Roseburg Council Unanimously Recognizes The Roseburg Receiver as News Media

The Roseburg City Council voted Monday to recognize The Roseburg Receiver LLC as a news media organization eligible to attend council executive sessions.

The motion was to “recognize The Roseburg Receiver LLC as a news media organization eligible to attend executive sessions of the Roseburg City Council pursuant to Resolution No. 2009-25.” It was seconded and passed by voice vote with no opposition.

The city adopted Resolution No. 2009-25 in 2009 to establish its policy for recognizing news organizations that seek to attend executive sessions. Those are portions of public meetings closed to the general public for specific subjects allowed by law. Under Oregon law, news media representatives may attend most executive sessions, although the governing body may require specified information discussed there to remain undisclosed. The law includes exceptions, such as sessions involving labor negotiations.

For The Roseburg Receiver, the council’s decision means its representative is eligible to attend Roseburg City Council executive sessions under that policy. It does not give the publication permission to report information the council directs news media to keep confidential.

Before voting, council discussed how the policy applies to a publication with one employee. Councilor Tom Michalek questioned whether the Receiver had operated long enough and had enough personnel to meet the criteria. Councilor Ellen Porter pointed to its local reporting and asked whether the policy set a minimum number of years in operation.

The city attorney explained that staffing and length of operation are factors council may weigh, rather than requirements that automatically decide the request.

City Recorder Amy Nytes told council that The Roseburg Receiver had submitted additional information after the agenda packet was published. It said the publication has gathered and published local news since July 2023 and has produced approximately 1,900 articles and posts. The submission also described its correction process and commitment to follow executive session disclosure rules.The motion was to “recognize The Roseburg Receiver LLC as a news media organization eligible to attend executive sessions of the Roseburg City Council pursuant to Resolution No. 2009-25.” It was seconded and passed by voice vote with no opposition.

The city adopted Resolution No. 2009-25 in 2009 to establish how it recognizes news organizations for executive session attendance. Oregon law allows news media representatives to attend most executive sessions, which are portions of meetings closed to the general public. A governing body can require specified information from those sessions to remain undisclosed.

Before the vote, councilors discussed whether the Receiver met the city’s criteria. Councilor Tom Michalek questioned whether a publication with one employee and a relatively short history qualified. Councilor Ellen Porter said she had followed the Receiver’s work for at least a couple of years and described it as doing “a pretty stellar job in getting information out,” particularly to people who rely less on traditional news sources.

Porter asked whether the policy required an organization to operate for a specific number of years. The city attorney explained that staffing and how long a publication has been established are factors council may weigh, rather than fixed requirements.

City Recorder Amy Nytes said The Roseburg Receiver had supplied information after the agenda packet was published addressing questions about its history and correction process. The submission said it has gathered and published local news since July 2023 and has produced approximately 1,900 articles and posts. It also described how the publication handles corrections and its commitment to follow executive session disclosure rules.

During discussion of the motion, Councilor Zack Weiss called the Receiver “a fantastic and wonderful asset to our community.” Another councilor said its coverage had helped people see what was happening in real time and thanked owner Joseph Ziegler for his work.

The vote recognizes The Roseburg Receiver LLC under the city’s policy. Its representative may attend eligible Roseburg City Council executive sessions while following the restrictions on information the council directs news media not to disclose.