Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman didn't win friends among local media this week.

On Wednesday, Saltzman walked back remarks he made to Willamette Week's James Pitkin, that Police Chief Rosie Sizer would be retiring this year. Saying Sizer "wasn't happy" about the story, he told The Oregonian, "I explained to her that the context of the question was what other things might be on my plate this year."

Was the commissioner saying his words were taken out of context? Regardless, Pitkin was bothered enough by the implication to post the audio and a defense.

Today, The Mercury's Matt Davis took offense upon learning that the commissioner held a press conference without them. The police bureau says that excluding the paper was accidental:

"I want to apologize, I really want to tell you that it's nothing about the Mercury," says backup PIO Greg Stewart. "I had a list of what I thought were the media contacts, and it turns out that I didn't invite a load of other folks."

"Mary [Wheat, for whom Stewart was filling in] was getting a root canal, and I was supposed to do this and I didn't do it appropriately," he says. "It's not just you, I just got off the phone with the Associated Press—how the PIO forgets the Associated Press, that should have been a big red flag right there."

The Mercury was also excluded from a press conference in November on the suspension of an officer who had tasered a 12 year-old girl and who had previously been involved in the death of James Chasse, a mentally ill, unarmed man. Today's event was on the death of Aaron Campbell, an unarmed man whom an officer had shot in the back.

Davis, The Mercury's news editor, has taken a critical tone toward police over these incidents. His paper is unusual in that its news department expresses editorial opinions, which, had these exclusions not been accidental, could be cause for strained relations.

UPDATE (2/13, 10:24 am): Corrected to report that Pitkin interviewed Saltzman, and Stewart works for the police bureau.

The Bulletin in Bend (available via Multnomah and Deschutes libraries) reports that KTVZ has provided one Tami Sawyer with the IP addresses of commenters who replied to stories about her; her real estate businesses, which are under FBI and IRS investigation; and her husband, former Bend police captain Kevin Sawyer, who retired last February, the month the FBI's investigation became public. The couples' bookkeeper has admitted to activity akin to a Ponzi scheme.

In a civil case filed by the children of one deceased investor, Tami Sawyer submitted data that she said she subpoenaed from KTVZ, according to court documents viewed by The Bulletin. She claimed that the internal, identifying information from the station's website showed the "true colors" of the investor's children. KTVZ did not contest the subpoena. The station's privacy policy states:

We reserve the right to release any and all information contained within our access logs concerning any visitor or member when that visitor or member is in violation of our Terms of Service or other published guidelines, or partakes (or is reasonably suspected of partaking) in any illegal activity, even without a subpoena, warrant, or other court order, and to release such information in response to discovery requests, or in response to any circumstance which we, in our sole discretion, deem an emergency.

According to KTVZ's terms of service, visitors are in violation whenever they post "objectionable or harmful information of any kind."

In a similar 2008 Oregon case, Willamette Week and The Portland Mercury received subpoenas from a John Doe for IP addresses associated with comments such as this one. But instead of handing the data over, the two competing newspapers teamed up to contest the subpoena, and won.

In that case, Clackamas Circuit Court Judge James Redman ruled [PDF]:

The statutory language, however, deliberately protects not only news but also "data" and what is commonly understood as information. It would seem clear that Oregon's Media Shield Law is intended to have a wider scope than "news gathering". The posting on the Portland Mercury Website titled "Busy Day at City Hall, Part 2" discussed actions taken by Sho Dozono to qualify for public financing in his run for mayor of the City of Portland. The Portland Mercury invited readers to comment on the blog post. An anonymous reader calling himself "Ronald" responded with a comment related to Mr. Dozono's candidacy which was allegedly defamatory of plaintiff. If the comment had been totally unrelated to the blog post, then the argument could be made that the Portland Mercury did not receive it in the "course of gathering, receiving, or processing information for any medium of communication to the public".

The Oregon Media Shield Law is broadly written and it is intended to protect a broad range of media activity, not simply news gathering. This court feels compelled to follow the broad statutory language in regard to plaintiff's motion to compel and therefore denies plaintiff's motion to compel.

