Vale’s long running newspaper is closing

 VALE – The Malheur Enterprise, one of the state’s oldest, rural newspapers, announced earlier this month it would cease operations.  

 In an online story on the Malheur Enterprise website May 6, owner and publisher Les Zaitz, 69, wrote he and his wife, Scotta Callister, 72, planned to retire and focus on family and friends. Callister initially served as the paper’s publisher. 

 The announcement was the latest in a series of major newspaper cataclysms in Oregon where small rural newspapers stopped printing and moved their operation to an online platform or closed altogether. 

 Zaitz and Callister bought the paper in 2015 and turned it into one of the best weekly publications in Oregon. The paper won numerous awards for its community and investigative journalism and was recognized nationally for its news coverage. In 2024 the Malheur Enterprise was selected as the best newspaper of its size in Oregon.

 Zaitz and Callister are renowned Oregon journalists. Zaitz is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and was recently honored with Oregon’s top journalism prize, the Bruce Baer Award. Zaitz was inducted into the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2024. 

 Under Zaitz and Callister’s leadership, the Malheur Enterprise established itself as a fearless watch dog of government in Malheur County, including its investigation into the taxpayer-funded, multi-million-dollar Treasure Valley Reload Project and Oregon state Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner. For that work, the paper was awarded the national First Amendment Award by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. 

 The closure of the Malheur Enterprise follows a disturbing trend in Oregon, where, since 2022, more than 15 local news organizations have merged into bigger outlets or closed. 

 According to 2023 report from Northwestern University, more than 2,500 newspapers have closed in the U.S. since 2005.

 In a separate development, Wick Communications, the owner of Ontario’s Argus Observer, announced May 6 it was “exploring” the sale of the newspaper.

 The Malheur Enterprise has been a part of Malheur County – in one form or another – since 1909. 

 Weiser Signal American Publisher Sarah Imada said she was saddened to see the Malheur Enterprise close.

 She said the future of the Signal American remains bright. She said the newspaper is “the longest continuous running business in Washington County.”

 “The newspaper has been in existence since 1882. We are the newspaper of record in Washington County, and we strive to keep our readers up to date on government activities and upcoming events,” said Imada.

 Imada said the strength of the Signal American is in the community it serves. 

 “We are grateful to our subscribers and advertisers for keeping the Weiser Signal American in business,” said Imada.

 Imada said the newspaper is staffed by three fulltime employees with “many talented writers helping to keep our readers informed.”

 “For history buffs we have an archive of all the papers published from 1882 to present,” she said.