Media contact list

This list includes media folks FG has talked to in the past, and brainstorms of who to contact in the future. And other people we know who might like the cut of our gib.

Guidelines about contacting the press - we're trying to document an approach. (Oso, Xen and Pete are actively working on this, within Outreach.)

Ideas include seeking out media grunts and interns and other easily-accessible people, to get a feel for how a media outlet operates and who we should contact and how. Xen suggests pursuing science, tech, and environmental beat reporters. In many cases these guidelines will be moot, as we will go with existing connections.

I'd also like to see a brief summary of past major coverage or contacts, where applicable, or notes on why Media Outlet X should be interested in us. There is a list of past media coverage [1] of Free Geek on the main site. Updated through January; Oso, Pete, Christen will work to get it up-to-date. (See "discussion" page for ongoing work on this...)

National Media

• Christian Science Monitor, Elizabeth Armstrong Moore. Wrote a piece 5/2005 about Portland as an Open Source leader. We should establish contact with her in case she follows up. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/28/tech/main1077376.shtml
• Before Xen was hired by Free Geek, she tried to sell Orion, a national environmental magazine, on letting her cover FG for their Blueprints for Change section. No dice, but I still say they'd totally love the cut of our gib. Will hassle them again.

Local daily press contacts

• The Oregonian
  • Nathan can get in touch with the reporter who did the last big FG story (about Collab etc) he's a business reporter.
  • Pete knows Dylan Rivera, business reporter. Also Melissa Coffman, a marketing designer/project coordinator.
  • Xen knows DeAnn Welker, a copy editor at the O.
  • Revphil knows Joseph Rose Crime & Justice Writer and James Yu Editorial Assistant - Sports
• The Observer
  • Black-owned and oriented daily (?) publication
• The Columbian (Vancouver WA)
  • Don Hamilton, reporter, Pete knows him well.
• The Associated Press
  • Bill McCall, the business editor of the AP Portland bureau, came to Free Geek with a photog at the end of September for a piece on e-waste, and mentioned following up with a more FG-specific feature. Oso talked to him. Xen will contact him about that followup.
• The Statesman Journal (Salem)
  • Far away, but worth contacting for stories about state legislative action relating to open source or recycling-related legislation. Stephanie Matlock, features editor at the SJ, is a friend of Xen's.
• The Gazette-Times (Corvallis)
  • Also a bit out of our usual reach, but should be contacted for those occasional stories with an OSU/open source connection. Entertainment editor Jake TenPas is a good friend of Xen's.

Local broadcast stations

• KBOO (community radio station, 90.7 FM)
• KPOJ (progressive/left wing talk, Air America affiliate, 620 AM)
  • runs (ran?) a spot from spiritone.com which plugged Free Geek as a place to donate your PC
  • doesn't do local news beyond brief headlines...only local show is Thom Hartmann, 6-9am. An interview/maybe 20 minute call-in segment might fit with this program, might be a long shot.
  • Oso wants to get advertising, but it's expensive.
• KOPB radio, TV (NPR affiliate, 91.5 FM)

Nondaily press contacts

• Portland Tribune
  • HalfAss Pete worked there 4 years. All the good FG-friendly reporters have moved on. Some contacts but no great ones. Connie Pickett, Managing Editor. Jacob Quinn Saunders, news reporter. Todd Murphy, education reporter.
  • Revphil knows Joseph Gallivan Features Writer (who is also probably not there anymore) and a photographer who... uh she is a really good friend, but not all that influential i bet.
• Portland Business Journal
  • Andy Giegerich, reporter. Good friend of Halfass Pete, has written of FreeGeek before and is very pro-FG.
  • Shelly Strom, reporter. Pete knows her. She has written of FG in the past.
• Vancouver Business Journal
  • Is this too far away? Pete knows owner John McDonagh. Also knows a reporter or two at the Columbian (Vancouver daily.)
• Willamette Week
  • Looks like Elizabeth Armstrong Moore, the reporter who wrote the recent Portland/Open Source piece for Christian Science Monitor (that was syndicated all over), is freelancing for Willy Week as well. Let's not let this opportunity pass!
  • Cameron Browne is a freelance photographer who sometimes shoots for the Willy Week and is a friend of Xen's.
• Portland Monthly
  • Ben Jacklet, reporter. Good friend of Halfass Pete, very pro-FG. Pete might have advertising contacts there too.
  • Sylvan Goldberg, reporter. Working on Open Source story. Pete will contact.
• Portland Mercury
  • Revphil knows Scott Moore - News, Steve Humphrey - Editor, Marjorie Skinne - Writer
  • Pete knows Zach Hull, marketing director. Small enough paper that this might be an "in" to editorial.
• New Connexions (New Agey thing)
  • they are trading ad space for hardware with us and they want me to write about FG as a community space for them. -Xen) Can you give some details about that trade arrangement, and ideas what we might use the ad space for (or already using the ad space for?) --Pete 13:15, 8 Dec 2005 (PST)
• The Alliance (workers' collectives)
• Street Roots
  • Has a front-page article in their current issue on e-waste, with no quotes from Portland peeps. For shame! Xen will contact about more FG coverage. If they dont respond well I will write a letter. Too many former free geekers sell them papers for this kinda insolence (Aside: Street Roots' last fundraiser/grantwriter was former FG intern Ariel Marsh, so we have sort of an in.)

