View source for The Register-Guard

{{short description|Daily newspaper published in Eugene, Oregon}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name               = The Register-Guard
| image              = Register-Guard front page 2017.jpg
| caption            = 2017 front page
| type               = [[Daily newspaper]]
| format             = [[Broadsheet]]
| photo_editor       = Chris Pietsch
| founded            = {{start date and age|1867}}<br />(as ''The Guard'')<br />{{start date and age|1895}}<br />(as ''Morning Register'')<br />{{start date and age|1930}}<br />(Current entity)
| ceased_publication =
| owners             = [[USA Today Co.]]
| publisher          = 
| editor             = Jill Bond
| president          = 
| language           = [[American English]]
| circulation        = 18,886 Daily<br/>21,416 Sunday
| headquarters       = 3500 Chad Drive, Suite 600<br />[[Eugene, Oregon]],<!-- 97408<br />--> [[United States|U.S.]]
| publishing_country = United States
| ISSN               = 0739-8557
| oclc               = 9836354
| website            = {{URL|registerguard.com}} 
}}

'''''The Register-Guard''''' is a daily [[newspaper]] in the [[northwestern United States]], published in [[Eugene, Oregon]]. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene-[[Springfield, Oregon|Springfield]] area, as well as the [[Oregon Coast]], [[Umpqua River]] valley, and surrounding areas. As of 2019, it had a supposed circulation of 18,886 daily.<ref>{{cite web | title = The Register-Guard | publisher = Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association | url = http://orenews.com/eugene | access-date = July 16, 2016 | archive-date = June 14, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160614110403/http://orenews.com/eugene | url-status = live }}</ref>

The newspaper has been owned by [[Gannett|The Gannett Company]] since Gannett's 2019 merger with [[GateHouse Media]]. It had been sold to GateHouse in 2018.<ref name="RG_Sale">{{cite news|url=http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/36377405-75/the-register-guard-sold-to-gatehouse-media.html.csp|title=The Register-Guard sold to GateHouse Media|date=January 26, 2018|newspaper=The Register-Guard|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=January 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126181228/http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/36377405-75/the-register-guard-sold-to-gatehouse-media.html.csp|url-status=live}}</ref> From 1927 to 2018, it was owned by the Baker family of Eugene, and members of the family served as both editor and publisher for nearly all of that time period. It is Oregon's second-largest daily newspaper and, until the 2018 sale to GateHouse, was one of the few medium-sized family newspapers left in the United States.<ref name="risser">{{cite news|last=Risser|first=James|title=State of The American Newspaper Endangered Species|work=American Journalism Review|date=June 1998|url=http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3276|access-date=March 15, 2008|archive-date=June 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619091039/http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3276|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==

===Establishment===

''The Guard'' was launched in [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene City]] on Saturday, June 1, 1867, by John{{nbsp}}B. Alexander,{{sfn|Price|1976|page=1}} and has been continuously published since October 24 of that year.<ref name=rntrhuyr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xOVVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6731%2C4547551 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |last=Price |first=Warren C. |title=Register-Guard enters 100th year Monday |date=October 23, 1966 |page=4A |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030609/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xOVVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6731%2C4547551 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=opfrtrs>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jPsoAAAAIBAJ&pg=3094%2C5205826 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |title=Register-Guard open for tours |date=October 23, 1967 |page=1B |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030612/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jPsoAAAAIBAJ&pg=3094%2C5205826 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=npohto >{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jfsoAAAAIBAJ&pg=4060%2C5350569 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |title=Newspaper open house to repeat |date=October 24, 1967 |page=1B |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030616/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jfsoAAAAIBAJ&pg=4060%2C5350569 |url-status=live }}</ref> The paper began as a weekly organ expressing allegiance to the states' rights–oriented [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and it joined an existing [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] paper in the field, the ''Oregon State Journal,'' published by Harrison{{nbsp}}R. Kincaid.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=1}}

Founding publisher Alexander was born about 1830 and came to Oregon from [[Illinois]] as a pioneer in 1852.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=66}} Alexander initially worked as a farmer, supplementing his income as a [[surveyor]] and local [[justice of the peace]] before learning the printing trade working for the town's earlier [[Copperhead (politics)|pro-Southern]] newspapers.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=66}} Although his own venture as a publisher was short and unprofitable, Alexander unwittingly was the scion of a local newspaper dynasty in Oregon, with two of his sons later themselves publishing ''The Guard'' (following the tenure of several intermediate owners), while a grandson, George{{nbsp}}L. Alexander, would one day edit another Oregon paper, the ''[[Lebanon Express]].''{{sfn|Price|1976|page=66}}

