Eugene Weekly discovered in March that it had been disallowed from distributing its printed editions in local Albertsons stores.
According to the Weekly’s editor Camilla Mortensen, the alternative-weekly newspaper became aware of the ban when a few of their delivery drivers had been notified that they were no longer welcome at the grocery chain.
The ban comes just over a month after the Weekly returned to print following its embezzlement scandal in December 2023, which caused the entire newsroom at the time to be laid off.
Mortensen spoke about the curveball the ban throws into the paper’s ability to reach its loyal readers.
“Since we were embezzled, we don’t have a full-time circulation manager,” Mortensen said.
In a recent Weekly newsletter, Mortensen asked readers where they got their print editions of the Weekly. According to Eugene Weekly, readers who had asked Albertsons staff about the ban were told that headquarters do not like the Weekly’s politics.
“It could be a variety of reasons [for the ban], usually what will happen is the readers will push back,” Mortensen said. “We’ll just put it into ‘Slant’ so readers know it’s not our decision not to be at Albertsons, and also give the readers a chance to push back and let Albertsons know what they think of that choice.”
Mortensen said that similar situations have occurred with TheSourceWeekly, Bend’s locally-owned “indie” newspaper.
“I reached out to [editor-in-chief Nicole Vulcan] at The Source Weekly,” Mortensen said. “She actually said that The Source Weeklyis not allowed in any of the ‘big box’ type stores in their area,” Mortensen said.
The Daily Emerald reached out to The Source Weekly, who declined to comment on the matter.
Brian Bull, assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, said having a variety of news sources available is important.
“The Weekly has been a steady wellspring for budding talent, as well as a source of community news,” Bull said.
Bull said that having a balanced mix of media, whether written publications or local television news, serves us all well.
“Even with similar coverage of events and people, there can be significant differences among the news organizations along lines of format and audience,” Bull said. “I think customers are savvy enough to determine if there’s a political leaning to this weekly alternative. Removing the papers entirely deprives people of making that choice for themselves.”
On April 10, the Weekly was notified that the paper would be back on the shelves at the South Eugene Albertsons location exclusively. According to Mortensen, management at the store said readers were “relentless and that [management] has found a spot for [the Weekly] to be back in the South Eugene Albertsons.”
The Daily Emerald reached out to Albertsons for comment on the situation. They have yet to respond as of press time.
