With the closure of countless local newspapers and radio stations and the slide of many local radio stations to the far right, we are seeing the inevitable lack of accurate and accessible media for Oregon’s small town, rural and frontier communities. In a moment where our communities feel especially polarized and fragmented, it’s clear that we are often accessing media where our “facts” directly contradict the “facts” our neighbors are getting from their media, making it all the more difficult to have a reasonable conversation.
The Rural Media Center is a new initiative of the Rural Organizing Project, where our network is experimenting with how to support the freedom of the press. Our network is working on getting better connect with existing community-owned media, sharing stories we can’t find anywhere else through Rural Roots Rising, a monthly podcast, and building rural infrastructure so these stories remain available for the long haul.
Rural Roots Rising
ROP produces Rural Roots Rising, a monthly podcast by and for rural Oregonians who are creatively and courageously building stronger and more vibrant communities for a just democracy!
This community media project grew out of the 2019 Rural Caucus & Strategy Session where community leaders from rural and frontier Oregon shared how local media are getting sold to faraway corporations and reflecting less and less of what matters most to their communities. Many rural Oregonians are creating, building, and supporting community media including newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and podcasts.
Together we are connecting the dots between the issues that impact rural Oregon, including migration, housing, disaster response, and more. Each episode features voices and organizing lessons from strategic community leaders building the movement for human dignity in Oregon! Find out more and listen in at RuralRootsRising.org.
Rural Organizing Archive
Rural Organizing Voices features oral histories, interviews, and essays about ROP’s formation and the powerful work our network has accomplished together. Check it out here!
ROP is working on making our archives of nearly 30 years of rural organizing accessible at our Community Organizing Center and online. Want to help? Send us an email at office@rop.org.
Check out more Updates here and Resources here.