May’s Meet the Media features Kris McDowell, the owner and editor of The Southeast Examiner.
Briefly share the path to your current career – why journalism?
I have a degree in Communications from the University of Minnesota and post-graduation, I began applying my skills to event planning for non-profit organizations, later transitioning to meeting planning for trade associations. I began the writing portion of things contributing to an online beer publication, for my own beer blog and for the Oregon Beer Growler. After jobs in the beer industry – working for Brewvana Brewery Tours and as a sales rep for a small, local beer distributor, I learned that The Southeast Examiner was being put up for sale by its owners of 25 years. My combination of writing and sales background seemed to be a good fit and in 2019, I became the new owner (also editor, writer, ad sales rep, etc.).
Tell us about a moment in your career you are particularly proud of.
The point when I felt that the paper was consistently making a profit and I was really “doing it.” I had never owned a business before, and while I’d had plenty of writing experience, there were many decisions I had to make (and continue) to make about the content of the paper. (Not to mention that six months after I purchased the paper, the pandemic hit.) Some days I felt like a bit of an imposter but knowing that I was able to turn out a consistent product that my advertisers and readers feel is valuable, felt really good.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
Everyone likes compliments and I always enjoy hearing from readers about something they’ve particularly enjoyed in a particular issue.
What is something unexpected that you have learned during your career?
Overall, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how transferable my skills are, from those learned in school to the ones I used as an event planner, all the way through to my job today. One I can point to in particular is the organizational skills that I developed producing events. Those skills have been vitally important as a small business owner. Since purchasing the paper, one thing that has surprised me is how much more connected I feel to the community. That’s come from a combination of needing to be more in touch with the things going on in the community to be able to provide relevant content to readers and also getting regular updates from neighborhood associations, who I offer column space each month to let readers know what is happening in each neighborhood.
What do you look for in a story?
Being that The Southeast Examiner is a community newspaper (one of many community newspapers in Portland and the metro area), stories that specifically apply to the SE area of Portland are of greatest interest. While some articles cover items that are city-wide or state-wide, finding those ones that are relevant to our readership is important. Oftentimes, those are articles that wouldn’t be covered by larger publications, or not in as much detail.
Fill in the blank:
If I am not working, I am… spoiling my furry kids, enjoying a beer and/or games with friends and volunteering for Store to Door, a local organization that provides grocery deliveries to seniors and disabled individuals.
If I could interview anyone, it would be… I feel it’s probably someone that isn’t on my radar yet, and it probably won’t be any big name. I suspect it will be someone who is doing something unique and valuable in the community.
The student writers from Franklin High School that I’ve been working with for a number of years (a rotating team that produces their paper, The Franklin Post) inspire me. I am continually impressed and inspired by these “kids” and their writing.
My favorite thing about Portland is… I love the sense of community here, how willing people are to help one another out, especially business owners.
Want to be featured in a Meet the Media? Email mmclaughlin@feareygroup.com.