Asked why his station handed its website's internal information to the Sawyers, KTVZ General Manager Eric Bradley provided Oregon Media Central with the following statement:

We here at News Channel 21 have always and will always stand by our right to protect our anonymous news sources (we do not consider a public comment an anonymous news source). Our policy on disclosing information on people who make comments regarding our stories is posted on our website. While the laws protecting Print, Radio and TV are clearly defined, we feel the laws regarding Internet properties are still evolving. With that said, we continuously review and revise our policies regarding comments on our public forums as warranted.

Oregon's media shield law protects individuals "connected with, employed by or engaged in any medium of communication to the public," with the definition of such a medium including examples of print and broadcast media, but not specifying the internet. A seemingly generic "news service" is listed. The law states that the examples are not intended to be limiting. In the motion [PDF] filed in the 2008 case, the plaintiff did not attempt to argue that a website is not a medium of communication.

Pasadena is the temporary capital of Oregon sports media as numerous reporters, photographers and additional crew assemble in California for the Oregon-Ohio State Rose Bowl.

KATU sports Director Katy Brown says nine people from her station are in Pasadena, including herself, Steve Dunn and Anna Song on air, plus three photogs, two live truck operators and a field producer. "Needless to say, it's a big deal," she says, "especially since the game is on our network." Song says she's "doing the fan angle the whole time I'm here — the fun stuff." Sports reporter Craig Birnbach will anchor Friday's 11 pm sportscast, he tells OMC.

KVAL Eugene Sports Director Tom Ward says, "We were the first TV station from Oregon down here last Saturday, and have been going strong since we hit the ground."

"Since we’ve been here," he says, "we covered the team at Disneyland, have gone to several practices, and saw them put away large quantities of beef at Lawry’s The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills. We’ve done some sort of 'look live' or live report every day we've been here. [On Tuesday], our sister station from Portland, KATU, arrived en masse and helped out a great deal with live coverage."

The Register-Guard's George Schroeder is in LA, he says, along with UO beat writers Rob Moseley and Adam Jude, additional sports reporters Steve Mims and Chris Hansen, reporter Mark Baker and two photographers.

The University of Oregon's main student newspaper is also devoting special coverage to the game. Daily Emerald sports reporter Lucas Clark says he and fellow sports team members Ben Schorzman and Robert Husseman are in LA with a photographer, updating their website and preparing for Monday's print edition.

Over at KPTV, reporter Mark Ross says, "The Ducks playing in the Rose Bowl is one of the biggest stories the state has seen in the last decade." He won't be part of Fox 12's LA crew, "but come New Year's Day," he says, "I'm at least going to LISTEN to the game, being a huge sports fan, even if we're driving off to some crime story!"

KGW sports director Adam Bjaranson says he and Joe Donlon are on air from LA, joined by two photographers and their sports producer.

Dwight Jaynes says he's in LA to do shows with Comcast SportsNet today and tomorrow. He was on the Morning Sports Page on The Game (KXTG) in Portland this morning.

Steve Tanenbaum says he's broadcasting tomorrow morning for KUGN from Eugene sports bar Sam's Place, then handing coverage off to Jerry Allen, Mike Jorgensen and the Oregon Sports Network in Pasadena. Once the game's over, he'll "head back to Sam's for our post game show where I'll take calls to get the fans' input on the game. After that's done, considering I'll have been in a bar since 10 am, at a party, then back to a bar without having consumed a single drop of alcohol, it won't be safe to get between me and a J.D. on the rocks."

Hank Stern, managing news editor for Willamette Week, says he's flying down to LA today and writing a piece for next week's paper.

KVAL's Ward says, "It is exciting to finally cover a Rose Bowl. I’ve covered an Aloha Bowl, four Sun Bowls, three Holiday Bowls, two Vegas Bowls, two Insight Bowls, and seen way too many Oregon and OSU seasons that ended in disappointment. Now the Ducks just need to provide us with a happy ending."

UPDATE (12/31, 5:24 pm): KEZI anchor Brandi Smith adds: "KEZI 9 News has the largest crew of any Eugene station. Executive producer Sean Schoppe, news operations manager Kurt Richter, sports director Michelle Dapper and myself have been down here since Saturday night."

Willamette Week is having a birthday, and you're all invited to read all about it. Much of this week's paper is devoted to how Portland has changed over 35 years (see right column). Topics range from politics and the economy, to music and movies, to statistics and prices, to interviews with a range of Portlanders, including Blazers legend Bill Walton. There's plenty more. Our favorite: seven quotes from seven mayors.