Alexander and his paper vocally supported the old governing class of the former [[Confederate States of America]] and were rabid in their opposition to the policies of the [[Reconstruction era]] imposed upon the South by the Northern-based Republican Party.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=68}} Such views were out of step with the majority of Oregonians, however, with the Republicans coming to dominate Oregon politics during the last quarter of the 19th&nbsp;century.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=68}} Alexander was forced to liquidate his stake in his money-losing newspaper in 1868.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=69}}

===Ownership changes===

[[File:Guard-18670824.jpg|thumb|right|Front page of one of the earliest surviving examples of ''The Guard,'' published by John&nbsp;B. Alexander in August 1867]]

A short interregnum followed, during which ownership was transferred to J.{{nbsp}}W. Skaggs. Skaggs continued to push Alexander's Democratic Party/states' rights agenda during his short five weeks at the helm.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=69}} The poor economics of the weekly paper were unchanged, however, and Skaggs immediately moved to unload his newly acquired white elephant. He cut his losses and avoided the stigma of financial failure for himself and the conservative political movement by giving away the paper outright to two men who worked for him as printers, [[William Thompson (journalist)|William Thompson]] and William Victor.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=69}} According to Thompson's later recollection, Skaggs sweetened the transfer of ownership by tossing in two bundles of paper and two [[cord (unit)|cords]] of firewood for the new owners.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=69}}

The leading partner in the new ownership pair, William Thompson (1846{{nbsp}}1934), had come to Oregon from his native [[Missouri]] aboard a wagon train during the 1850s and had worked as a [[printer's devil]] for the Democratic Eugene City newspapers the ''Democratic Register'' and ''The Review'' from the age of 16.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=72-73}} His acquisition of ''The Guard'' required only that he fulfill a contractual obligation "to run the paper and keep it alive."{{sfn|Price|1976|page=74}} This he and Victor managed to do successfully, earning Thompson a healthy $1,200 for his work before his sale of the paper to George{{nbsp}}J. Buys and A.{{nbsp}}Eltzroth on December&nbsp;24, 1869.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=74}} Thompson would subsequently move to [[Roseburg, Oregon]], and there establish a new newspaper, the Roseburg ''Plaindealer.''{{sfn|Price|1976|page=74}}

George J. Buys bought out his business partner Eltzroth in July 1870 and subsequently remained solely at the publisher's desk for more than seven years.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=75}} He continued to battle for the Democratic Party, "first, last, and always" in competition with the Republican ''Oregon State Journal'' and the short-lived ''Eugene City Hawk-Eye,'' which professed allegiance to the similarly shorter-lived Oregon Independent Party, which ran a full slate of candidates for state and local office in the election of 1874.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=76-77}}

Buys ended his tenure as owner of ''The Guard'' in May 1877 when he sold out to the sons of the original publisher, F.{{nbsp}}R. Alexander and W.{{nbsp}}R. Alexander.{{sfn|Price|1976|page=78-79}} Their stint as publishers was nearly as brief as their father's, and in November 1878 they sold the paper yet again, this time to the brothers John{{nbsp}}R. Campbell and Ira Campbell,<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 11, 1878 |title=Oregon. |work=The Oregonian |pages=1}}</ref> who would remain owners for 30 years.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 24, 1913 |title="Thirty" For Pioneer Publisher of Eugene {{!}} John R. Campbell Spent Life-time in Building Up Lane County |work=The Oregon Daily Journal |pages=4}}</ref>

===Growth===

[[File:The Eugene City Guard.png|thumb|The front page of the newspaper on November&nbsp;3, 1894]]

