One week until the Lookout Eugene-Springfield launch!

One week ’til launch — but we couldn’t wait to break this story

With just a week to go ‘til launch, we’re glad to bring you this update. 

Be sure to visit our website this morning, and you’ll see that we can’t help but get good timely accountability journalism to you – even before we launch. Today we published  “‘It’s broken.’ Safety concerns at Oregon State Hospital were raised months prior to the death of Lane County man” by Ben Botkin, our policy and politics correspondent.

In this story, Ben reported the voices of senior staff, spotlighting issues at the state psychiatric hospital. Those staff were gathered for a meeting in mid-2024 that was recorded and shared with Lookout Eugene-Springfield. While troubles at the hospital have grown, attention was focused on it anew last month following the death of a patient. Ben’s reporting revealed that patient, Kenneth Hass, was a Lane County resident. Please share our first story as widely as you see fit. 

Inside Lookout: Read why we decided to publish this story a week before we launch.

So let’s get on to the news, in membership growth, a key new hire, and community and marketing activities.

Join our fast-growing roster of Founding Members

WOW. We knew you were enthusiastic about local news revival, but we’ve so pleased that within just two weeks, more than 250 of you have already signed up as Founding Members. They understand that we are all building something bigger: a resurgence of local news that serves the people who live, work, and invest their lives here. Our mission is simple — yet critical: Help make the Eugene-Springfield area a better place for all who call it home, with, in part, the kind of accountability work you already see us doing.  So please consider joining here.

Already a member? Our online donation page provides another way to jet-propel the launch – and support our Lookout in the Classroom program. 

And continue to help us get the word out, as many of you have. Share this newsletter with friends, family and associates you know should know about being in the know.

Introducing our new Community Voices / Opinion editor

You’ve all told us so much of the need for a new, vital form of local ideas, debate and good thinking. And how much you missed one. 

We heard you. We’re glad to announce Ann Marie Swan as our Community Voices/Opinion Editor. Ann Marie will meet the moment, both of Lookout’s launch and of this vituperative time in American history. Our pages will focus on Eugene-Springfield and Lane County, and be highly cognizant of the wider world.

She joins us most immediately from Colorado, where she served as Opinion Editor at The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez. She’s well versed and well-traveled, having worked in newsrooms at Denver’s Rocky Mountain News, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and Pacific Stars and Stripes in Tokyo.

Opinion journalism has been abandoned by many local papers and some national ones, but Ann Marie shares Lookout’s deep belief that we need a marketplace of ideas and debate to find the best solutions to community issues. From our first talks, she expressed an unwavering belief that opinion pages matter, a place where we collectively hammer out and work through ideas and perspectives so we can, ultimately, solve our problems.

“Community Voices will welcome and reflect what matters in the lives of locals,” she said.

“Thoughtful Opinion content connects the dots, sparks conversations and opens us to fresh ways of thinking. In this way, we’ll create robust, respectful public discourse together. And we’ll be better for it.”

Since attending graduate school at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ann Marie longed to return to Oregon. She said she felt an electricity among teammates at Lookout HQ when talking about how they’ll work together in this modern era of journalism. And she’s thrilled to be here.

As we launch, we’ll start building those opinion pages, first with letters to the editor, and then soon Op-Eds and editorials. Look for our submission guidelines announcement soon. 

We’re local – and more local

As we launch, we’ll increasingly cover the breadth of life and issues across Eugene-Springfield and then all of Lane County. But we know you also want news and info closest to home. Our new Neighborhood Newsletters, ready to sign up for launch – for free – have you covered. You’ll find news about your neighborhood, and hour-by-hour weather forecasts. You’ll find info that is close to home: police reports and arrests, road closures, property redevelopment, properties sold, restaurant food inspection and more (we keep adding). And of course, importantly, upcoming events in your area.

Sign up below. Choose your own neighborhood and/or one nearby. We’ve got eight to pick from.

Welcoming three more Civic Partners!

We’re glad to introduce the newest members of Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s Civic Partner Program: McKenzie River Trust, Lane Arts Council, and Sponsors, Inc. These organizations represent the best of Lane County, each committed to building a stronger, more vibrant community. 

McKenzie River Trust protects the lands and rivers that sustain our region, preserving open spaces and natural habitats for generations to come. Lane Arts Council fuels creativity through arts education in schools, community art projects, and support for local artists. Sponsors, Inc. provides life-changing reentry services for people transitioning from incarceration, offering support that leads to stable housing, employment, and renewed purpose. We’re proud to support their missions and help shine a brighter light on their impact.

At Lookout, we believe local journalism and community nonprofits go hand in hand in shaping a more connected, informed and compassionate region. The Civic Partner Program helps amplify the missions of trusted local nonprofits by offering increased visibility, media exposure, and community engagement opportunities through collaborative storytelling and marketing support.

Along with the organizations mentioned above, our current Civic Partners include #instaballet, the Eugene Ballet, the Eugene Symphony, Greenhill Humane Society, McKenzie River Trust, and Ophelia’s Place. Want to know more? Contact Amanda Coers, our Community & Student Engagement Manager: amanda@lookoutlocal.com

Welcoming six new Marketing Partners!

Lookout’s work in the local business community continues to gain momentum. We are pleased to welcome a bunch of new Marketing Partners this week: Cascade Health, City of Eugene Library, Recreation and Cultural Services, Lane County Farmers Market, Lane County Health and Human Services, Petersen Plumbing and Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. We look forward to working with these community-focused organizations on advertising and marketing solutions that promote their growth. Please support them as they help us fund our journalism.

Helping businesses thrive is a core part of Lookout’s mission. We are actively building relationships across Lane County, with a unique Marketing Partnerships platform built for local businesses. Don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your brand as we launch! Please contact our Advertising Sales Manager, Morgana Dundon, to learn more.

Lookout in the Classroom (LOIC) launches April 10, too

Media literacy is a fundamental mission of Lookout. And so, as we launch the site, Lookout in the Classroom debuts April 10 as well, bringing local news into high school classrooms with news quizzes, discussion guides and free memberships for teachers and students. In a time when students are engaging with national and global headlines at unprecedented levels, LOIC helps bring the conversation back home. It reconnects young people with the issues, events and stories happening in their own communities. When students engage with local news, they become more civically engaged, community-minded and empowered to make a difference.

Amanda Coers, our Community & Student Engagement Manager is currently in talks with local school districts to expand the program. And teachers can sign up directly. Are you a teacher interested in full access for your students? We can easily set that up. Reach out to Amanda at amanda@lookoutlocal.com to get started.

And please consider supporting the program at our online giving page.

As always, thank you to those who made this possible

We are grateful for our Founders Circle who have contributed $5,000 or more towards our launch. Learn more about ways to support our launch and how to make a tax-deductible donation here.

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That’s all for today. Much more soon.

Dann Miller – Executive Editor  

Amanda Coers – Community & Student Engagement Manager

Ken Doctor – Founder

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