March 04, 2004

What Newspapers Do Best

Nice to see, now and again, The Oregonian display what's still the strength of the medium of the newspaper.

Today's edition was chock full of coverage of Multnomah County's actions regarding same-sex marriage, of course. And while we're certain the paper will receive a barrage of activist/reader complaints about going over-board, we think the sheer breadth of angles covered was entirely appropriate.

There was new of the County's move, an overview of how the first day played out, a look at clergy decisions on whether or not to perform same-sex ceremonies, a report on the opposition, a profile of the first same-sex couple to be married in Oregon, an examination of Oregonians' tolerance of same-sex unions, and a sampling of local religious groups and their respective stances on the issue.

There was a scathing edtorial against the Board of Commissioners, and a commentary by one of the newlyweds.

There was a look at the impact upon benefits, and a look at local businesses cashing in on the new market.

And, of course, there was the columnist's rant which we've already taken pains to savage.

Yesterday was the first day of a historic moment in Oregon. Which made today the first opportunity to step back a bit and look at the landscape. That's still one of the clear strengths of newspapers, and we think The Oregonian did a pretty good job at reflecting the matter at hand from a wide variety of angles.

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