In 1890, the Eugene ''Guard'' became a daily newspaper.{{sfn|Turnbull|1939|loc=[[s:en:History of Oregon Newspapers/Lane County|Lane County]]}} Charles H. Fisher took over the paper in 1907 and published it until 1912 when E.{{nbsp}}J. Finneran purchased the paper.{{sfn|Turnbull|1939|loc=[[s:en:History of Oregon Newspapers/Lane County|Lane County]]}} Finneran bankrupted the newspaper in 1916, partly due to the purchase of a perfecting press that proved too expensive for such a small newspaper.{{sfn|Turnbull|1939|loc=[[s:en:History of Oregon Newspapers/Lane County|Lane County]]}} The [[University of Oregon]]'s journalism school briefly ran the paper during the [[receivership]] under the guidance of Eric{{nbsp}}W. Allen.{{sfn|Turnbull|1939|loc=[[s:en:History of Oregon Newspapers/Lane County|Lane County]]}}

In April 1916, Fisher returned along with partner J.{{nbsp}}E. Shelton, forming The Guard Printing Company. Fisher continued to publish the ''Capital Journal'' in [[Salem, Oregon|Salem]] until 1921.{{sfn|Turnbull|1939|loc=[[s:en:History of Oregon Newspapers/Lane County|Lane County]]}} In 1924, after Fisher died, Paul{{nbsp}}R. Kelty purchased the ''Guard'' and published it with his son, before selling it in 1927.{{sfn|Turnbull|1939|loc=[[s:en:History of Oregon Newspapers/Lane County|Lane County]]}} The paper was purchased in 1927 by publisher Alton{{nbsp}}F. Baker{{nbsp}}Sr., whose father had published ''[[The Plain Dealer]]''. Three years later, Baker bought the ''Morning Register'' and merged the two papers on November{{nbsp}}17, {{nowrap|1930;<ref name="risser"/><ref name=regsold>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E7hWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5227%2C7457751 |work=Eugene Guard |location=Oregon |title=''Register'' is sold, ''Guard'' buys paper |date=November 17, 1930 |page=1 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030606/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E7hWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5227%2C7457751 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} the first {{nowrap|''Register-Guard''}} edition was the next {{nowrap|afternoon.<ref name=hiopr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RpURAAAAIBAJ&pg=5600%2C16974 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |title=Here's index of paper |date=November 18, 1930 |page=1 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030629/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RpURAAAAIBAJ&pg=5600%2C16974 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Reporter William Tugman was recruited from ''The Plain Dealer'' to be the managing editor of the new paper.<ref>{{cite web | title = Alton F. Baker, Sr. Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame | publisher = Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association | url = http://www.orenews.com/About/halloffame/afbaker.html | access-date = March 15, 2008 | archive-date = October 12, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012025750/http://www.orenews.com/About/halloffame/afbaker.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

== Post-merger history ==

[[Image:Register-Guard entrance - Eugene Oregon.jpg|thumb|right|Company headquarters entrance]]
[[Image:Register-Guard building - Eugene Oregon.jpg|thumb|right|Register-Guard building]]

In 1953, Tugman was one of four editors in the country to sign a declaration opposing Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]]'s questioning of ''[[New York Post]]'' editor [[James Wechsler]] in closed [[United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations#Joseph McCarthy|Senate hearings]].<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Pace |first=Eric |title=Eugene Pulliam Is Dead at 84; Publisher Opposed McCarthy |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D03E6DF1E30F931A15752C0A96F958260&st=cse&sq=eugene+%22register-guard%22&scp=2# |access-date=March 17, 2008 |date=January 22, 1999 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030631/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/22/us/eugene-pulliam-is-dead-at-84-publisher-opposed-mccarthy.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Eugene {{nbsp}}S. Pulliam of ''[[The Indianapolis Star]]'', J.{{nbsp}}R. Wiggins of ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and Herbert Brucker of the ''[[Hartford Courant]]'' were the other editors to sign the declaration, calling Senator McCarthy's actions "a peril to American freedom."<ref name="nyt" />