Student and community newspapers

• Many student papers have science news departments, or at least one designated science reporter -- likely to cover both environmental and tech issues. This section should include the publishing schedules of said papers, since they usually don't publish when students are on break. Turnover at these papers is naturally very high, but we should keep basic contact info on file. Different student bodies are going to be interested in us for different reasons, so I'd like to include relevant information about the character of the school in each section.

• Community Newspapers, Inc.
  • Chain of papers (under same ownership as Tribune) mainly weekly community suburban papers. (closest are Sellwood, Gresham, Clackamas Review. Tribune is under same ownership.)
  • Merry MacKinnon, freelance reporter. Friend of Pete's. Very much a progressive, into recycling and all that. Very non-technical. Writes for Lifestyles NW (Portland seniors), East County News (Lents-Gresham, low-income) and Sellwood Bee primarily.
• The Southeast Examiner
• The Hollywood Star
  • Not sure of the status of this paper, but Pete might have an in.

• OSU Daily Barometer
  • Editor in Chief DD Bixby
  • 541-737-3191 • editor at dailybarometer dot com
  • Advisor Frank Ragulsky
  • Why they should know about us: OSU is host to Open Source Labs and has a decent environmental science program, and the Barometer historically has at least one designated science or tech reporter (at times they have had an entire science section). We have occasional tie-in events (OSU Open Source Day, hardware donations, etc.) that should occasion a press release to the Baro. Also, Christen knows the current editor and the advisor.
  • When they can write about us: The Barometer publishes five days a week during OSU's regular academic year and is weekly during the summer.

• PSU Daily Vanguard
  • Production schedule:Xen swears up and down that in her day, the Vanguard wasn't a daily, and feels old. Academic-->production schedule likely mirrors the Baro.
  • Contact/history: Near the end of November, Xen, Phil, Clout and several others spoke with a Vanguard reporter named Nate McKee about the Geek, the digital divide and the Unwire Portland project.
  • A search of the Vanguard archives shows no story about this yet. He did share the fascinating and press release-worthy tidbit that FG's site is one of very few (with the others being local government type sites) that would be free under the terms of the current bid. Go team Geek!

other relevant contacts

A rough list of organizations with whom we have ties, or would like to have ties. Exploit these for expanded media coverage! MWAHAHAAA!! Or to meet program needs directly?

• OSDL: Open Source Development Lab
  • Cheryl Vandemore, PR person
  • Oso's friend the HR dude (name?)
• Metropolitan Family Service
  • The biggest (?) social service in the area. They run SMART, Foster Grandparents, Experience Corps. Source of volunteers who need computers or job skills?
• Oregon Food Bank
  • Another biggest-social-services agency type thing. See above.
• Morrison Center
  • Big social services agency. See above.
• VISTA, Americorps
  • possible source for free (paid), college-educated interns to do higher-level stuff?
• IRCO (immigrant organization)
• Gang rehabilitation organization...exact name??
• Social Venture Partners - Portland - grant??
• PAWC: organization for workers' collectives
• Rebuilding Center:
  • Shane Endicott (an owner)
• Trillium Artisans
  • They help low-income folks make business plans for making crafts from recycled stuff. 99th and SE Foster?
• SCRAP
  • The School and Community Reuse Action Project. Sells donated craft supplies for cheap cheap. Had a booth at Geek Fair, take a lot of our computer junk for cool crafts.
  • http://scrapaction.org/
• Chris Jordan
  • A Seattle-based photographer who has garnered national attention for his work focusing on the excesses of industry, including electronic waste. He was in the Sunday New York Times and the Smithsonian! He lives in Seattle! He needs to come visit Free Geek!

Other wiki pages that contain this sort of info:

• Where to Post Volunteer Jobs has names of some contacts at colleges etc.
• Corporate