Accountability
Latest Stories

Portland
‘Release the pain we carry:’ Scenes from MMIR Day of Awareness and Action
Crowds gathered in Portland to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives by raising awareness with signs and speakers while providing space for healing through ceremony.

Law and Justice
Washington law mandating clergy report child abuse to be investigated by Trump’s Justice Department
President Trump’s Department of Justice is investigating a new Washington state law that makes clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse, arguing it violates the First Amendment.

Technology
DEQ’s statewide email included ‘dangerous link’ — but it didn’t warn the public
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality internally warned its staff about a 'dangerous link' in its statewide press release. The message came ahead of the agency's public announcement about a massive cyberattack.

Health
Details emerge about Oregon State Hospital leader’s sudden departure
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek replaced the head of the Oregon State Hospital Friday night after she said state health officials shared more details about a recent fatality at the hospital.

Education
Former students say a St. Helens High teacher abused them in the 1980s. He became a face of child welfare in Oregon
In interviews with OPB, former St. Helens High School students say teachers have crossed lines for decades. A teacher who allegedly had a sexual relationship with a student in the 1980s later represented state agencies responsible for protecting Oregon’s children and holding accountable those who abuse them.

Free press
In Oregon’s strained local news ecosystem, a longtime far-right political figure has found opportunity
In one of the fastest-growing areas of Oregon, the emergence of a locally-owned print newspaper seems like good news. But a close examination of Hoodview News shows something more complex.

Science & Environment
Hydroelectric dams on Oregon’s Willamette River kill salmon. Congress says it’s time to consider shutting them down
The newly signed legislation follows reporting from Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica that underscored the risks and costs associated with a plan to migrate salmon past hydroelectric dams using a giant fish collector and tanker trucks.

Free press
AI slop is already invading Oregon’s local journalism
The Ashland Daily Tidings — established as a newspaper in 1876 — ceased operations in 2023, but if you were a local reader, you may not have known because of an elaborate scam using artificial intelligence.

Science & Environment
Despite Biden’s promise to protect old forests, his administration keeps approving plans to cut them down
In Oregon’s Coast Range, mature forests can absorb more carbon per acre than almost any other on the planet. Yet logging here continues at a steady pace, putting the environment at risk.

Health
A mentally ill inmate in Oregon lost nearly 100 pounds before his sudden death, records suggest
New details from Skye Baskin's autopsy and interviews indicate that his medical emergency had started long before he arrived at the Oregon State Hospital.