Alton F. "Bunky" Baker Jr., son of Alton{{nbsp}}F. Baker{{nbsp}}Sr., inherited the newspaper in 1961 and later passed it on to his brother Edwin. In the late 1980s, it was handed down to Alton{{nbsp}}F. "Tony" Baker{{nbsp}}III,<ref name="risser"/> who remained the paper's editor and publisher for more than 28 years, until 2015.<ref name="anderson takes helm">{{cite news|last1=Pamplin Media Group|title=Oregonian Media leader Anderson takes helm at Register-Guard|work=[[Portland Tribune]]|date=May 5, 2015|url=http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/259194-130859-oregonian-media-leader-anderson-takes-helm-at-register-guard|access-date=July 6, 2015|archive-date=July 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706200743/http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/259194-130859-oregonian-media-leader-anderson-takes-helm-at-register-guard|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It was an afternoon paper on weekdays until 1983; the last evening edition was on Friday, September{{nbsp}}9, and it dropped "Eugene" from {{nowrap|its title.<ref name=rgeaer>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TW8RAAAAIBAJ&pg=1622%2C2020870 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |title=''Register-Guard'' ends an era |date=September 9, 1983 |page=1C |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030619/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TW8RAAAAIBAJ&pg=1622%2C2020870 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=swttomo>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pPlVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3013%2C3092481 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |last=Strycker |first=Lisa |title=The switch to mornings kept many working late |date=September 12, 1983 |page=1C |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030702/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pPlVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3013%2C3092481 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Saturday editions had shifted to mornings a dozen years earlier, in 1971; the last afternoon edition was {{nowrap|July 17.<ref name="rgeaer" /><ref name=sptbamo>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IdxVAAAAIBAJ&pg=1857%2C4792890 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |title=Saturday paper to be A.M. one |date=July 23, 1971 |page=1A |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030631/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IdxVAAAAIBAJ&pg=1857%2C4792890 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

In August 1996, a photographer and reporter from the paper were arrested by the [[United States Forest Service]] for [[trespass]]ing at the site of a timber protest in a national forest.<ref>Roberts, Paul. The federal chain-saw massacre: Clinton's Forest Service and clear-cut corruption; Report; Cover Story. ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'', June 1997. No. 1765, Vol. 294; Pg. 37; {{ISSN|0017-789X}}.</ref> The ''Register-Guard'' responded by suing the Forest Service for violating the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] freedom of the press.<ref name="sue" /> The criminal charges were later dropped and the civil suit was settled out of court.<ref name="sue">Stein, M. L. "D.A. Will Not Prosecute Two Reporters". ''Editor & Publisher Magazine'', April 26, 1997. News; Pg. 93.</ref>

Originally located in downtown Eugene, the paper moved to its current location in northeast Eugene in January 1998.<ref name="rg-web_contact">[http://rgweb.registerguard.com/rga/index.php/contacts/C15/ Contact us | The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025050548/http://rgweb.registerguard.com/rga/index.php/contacts/C15/ |date=October 25, 2007 }}. Retrieved on March 14, 2008.</ref> The former Register-Guard building was leased by the [[University of Oregon]] and renamed the Baker Downtown Center for the Baker family.<ref name=N&V>{{cite web |url=https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/dspace/bitstream/1794/552/1/NV_1999-01-22.pdf |title=Baker Center Welcomes New Tenants |date=January 22, 1999 |work=News & Views: Faculty and Staff Newsletter of the University of Oregon |publisher=[[University of Oregon]] |access-date=March 17, 2008 |archive-date=September 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912152823/https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/dspace/bitstream/1794/552/1/NV_1999-01-22.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The building houses the university's printing and mailing facility, archives, and continuing education program, as well as the Oregon Career Information System.<ref name="N&V" />

