PORTLAND, Ore. — The Skanner, a Portland newspaper that for five decades served as the primary voice for the city’s Black community, has permanently ceased operations, leaving what former staff and community leaders describe as a dangerous void in local journalism.

Founded in 1975 by husband-and-wife team Bernie and Bobbie Foster, the newspaper published its final online edition on Jan. 7. The closure comes as the publication struggled to adapt to an industry transformed by social media, where both readers and advertisers have increasingly migrated.

“We ceased operation due to the changing industry — people are going to social media for their news rather than reading newspapers in print or online. And advertisers have moved to social media, as well,” Bobbie Dore Foster wrote in an email to KGW. “This means our community will no longer be informed about news, from an African American perspective, that affects them individually and collectively.”

The Skanner’s impact extended far beyond traditional journalism. In 1986, Bernie Foster led a successful campaign to rename Northeast Union Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, gathering support by inserting petitions into the newspaper. The street signs went up three years later.

“We wanted to tell our own story in our own way,” Bernie Foster said in a 2013 interview, a philosophy that guided the publication through half a century of community coverage.

For Donovan Scribes, who worked as a reporter for The Skanner from 2014 to 2016, the newspaper represented more than just news coverage. 

“When I started there, it just felt like the most natural fit,” Scribes said. “I definitely looked at the paper and saw the paper around me and would pick it up and just be kind of amazed at all the things that you would see about yourself or your community.”

Scribes emphasized that The Skanner’s reporting went deeper than surface-level news. 

“When I was doing a story, it was rarely like I was doing a story like this thing happened. It was more like this thing happened and here are the things that powered us to this moment,” he explained.

The newspaper adapted to technological changes over the years, transitioning from print to include digital formats. In 2020, during the pandemic, The Skanner stopped printing physical newspapers and moved entirely online. However, the shift to digital proved insufficient as the media landscape continued evolving.

Foster acknowledged the financial challenges in 2013, saying, “We’re working on it. We’re working on it,” when asked about making money in the internet age.

Community organizations mourned the loss. The 1803 Fund, a Portland nonprofit focused on restoring historically Black areas, issued a statement calling The Skanner “more than a newspaper” and “a civic institution.”

“For over 50 years, Bobbie and Bernie Foster ensured Black Portlanders saw themselves reflected with dignity and truth when our stories were often ignored,” the 1803 Fund Team said. “While we are saddened to see The Skanner close, its legacy endures as a reminder that narrative is capital and that community power begins with who gets to tell the story.”

Scribes warned of the consequences of losing such a vital community voice, comparing it to the philosophical question of whether a tree falling in the forest makes a sound. 

“I think with the closing of the Skanner, we’re going to be having a lot of trees falling in the forest that go unheard unfortunately. That is more than sounding pretty, that is dangerous for our larger community,” he said.

Bobbie Dore Foster reflected on the newspaper’s legacy: “We brought a unique perspective to the news we covered and the stories we told. I believe we leave a legacy, as a Black-owned business, of pride and accomplishment, which we could not have achieved without our community’s support over the past 50 years. It has been our honor to have served in this role.”

The Skanner’s website now exists only as an archived version of the newspaper’s final days.