KATU's Carl Click had an interview with Managing News Editor Hank Stern aboard the International Space Station via Skype this morning:

Byron Beck, formerly of Willamette Week, launched a new website this week and talked to OMC about what he's up to. Beck started writing online under the title "Byron Beck's Window" after being laid off from WW last November. He had been a staff writer and "Queer Window" columnist for the paper, and had previously been special sections editor for the newsweekly.

OMC: What was your plan when you started writing at Byron Beck's Window?

BB: It was what I call a "heavy sigh" moment. I wasn't sure I wanted to do a "blog"—such a nasty word in the print journalism world—but I knew I wanted to continue reporting and commenting on the people, places (and, yes, the parties) that I had covered for Willamette Week. The best way to put it is: "same show, different stage."

OMC: What are the biggest differences between writing for a newspaper and writing for yourself? Are there more challenges or benefits?

BB: Editors. I miss having someone to kick my ass into gear or challenge me to do better. I also miss the news room. There is nothing like a good news room. Nothing.

I love the instant adrenaline rush of the blog/twitter/facebook "breaking news" world. But the challenge is to go beyond that and see what kind of real reporting you can do via a blog.

OMC: Are there any websites you're looking at as a model for success?

BB: Sure, but I am not going to tell you that.

OMC: Are you hoping to make this your main source of income?

BB: For the last year I haven't made a dime off the old site. So, to answer that question, no, not yet.

OMC: Many people say that they hate gossip and that it's irresponsible. Is there a difference between a good gossip columnist and a bad gossip columnist?

BB: Get your facts right. Don't burn your sources. Don't be a jerk. And, drawing a penis on a face is so 2008.

OMC: Do you have any additional plans for your site's future?

BB: I do, but first I am just thrilled to finally have the new one up and running. Blogging isn't for babies.

OMC: If you're ok with sharing, what sort of traffic is your site getting?

BB: The old site was averaging about 10,000 visitors per month.

You can visit the new ("and improved!") Byron Beck website at byronbeck.com.

Jefferson Smith, a freshman state representative from Portland, offered a common criticism in colorful terms when he took exception to Willamette Week's biennial survey on the state legislature yesterday.

Smith, who was prompted to speak about his July assessment in the paper on KUFO's Cort and Fatboy show, said that WW's "The Good, the Bad and the Awful," a feature since the paper's inception in 1974, is methodologically flawed because it allows lobbyists to anonymously rate and comment on legislators.

By that measure, he says, "it might help you to help out lobbyists a little bit more" and to take money from political action committees. "I actually think it's sort of an atrocious exercise that they do," he said.

Smith quipped, "They were a very relevant paper back in the '70s and I think they will be again."

Willamette Week wasn't going to take that lying down.

"Jefferson is a friend, yet we are not surprised to hear him gripe about the GBA," editor Mark Zusman replied. "After all, he scored poorly in the survey." Jefferson received a grade of "bad" for his first term.

Zusman took exception to Smith's phrasing, that WW "did give me a crappy grade," pointing out that the grading is done by those working at the capitol. And not just by lobbyists, he added. The survey "also asks legislative staffers and Salem journalists."

Perhaps suggesting that he's experienced at offering defenses of the survey, Zusman continued, "The lobbyists we do ask come from all political points of view. As to the ad hominem nature of the survey: we know this survey is a rather unvarnished look at the Legislature and that the willingness to let those surveyed make comments without attributions can often open the door to some nasty comments."

But is it quality journalism, we asked? "We think the survey is of value to readers and, believe it or not, to legislators themselves, some of whom have told us, years later, that GBA's criticism hurt, but was on point."

Smith, for his part, told KUFO that he prefers The Portland Mercury's "Advocates, Mercenaries, or Minions of Satan?" survey, in which legislators get to reverse roles, anonymously judging the lobbyists.

Unlike in Willamette Week's feature, this survey adds responses from those being judged, including from the lobbyists who are called a "f---er" or a "f---ing ---hole." ("I'm kind to everybody," assured the alleged "f---ing ---hole" lobbyist.)

Why doesn't Willamette Week get quotes from the legislators in question? "While we don't provide space in the paper the week the story comes out, we do invite and get legislators to comment in letters and on our web site," Zusman says.

"Everybody claims they hate this issue," said one lobbyist in the latest survey. "But everybody reads it."

