An Oregon newspaper was repeatedly denied public records. Their fight for transparency ended in a major victory.

Nicole Slaughter Graham | for Poynter

In 2017, the announcement of a major project caught the attention of Les Zaitz, editor and publisher of Malheur Enterprise.

“We have been watching this rail center project quite closely because of the amount of money and the prospect of it in Malheur County, which is one of the poorest counties in Oregon. So industrial development that brings with it a lot of promised jobs is big news and good news, right?”

The project could have been life-changing for Malheur County residents, 14.9% of whom live in poverty – more than any other county in Oregon.

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