Wikipedia

Woodburn Independent

Woodburn Independent
TypeWeekly newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
OwnerPamplin Media Group
PublisherAl Herriges
EditorJustin Much
Sports editorTanner Russ
Staff writers2
Founded1888[1]
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters1585 N. Pacific Hwy., Suite H
Woodburn, Oregon 97071
United States
Circulation5,254 (as of 2022)[2]
OCLC number11702956
Websitewoodburnindependent.com

The Woodburn Independent is a weekly paper published in Woodburn, Oregon, United States, and also covering the cities of Hubbard, Aurora, Donald, Gervais, St. Paul and Mt. Angel, and the surrounding area of Marion County.[3] The Independent was founded in 1888.[1] It is published on Wednesdays by Pamplin Media Group.[1]

History

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The paper was established by Leonard H. McMahan on December 1, 1888.[4][5] According to the newspaper's staff, the paper preceded the incorporation of Woodburn by about nine months and initially read more like a gossip sheet than a news source.[5] McMahan went on to become a member of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1923 Legislature, and a Marion County Circuit Judge from 1924 to 1943.[4]

McMahan edited the paper until 1893.[6] That year, the Woodburn Independent and the Woodburn World were bought by J.E. Day and A.S. Auterson, who consolidated the papers together. McMahan then started a new paper in Salem called the Evening Independent.[7] In 1895, R.H. Miller bought Day's stake for $1,600. At that time, Auterson was the plant's foreman and Miller owned the Star job printing office in Eugene.[8] Auterson became the paper's publisher and one time was threatened by a man demanding a retraction.[9]

In 1898, Herbert L. Gill became a co-owner of the Independent with Auterson.[10][11] In 1911, Gill sold the paper to John Ralph Bell but soon regained ownership.[6][12][13] In 1921, Gill and his son Wayne B. Gill became co-owners of the paper.[14] Herbert L. Gill sold his stake to Rodney W. Alden in 1930.[15] Alden sold out to Mrs. Mabel Grass in August 1944,[16] and who then acquired full ownership from Wayne B. Gill in October 1946.[14]

Grass sold the paper to Edward C. Conman and Eugene F. Stoller in August 1947.[17] Eagle Newspapers acquired the paper from Stoller in 1971.[18][19] About forty years later the company sold the paper along with five others in January 2013 to Pamplin Media Group.[20][21] Robert B. Pamplin Jr. sold the company in June 2024 to Carpenter Media Group.[22]

Lawsuit

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The Independent sued the city of Salem when the city denied access to records of a 2017 arrest for child abuse. The newspaper lost the initial case, but won on appeal in September 2018.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Woodburn Independent". Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "Pamplin Media Group: Media Kit 2022" (PDF). October 19, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "Our Newspaper". Woodburn Independent. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Portrait: Judge L. H. McMahan". Oregon State Library. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Independent staff (2014). "The Independent celebrates 125 years" (PDF). Oregon Publisher Quarterly.
  6. ^ a b "Newspaper to Open Building. At Woodburn | Independent to Have Open House Fete On Saturday". The Capital Journal. Salem, Oregon. March 29, 1957. p. 9.
  7. ^ "Notice". The Eugene Guard. February 11, 1893. p. 4.
  8. ^ "Woodburn Independent Sold". The Eugene Guard. October 17, 1895. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Attacked a Newspaper Man". The Capital Journal. Salem, Oregon. February 24, 1898. p. 1.
  10. ^ "Notice". The Capital Journal. Salem, Oregon. July 11, 1898. p. 2.
  11. ^ "Oregon Notes". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. July 9, 1898. p. 6.
  12. ^ "Recorder Man Passes Away After Illness of Two Months". Porterville Recorder. April 22, 1921. p. 1.
  13. ^ "Buys The Newspaper". Statesman Journal. Salem, Oregon. May 27, 1911. p. 7.
  14. ^ a b "Gill Sells Half Paper Interest". The Capital Journal. October 25, 1946. p. 2.
  15. ^ "Takes Newspaper Lease". Albany Democrat-Herald. May 16, 1930. p. 1.
  16. ^ "Alden Sells Interest In Woodburn Paper". The Capital Journal. August 10, 1944. p. 11.
  17. ^ "Mrs. Grass Sell Interest in Paper". The Capital Journal. August 8, 1947. p. 2.
  18. ^ "Woodburn's paper purchased by chain". The Capital Journal. December 4, 1971. p. 1.
  19. ^ Easterling, Jerry (January 20, 1980). "The Eagle is soaring: Newspaper chain undergoes rapid growth in past decade". Statesman Journal. p. 66. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  20. ^ "Pamplin Media Group acquires 6 weekly papers from Eagle Newspapers". The Oregonian. January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  21. ^ Giegerich, Andy (January 8, 2013). "Pamplin Media buys more papers". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  22. ^ Rogoway, Mike (June 3, 2024). "Pamplin Media, Portland Tribune's owner, sells to Carpenter Media". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  23. ^ Editorial (September 7, 2018). "Editorial: Police reports are not exempt from disclosure". The Bulletin. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
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