UPDATE (10/1, 10:28am): Smith responds:

I consider Mark and other Willamette Week folks as friends, and I am a frequent reader. They know I am a critic of their methodology for rating legislators -- before and after they rated me -- and that I've been bummed at some of the inaccuracies of some stories. But beyond my mixture of righteous indignation and sour grapesishness, I was mostly joking around on a rock radio show.

Beyond that, there is an old saw that suggests to avoid getting in a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. I should probably heed that.

Whew! The last day or so has been exhausting, but certainly nothing compared to what people at the Statesman Journal have been going through. Our heart goes out to them.

A few other items today:

• As we first reported July 1, Brian Barker is leaving KATU and television news. His last day is today. Best of luck to you, Brian!
• Former Willamette Week columnist and current Portland gossip blogger Byron Beck has landed his first big story for a major magazine. Congratulations, Byron!
• OMC loves its fans, and they love us back. Thanks, Fatboy!

I'm sure there were plenty of other things that happened while we were liveblogging. If anyone can fill us in, that would be great. Later today, we have a story about major staff changes at a local TV station that are so complex, we may actually need to come up with a flow chart to follow it. And we've got another big story coming very soon that we can't even hint at. Stick around!

We lied, Press Clippings took much longer than an hour to produce. We blame our terrible, awful, slow computer.

• KMHD host Al Evans tells OMC it will be "a couple of weeks at least" before the station moves into its new studio at OPB.
• Portland Sucks calls out Matt Davis for his BlogTown post, "Rape Allegations: Another Side Effect of Big Soccer?" The Mercury's Kiala Kazebee comes to Matt's defense in the comments. Also up for Portland Sucks' wrath is KGW's Breedlove exclusive. As always, there's strong language.
• OMC reader skihoodoo sends in a photo of KGW's other Skycam in Newport at the Embarcadero resort, a followup to a story in our last Press Clippings. Skihoodoo has been doing a lot to contribute to OMC, thank you!
• A variation on an idea from @newsjunkie60 via @PortORTraffic: When an event like Wimbledon disrupts the TV schedule, why not put regular programming on a digital subchannel?
• Local blog I'm in your water offers a Portland media roundup, including former Willamette Week columnist Byron Beck calling Cort of KUFO's Cort and Fatboy "Lars Larson."
• We almost missed this: The Alliance for Community Media is holding its annual conference in Portland, discussing ways to "protect community media at the national and local levels." The event runs July 15 through 18 at the Oregon Convention Center and Doubletree Hotel.

Beyond our region:

• The climbdown is complete: Washington Post editor Katherine Weymouth has apologized over the paper's pay-for-access scandal.
• NYU's Jay Rosen notes that CNN's Reliable Sources relegated that controversy to a commentary in the final moments of the show. Howard Kurtz' status as a media critic while under the employ of two major media organizations has long been a source of its own media criticism.
• And heavy criticism doesn't always lead to apologies: Columnist Connie Schultz is more resolute than ever that her idea to ban linking and summaries of news stories is a good idea. Should Press Clippings be worried?
• If you somehow missed it over the weekend, Sarah Palin has threatened to sue bloggers and traditional media over their handling of her sudden resignation.
• Newsroom veterans may be more likely to get promotions to general manager lately.
• There's a $3 billion gap between declining TV station revenue and online ad income.
• Layoffs of copy editors mean more complaints about typos at The Washington Post.
• The Saturday Evening Post is returning to its roots, differentiating itself on the newsstand by offering more creative writing and fiction.
• The Library of Congress now offers a searchable database of news stories from 1880 to 1922.
• Web video is evolving beyond the two-minute clip.
• Instead of non-profits, The News & Observer has an idea to operate newspapers as low-profits. Insert joke here.
• Most poll respondents said they wouldn't miss their daily newspaper if it went away. I believe there was a poll to the contrary that we posted recently. Once we add tags to our old stories, that sort of thing should be easier to find.

And another big thank you to our new contributor over the weekend! Donations are all that are making this site possible. As you may have seen in our last post, we're working on ways to increase traffic so we can get some ad revenue coming in. But even then, it's unlikely to be enough to keep us afloat. The slow holiday weekend did some serious damage to our average daily visitor count. If you'd like to help us out with any amount, there's a big shiny button on the left.

This is an open thread, what's on your mind?