In 2000, the company began negotiations with the employee's union for a new contract, and during negotiations banned the use of the company email system by the union.<ref>Rosenberg, Jim. "E&P Technical: Arguing E-mail". ''Editor & Publisher Magazine'', August 1, 2007.</ref> This led to an [[unfair labor practice]] charge against the newspaper, with the [[National Labor Relations Board]] (NLRB) ruling for the paper in December 2007 that employers can ban employees' pro-union emails from the company email system.<ref>Mendelsohn, Fred. "E-mail in the workplace; A new National Labor Relations Board decision favors employers that ban pro-union e-mails by employees". ''[[Industrial Distribution]]'', March 1, 2008. Departments; Legal Watch; Pg. 34.</ref><ref>NLRB allows employers to restrict pro-union use of employer's e-mail system; The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that employers have the basic property right to regulate and restrict employee use of the company e-mail system. ''South Central Construction'', March 1, 2008. Construction Law; Pg. 31 Vol. 57 No. 3.</ref> The NLRB reconsidered the decision on emails on June 26, 2011, under a remand for reconsideration by the United States Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. Upon review, the NLRB agreed with the Court that the R-G violated union members' rights by changing rules. The new decision allowed Register-Guard employees to send union-related emails without restrictions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guard Publishing Co./The Eugene Register-Guard {{!}} National Labor Relations Board|url=https://www.nlrb.gov/case/36-CA-008842|access-date=January 5, 2021|website=nlrb.gov|archive-date=April 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408141238/https://www.nlrb.gov/case/36-CA-008842|url-status=live}}</ref> On December 27, 2014, the NLRB overturned the 2007 ruling with Purple Communications, Inc., which gave union members the right to send union emails during non-work time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nlpc.org/stories/2014/12/19/nlrb-ruling-gives-unions-advantage-e-mail-organizing|title=National Legal and Policy Center - Promoting Ethics In Public Life|website=National Legal & Policy Center|access-date=April 7, 2018|archive-date=September 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914041536/http://nlpc.org/stories/2014/12/19/nlrb-ruling-gives-unions-advantage-e-mail-organizing|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Sprague, Robert|title=Employee Electronic Communications in a Boundaryless World |date=January 19, 2015 |volume=53 |journal=University of Louisville Law Review |page=433 |ssrn = 2510919}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.natlawreview.com/article/nlrb-upends-legality-employer-email-policies|title=NLRB Upends Legality of Employer Email Policies|website=natlawreview.com|access-date=April 7, 2018|archive-date=April 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408210315/https://www.natlawreview.com/article/nlrb-upends-legality-employer-email-policies|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the weeks following the [[September&nbsp;11, 2001 attacks]], the newspaper saw a 1.6 percent increase in paper sales.<ref>Moses, Lucia. Reading a TREND: Circulation is up, amid war and terrorism, but will papers make the best of a bad situation? ''Editor and Publisher Magazine'', October 22, 2001.</ref> In 2006, the paper received protests regarding its policy against including birth announcements from same-sex couples.<ref name="weekly">Steffen, Suzi. [http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2006/12/21/coverstory.html "Maters or Paters Familias? Same-sex parents want their props from The Register-Guard".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203224749/http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2006/12/21/coverstory.html |date=December 3, 2008 }} ''[[Eugene Weekly]]'', December 21, 2006. Retrieved April 19, 2008.</ref>  It was reported that managing editor Dave Baker was very helpful when same-sex couples first complained "until he talked to Alton Baker{{nbsp}}[III], and then he stopped returning our phone calls."<ref name="weekly" /> In November 2008, the ''Register-Guard'' finally changed its policy and printed a birth announcement featuring names of both the child's female parents.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}<!-- http://www.basicrights.org/?p=482 Basic Rights Oregon is not a [[WP:RS]] for coverage of this topic on this article, they have a clear bias, please provide a neutral source (newspapers) or a source from this newspaper-->

In 2003, the newspaper reduced the width of the printing to {{convert|12.5|in|abbr=off|sp=us}} to reduce costs, and further shrank the paper to {{convert|11|in}} in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/eugene_paper_trims_size.html|title=Eugene paper trims size|last=Associated Press|date=May 31, 2009|work=The Oregonian|access-date=May 31, 2009|archive-date=June 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607234947/http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/eugene_paper_trims_size.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since June 17, 2008, by court order, access to the website of ''The Register-Guard'' has been blocked in Turkey because its [[domain name]] was once linked to a [[phishing]] scam.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why is Turkey censoring lingerie, antique books? |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/01/turkey-censoring-lingerie-antique-books.html |newspaper=[[Al-Monitor]] |date=January 29, 2015 |access-date=April 24, 2016 |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418163345/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/01/turkey-censoring-lingerie-antique-books.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2009, two separate layoffs reduced the newspaper's staff by [[Full-time equivalent|the equivalent of]] 41{{nbsp}}positions; by August 2009, it had 305 full- and part-time employees.<ref name="layoff2009">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004004105 |title=Eugene 'Register-Guard' Cuts Staff by Nearly 6% |magazine=[[Editor & Publisher]] |date=August 18, 2009 |access-date=August 19, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820222900/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004004105 |archive-date=August 20, 2009 }}</ref>  The company's management blamed the layoffs on the [[Late 2000s recession in the Americas|"lousy economy"]] and advertising revenues that were 16 percent below projections in May and about 25 percent for June, July, and the first half of August.<ref name="layoff2009" />

