In good trouble

These days, I leaf through my New York Times and wonder why I keep paying for it. My reaction to almost all of it is either "not interested" or "surprised anyone could think this is good journalism."

My reactions are just the opposite when I crack open the Northwest Examiner, a monthly free newspaper put out in Northwest Portland by a guy named Allan Classen. The thing is an absolute gem, month after month.

The best part is how Classen rattles the cages and sticks in the needles. The truth is sometimes difficult to figure out and uncomfortable to tell, especially when the issues are neighborhood-level local, but he doesn't flinch. Bully for him.

Next month he's going to be part of a candidate forum for the new City Council district covering that part of town, and the format looks like a real howler.

Rather than a row of candidates largely affirming pat positions on common topics, the heart of the event will be wordless. Voters want to know where candidates stand, not where they waffle to avoid giving a “wrong” answer. So we’ll ask them all to stand at once—or not—to show agreement to each in a list of statements and their corollaries.

Statements such as:

• The main cause of homelessness is a housing shortage or mental health or addictions.

• Neighborhood associations have too much or too little influence in City Hall.

• Recent installations of traffic diverters and bicycle lanes improve or worsen transportation.

• Public safety spending should prioritize the Police Bureau or Portland Street Response.

If any candidates find such either-or choices too confining, they may use their wrap-up time to clarify. Each may also make an opening statement. There will not be time for each candidate to challenge the implications in each question.

Classic Classen. You aspiring journalists out there should be reading the Examiner cover to cover every month. This is how it's done.