before we hit publish.

Around 3 a.m., we introduced Lookout Eugene-Springfield to Lane County.

Every member of the team contributed to that first edition: Ben and Sarah wrote about the fire service fee, Ashli reported on the wildfire season outlook, Mike told the story of the Great American Songbook being performed at The Shedd. Bob Welch reintroduced himself, we had coverage of Chef’s Night Out, and everyone contributed to stories about how federal actions were impacting Lane County.

Want to jump back in time? You can use our Latest News page to select any date and see the stories we published. 

I don’t use the word “proud” very often, but that night, I was proud of what we accomplished. I was proud of the entire team and happy for them to see their work finally available for the world.

April 10 was the culmination of years of planning. It was a statement to the people in Lane County that they deserve a robust, trustworthy, independent, nonpartisan local news source.

We popped champagne, toasted the accomplishment and went back to work.

During the next few months, we grew our newsroom and expanded our coverage. Remember that candidate I visited in Indiana? That was Lilly St. Angelo, who joined us in early May. Her classmate at Indiana University, Annie Aguiar, left the Big Apple for the Beaver State shortly after. 

Lillian Schrock-Clevenger, who was already living here, returned to journalism after too many years away, Jaime Adame left Texas for something bigger in Oregon, Grace Chinowsky returned to her PNW roots after finishing school at George Washington, Isaac Wasserman became Lookout’s first staff photojournalist, Bob Passaro filled an important role as copy editor and Elon Glucklich, who was already writing the occasional business story for Lookout, joined as our opinion editor.

The final piece of the puzzle, and the one that caused me the most sleepless nights, was our Ducks correspondent. In August, Tyson Alger, a longtime sportswriter for The Oregonian, The Athletic and his own site, The I-5 Corridor, filled that key position.

It wasn’t just the newsroom that was growing. Jim Danzer came back to Oregon in the fall to lead our revenue and partnerships, later joined by Chris Condon, a veteran local sales representative. Olivia Desgrange came on board, growing our community engagement and launching Lookout for Teachers. And our most recent addition, Taylor Goebel, arrived from Philadelphia earlier this year to report on food and dining in Lane County. In February, Lucas Hellberg accepted the first Dean Rea Internship, our program honoring the longtime journalist and University of Oregon educator.

There have been some changes since we launched Lookout, but our commitment to showing up for this community has not changed. 

Showing up is a big part of the Lookout ethos.

Before April 10, 2025, showing up was how we got people to talk with us. It took a bit for people to know who we were and what we were. That made getting our questions answered tricky, so we would just go to their office.

We showed up.

We went to meetings. We went to events. We traded tele-reporting for in-person conversations.  We met people where they were. This might seem normal, but too often today, reporting is done over email or text.  

We are present in our community.  

Last fall, the sign went up at our Willamette Street office, cementing our place in downtown. Saturday mornings, you are likely to find us set up next to the Lane County Farmers Market. Our office happens to bump up against the Farmers Market Pavilion, and we sit outside our back door to talk with readers — or anyone curious about Lookout. Recently, you might have found a few journalists working under an orange umbrella on the Willamette Street sidewalk, enjoying the weather and talking with anyone who stops by.

There’s a chance you saw us at the spring or fall home shows, the BRiGHT Parade or maybe had your photo taken in our studio during the downtown Halloween event. 

We have spoken at Rotary, Kiwanis and other community meetings. Olivia visits schools and recruits teachers to sign up for our free Lookout for Teachers memberships and students to enter our journalism scholarship contest.

Serving our community means being part of it. It’s only been one year, but Lookout Eugene-Springfield has big plans to be a significant part of our community moving forward.

Let’s talk journalism

One of the things we say at Lookout is that it’s never about us. It should always be about the readers, our community.

That defines the journalism we do, the issues we cover, the stories we tell.