In May 2015, Tony Baker stepped down as the ''Register-Guard''{{'}}s editor and publisher, after 28{{nbsp}}years, making the end of an 88-year span in which someone from the Baker family had headed the paper.  He was succeeded as editor and publisher by N. Christian Anderson III, who had been publisher of ''[[The Oregonian]]'' since 2009 and president of the Oregonian Media Group since 2013.<ref name="anderson takes helm" />  Anderson began working in the new position on June 1, 2015,<ref name="embracing change">{{cite news|last=Baker|first=Tony|title=Embracing change at the R-G: Incoming publisher Chris Anderson led a dramatic shift in focus at The Oregonian|url=http://registerguard.com/rg/opinion/33137385-78/embracing-change-at-the-r-g.html.csp|access-date=July 6, 2015|work=The Register-Guard|date=May 31, 2015|archive-date=January 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110103723/http://registerguard.com/rg/opinion/33137385-78/embracing-change-at-the-r-g.html.csp|url-status=live}}</ref> but held it for less than seven months. In mid-December 2015, Tony Baker, the chairman of the Guard Publishing Company, announced that Anderson "is no longer Editor and Publisher" of the ''Register-Guard'', and that the Baker family was taking control again.<ref name="jaquiss2015dec">{{cite news|last=Jaquiss|first=Nigel|author-link=Nigel Jaquiss|title=Former Oregonian Publisher Out as Editor and Publisher at Eugene Register Guard|newspaper=[[Willamette Week]]|date=December 18, 2015|url=http://www.wweek.com/2015/12/18/former-oregonian-publisher-out-at-editor-and-publisher-at-eugene-register-guard/|access-date=December 18, 2015|archive-date=December 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220230521/http://www.wweek.com/2015/12/18/former-oregonian-publisher-out-at-editor-and-publisher-at-eugene-register-guard/|url-status=live}}</ref> Tony Baker returned to the position of editor and publisher.  In July 2016, Logan Molen took over as publisher and CEO of RG Media Company<ref name="rg-2016jun11">{{cite news|last=Russo|first=Ed|title=Logan Molen Named RG Media Company publisher, chief executive|url=http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34457770-75/logan-molen-named-new-rg-media-company-publisher-chief-executive.html.csp|access-date=July 16, 2016|work=The Register-Guard|date=June 11, 2016}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> (the newspaper, marketing, advertising and digital services part of Guard Publishing Company), while Baker remained as chairman of the board of Guard Publishing.<ref name="directory">{{cite news|title=Staff Directory (Administration section)|date=January 3, 2018|url=http://projects.registerguard.com/staff/|newspaper=The Register-Guard|access-date=January 3, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216213358/http://projects.registerguard.com/staff/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Sale to GateHouse Media===

In January 2018, the ''Register-Guard'' announced its sale to newspaper conglomerate [[GateHouse Media]].<ref name="RG_Sale"/> The paper's ownership was officially transferred on March 1 of that year, with Molen replaced as publisher by GateHouse hire Shanna Cannon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/36503921-75/shanna-cannon-named-publisher-of-the-register-guard.html.csp|title=Shanna Cannon named publisher of The Register-Guard|date=March 2, 2018|newspaper=The Register-Guard|last=Glucklich|first=Elon|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302183158/http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/36503921-75/shanna-cannon-named-publisher-of-the-register-guard.html.csp|url-status=live}}</ref> One of the first actions was to close the statehouse bureau.

