Statesman Journal

The Statesman Journal is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851, the Oregon Statesman later merged with the Capital Journal to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Oregon. The Statesman Journal is distributed in Salem, Keizer, and much of the mid-Willamette Valley. The average daily circulation is 36,629 Monday-Friday, 118,168 Saturday, with Sunday readership of 124,059.

History

Oregon Statesman

The Oregon Statesman was founded on March 28, 1851, by Asahel Bush, a Democrat, in response to the Whig-controlled Portland-based paper, The Oregonian. Congressional delegate Samuel Thurston assisted Bush in starting the newspaper while Thurston was in Washington, D.C. Printed using a hand press, the paper was originally based in Oregon City, but moved to Salem in June 1853 when the Oregon State Capitol was relocated to that city. The paper was used as a mouthpiece of the Democratic Party and of the Salem Clique that ran the party in Salem.