Public outreach is something that — especially in the Portland region — we talk a good game about, but rarely do we do it well. Sure, we make lots of pretty brochures and web sites, but when it comes time to go out and do some face-to-face with the public time, we tend to become [...]

Sometimes the terminology of public participation professions is a complicated word stew. Public involvement, public outreach, public relations, public affairs, community affairs, community relations, community outreach… what the heck are all these terms? Do they all really mean the same thing, or are they all different? if the latter, how can someone make sense of [...]

The newspaper is dying. Here, in the Portland, Oregon region, our major daily paper — the Oregonian — has been cadaverously thinner and thinner by the day. Alternative biweekly Portland Tribune recently ceased publishing its Tuesday edition, boasting that their content could now be found on Fridays at the newsstand, and constantly on the web, [...]

I’ve been watching with interest for the last month or so as the City of Portland’s proposal to rename Interstate Avenue became a political boondoggle. Although I have strong feelings on the matter, I’ve stayed out of commenting on it, largely because I am not a citizen of fair PDX, and since I don’t brook [...]