===Ownership by Gannett===
GateHouse Media purchased Gannett in November 2019, retaining the Gannett name for the merged operation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gannett shareholders approve GateHouse merger|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/14/media/gannett-gatehouse-merger-approved/index.html|author=Kerry Flynn|website=CNN|access-date=May 8, 2020|archive-date=April 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421123312/https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/14/media/gannett-gatehouse-merger-approved/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2020, Cannon departed the paper. Gannett announced Executive Editor Alison Bath would resume leadership of the newspaper.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=The Register-Guard|url=https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200309/leadership-transition-announced-for-register-guard|title=Leadership transition announced for The Register-Guard|date=March 9, 2020|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=March 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310121619/https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200309/leadership-transition-announced-for-register-guard|url-status=live}}</ref> Gannett eliminated the executive editor position May{{nbsp}}2, 2020, citing the ongoing integration of Gatehouse-Gannett merger. Managing Editor Michelle Maxwell is the highest-ranking editor in the Eugene newsroom. The ''Register-Guard'' will collaborate more closely in the Gannett network and with Pacific Northwest newsrooms, including the ''Statesman Journal'' in Salem, Oregon; the ''Kitsap Sun'' in Bremerton, Washington, and the ''Great Falls Tribune'' in Montana.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Register-Guard|first=The|title=Paper announces collaborations, changes|url=https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200426/paper-announces-collaborations-changes|access-date=January 5, 2021|website=The Register-Guard|language=en|archive-date=January 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103164424/https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200426/paper-announces-collaborations-changes|url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2022, ''The'' ''Register-Guard'' moved to a six day printing schedule, eliminating its printed Saturday edition.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Turning the page on Saturday print|url=https://www.registerguard.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/03/25/turning-the-page-on-saturday-print-register-guard-newspapers/65346573007/|website=The Register-Guard|access-date=2025-12-02|language=en-US|first=Don|last=Kahle}}</ref>

In May 2023, it was reported that since the paper's sale in 2018, the newsroom staff had shrunk from over eighty employees to six (including only two reporters), the paper no longer employed a local editor, publisher, or advertising representatives, and all advertising and editorial decisions were now made by the staff of Salem's ''[[Statesman-Journal]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/05/eugene-register-guard-languishes-under-gannett-nations-largest-newspaper-chain.html|title=Eugene Register-Guard languishes under Gannett, nation's largest newspaper chain|last=Manning|first=Jeff|newspaper=[[The Oregonian]]|date=May 21, 2023|accessdate=October 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529102411/https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/05/eugene-register-guard-languishes-under-gannett-nations-largest-newspaper-chain.html|archive-date=May 29, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Awards==
The paper won in a tie for best feature photo in 1997 from the [[Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association]].<ref>The Associated Press. Oregonian wins 14 top honors. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', July 19, 1997.</ref> In 1998, the paper took first place for science reporting from the Pacific Northwest Society of Professional Journalists competition for Excellence in Journalism.<ref>Journalism awards. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', May 17, 1998.</ref> ''The Register-Guard'' took first place in the same competition in 2001 for best arts coverage.<ref>The Oregonian takes 13 firsts in contest. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', May 21, 2001.</ref> In 1999, the newspaper was a [[Pulitzer Prize]] finalist for Spot News Photography, for its coverage of the community's reaction to shootings at Springfield's [[Thurston High School]] by student [[Kip Kinkel]].<ref name="pulitzer1999">''[http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1999/spot-news-photography/ 1999 Pulitzer Prize Winners - Spot News Photography, Citation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329123905/http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1999/spot-news-photography/ |date=March 29, 2008 }},'' [[Columbia University]]. Retrieved March 16, 2008.</ref>

The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association's 2010 General Excellence Award again went to ''The Register-Guard'', and so did the association's Best Overall Website award.<ref>[http://www2.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/static/pages/news/the-register-guard-awards "Register-Guard wins recognition."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803050346/http://www2.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/static/pages/news/the-register-guard-awards/ |date=August 3, 2010 }} Retrieved August 8, 2010.</ref>

== See also ==

{{Portal|Journalism|Oregon}}

* [[Alton Baker Park]], named for founder Alton F. Baker Sr.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=678&PageID=1567&cached=true&mode=2&userID=2 |title=Alton Baker Park |publisher=City of Eugene |access-date=March 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090728223713/http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=678&PageID=1567&cached=true&mode=2&userID=2 |archive-date=July 28, 2009 }}</ref>

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite Q|Q59292561|ref={{sfnref|Price|1976}}}}
* {{cite Q|Q56862211|ref={{sfnref|Turnbull|1939}}}}

== External links ==

* [https://www.registerguard.com/ ''The Register-Guard'' website]
* [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=4pF9x-cDGsoC ''Eugene Register-Guard,''] Google news archive. <small>—PDFs for 35,126 issues, dating from 1867 through 2008.</small>

{{Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association}}
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[[Category:1867 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Mass media in Eugene, Oregon]]
[[Category:Newspapers published in Oregon]]
[[Category:Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association]]
[[Category:Newspapers established in 1867]]