Hopefully, you see that each morning when you open our Morning Lookout newsletter. The stories should resonate because they have impact and reflect issues you care about or are interested in. It’s nonpartisan journalism without an agenda.

It’s journalism that matters to you and your neighbors; journalism that holds officials accountable and informs about issues that impact life in Eugene, Springfield and Lane County.

Our journalism is written for this community, not algorithms.

Sarah pointed out to me Friday afternoon that it was fitting the news of PeaceHealth chief hospital executive Jim McGovern being placed on leave dropped April 9. It made for a late night of writing and editing, with two of the original six, Ben and Ashli, pulling a very long day.

It wasn’t as long a night as we had one year ago, but it was still some of the original team working late to ensure our community was informed. It was kind of that full-circle moment. 

It’s also fitting that the story quickly became one of the most read. Readers flocked to Lookout through the evening to read the breaking story and then the full story, which published around 9 p.m. 

The turmoil at PeaceHealth is something Ashli has been reporting on since those early days. She birddogged this story, and — I’ll brag on her a bit — the result was, by far, the most comprehensive coverage of what’s happening at PeaceHealth of any news outlet in Lane County.

Lookout correspondents have constantly followed issues including turmoil at the Oregon State Hospital, what’s happening with J.H. Baxter & Co. and under Pre’s Trail, the rise and fall of Flock Safety cameras and the local impact of action by the federal government and ICE. Then there are the ongoing sagas at the Lane Community College Board of Education, Board of Lane County Commissioners and Springfield schools.

We told stories with heart, like when Annie Aguiar followed the journey of 16-year-old Siena Shaddon and Timothy, the 1,300-plus-pound Hereford steer she raised as part of her 4-H program.

We introduced you to interesting people throughout our community through our Tuesday profiles, including Dave Rothman, also known as DanceFeverDave, who wants to inspire people to shake off shame and just dance.

In late November, we published our first significant project, Food Insecurity in Lane County, working with local author and Lookout contributor Lauren Kessler.  Along with our photographer, Isaac Wasserman, we explored the story of being hungry in our community, along with who the people are working to feed those in need.

Grace Chinowsky sat down with Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson to talk about the challenges she faced battling breast cancer as she entered her first term leading the city.

“The pain goes away faster than the trauma.” That is how Juanita Avila, a Cottage Grove woman, described to Jaime Adame what it was like after being detained by ICE despite having legal status to be in the United States.

When we received calls about troubles at a local Montessori school, Lillian Schrock-Clevenger went to work, learning that teachers quit after not being paid, then followed as parents banded together to save their school. 

There is no shortage of outlets covering the Oregon Ducks, so we committed to being different. We didn’t chase every rumor, transfer portal move or sound bite. Instead, Tyson Alger found stories that went beyond the superficial, with stories about the return of Mac Court or the origin story of local football star Brock Thomas.

We covered our share of heartbreaking stories, including the tragic deaths of Sharon Schuman, Market of Choice CEO Rick Wright, UO doctoral candidate Erick Munene Njue, E.J. Rotherham, who was called the ‘heart’ of Agnes Stewart Middle School, Sabai Cafe & Bar co-owner Tim Murff and Mateo Cruz, who died shortly after crossing the finish line at Hayward Field after completing the Eugene Marathon half-marathon.

We have written opinions that get action and make officials take note, including when the Lookout Eugene-Springfield Editorial Board called for the state legislature to hold hearings into the Oregon State Hospital and test the soil under Alton Baker Park. The hearings happened and other groups have joined our call for testing. 

It is a privilege to be a journalist. It’s also a responsibility, and it’s something every member of Lookout Eugene-Springfield takes seriously every day.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to ask any of you who read but have not yet become a member of Lookout to join. 

Members are the reason Eugene is home to the largest local newsroom between Portland and Sacramento. Memberships pay the journalists who tell stories, hold officials accountable and surface the issues important to our community. 

Thank you to everyone who supported this audacious project.

We intend to be here for a really long time.