SPJ Oregon 2026: Build a Better Journalist

The annual SPJ Oregon Build a Better Journalist Conference on Saturday, Nov. 14, will bring you expert knowledge from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. You’re sure to leave with a better understanding of key community issues and practical tools to enhance your reporting.

This year’s conference is at the University of Oregon’s Portland campus, located at 2800 N.E. Liberty St. in Portland. Sessions start at 9:30 a.m. and will wrap up around 3:30 p.m. Bring your notebooks, pens and laptops. The panels include both presentations and time for questions.

This year, our panels will tackle reporting on major social issues: immigration, homelessness and widespread cuts to health care.

We’ll also bring you practical skills: source development, visual storytelling and public records, plus a session with business tips from those who started their own newsrooms.

Finally, we’re excited to welcome the creator of the popular “Adults in the Room” podcast.

Tickets are $25 for professionals and free for students and faculty. If the cost is a barrier, please email us at info@spjoregon.com. We have sponsored tickets available and want to see you at the conference. Click here to get your tickets online.

Here is the full schedule and lineup for this year’s conference.

Event Schedule & Itinerary:

9:30–9:55 a.m. | Check-in and Registration

Location: Event Space, Room 112

9:55–10 a.m. | Opening Remarks

Presented by SPJ Board Members

Session I | 10–10:55 a.m.

Room 306 — Source Development

For journalists to report stories in the public interest, they need sources besides public information officers. This panel is about how to develop, cultivate and maintain relationships with the behind-the-scenes sources who can help journalists unearth stories that would otherwise go untold.

Panelists: Ben Botkin of Lookout Eugene-Springfield, Nigel Jaquiss of Oregon Journalism Project, Lillian Mongeau Hughes of the Oregonian.

Room 310 — Covering Immigration and ICE

There’s a lot happening across Oregon as the federal immigration crackdown continues — much of it out of the public eye. Sergio Olmos, a journalist who worked for years in Oregon before moving to CalMatters, will join us virtually to discuss his reporting on the issue in California while sharing tips for local reporters.

Panelist: Sergio Olmos, investigative reporter for CalMatters.

Session II | 11–11:55 a.m.

Room 306 — Reporting on Homelessness With Empathy and Accountability

Oregon's homelessness crisis continues to affect thousands of people, making it important for journalists to approach the subject with context, accuracy and compassion.

Panelists will share practical tips for finding stories, developing sources and navigating ethical challenges. The discussion will also examine the political landscape surrounding homelessness at the local, state and national levels. A Q&A will follow the discussion.

Panelists: Abbey McDonald, reporter for Salem Reporter; Jeremiah Hayden, reporter for Portland Mercury; K. Rambo, editor-in-chief of Street Roots and Alex Zielinski, reporter for Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Room 310 — Getting Oregon Public Records, Simplified

Public records are an important reporting tool, but navigating government agencies and Oregon's public records laws can be challenging. This panel will give journalists practical tips and resources to obtain public records while minimizing delays and unnecessary complications.

Panelists: Emily Cureton Cook, regional managing editor of Oregon Public Broadcasting; Nora Broker, public policy counsel for Oregon Public Broadcasting and adjunct faculty member co-leading the Lewis & Clark Law School Oregon Records Transparency Practicum and Justin Alderman, editor of Prineville Review.

Moderator: Nick Budnick, editor-in-chief of The Lund Report.

Lunch Break | Noon–1:30 p.m.

Location: Event space, Room 112

Catering will be provided.

Session III | 1:35–2:35 p.m.

Room 306 — Everyone in the Room

Join Isolde Raftery, managing editor of KUOW in Seattle and Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel of the Student Press Law Center, for a conversation about student journalism, investigative reporting and podcasting. The discussion centers on the podcast series “Adults in the Room,” which revisits an investigative story two friends attempted to report as high school students decades earlier.

The session will explore:

  • Investigating influential and popular figures in your community.

  • Navigating difficult stories involving schools and local communities.

  • The challenges and responsibilities of student journalism.

  • What it takes to produce a successful investigative podcast.

Speakers: Isolde Raftery, managing editor of KUOW and Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel of the Student Press Law Center.

Room 310 — Frame by Frame: Visual Storytelling

Explore the art and techniques of photojournalism in this interactive photography workshop. Topics include photographic composition, visual language, documentary photography and visual storytelling.

Yasser Marte, editor of the Confederated Umatilla Journal, will share field lessons and discuss the creative process behind compelling photographs.

Participants will also take part in classroom exercises, including:

  • Evaluating and discussing photographic compositions.

  • Choosing between black-and-white and color photography.

  • Selecting the five strongest images from a collection of 20 photographs.

  • Preparing photographs for editorial consideration.

  • The session will conclude with an open Q&A about photography and the mechanics of photojournalism.

Presenter: Yasser Marte, editor of the Confederated Umatilla Journal

Session IV | 2:35–3:30 p.m.

Room 306 — Healthcare Reporting Amid H.R. 1 Turmoil

Federal healthcare policy changes are expected to affect coverage, access to care and costs for consumers, healthcare providers and state taxpayers. Join local healthcare reporters for a discussion about the changes and what journalists should watch for when reporting on their impact on Oregon communities.

Panelists: Kristine de Leon, reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Nick Budnick, editor-in-chief of The Lund Report.

Room 310 — The Startup Newsroom Playbook: Lessons From Oregon's Media Founders

Learn what it takes to launch an independent local newsroom from journalists who have built their own media organizations. The panel will discuss finding startup funding, building community trust, choosing a business model, managing burnout and deciding what to prioritize when starting a newsroom.

Panelists: Branden Andersen, founder of Newsberg; Lisa Heyamoto, co-founder of Hollywood Star News and Chas Hundley, founder of Banks Post and News in the Grove.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own newsroom ideas and questions.

Closing Remarks | 3:35–3:40 p.m.

Location: Event Space, Room 112

Presented by: SPJ Board Members

Thank you for attending SPJ Oregon's 2026 Build a Better Journalist event.

SPJ Oregon