Mark Zusman (born 1954) is the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

and publisher of ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'', an

alternative newspaper An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...

and media company based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. He has been the paper's editor since 1983,Nicholas, Jonathan (January 9, 1984). "Free, and fresh, weekly". ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', p. B1. and became its publisher in 2015, when Richard Meeker stepped down from that position. ''Willamette Week'' is part of the City of Roses Newspaper Company, which also owns the ''

Santa Fe Reporter The ''Santa Fe Reporter'' (''SFR'') is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico. First published in 1974, the ''Santa Fe Reporter'' features reports on local news, politics, art and culture, and is published once a week o ...

'' in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

, and ''

Indy Week ''Indy Week'', formerly known as the ''Independent Weekly'' and originally the ''North Carolina Independent'', is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States, and distributed throughout the Res ...

'' in The Triangle area of North Carolina.

Career

Zusman and business partner Richard Meeker created City of Roses in 1982. In 2005, ''Willamette Week'' became the first and only weekly newspaper to win the

Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting The Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting has been awarded since 1953, under one name or another, for a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series in a U.S. news publicat ...

and the first to win a Pulitzer for a story that was first published on the web. In 1986, Zusman was awarded the

Gerald Loeb Award The Gerald Loeb Award, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was estab ...

for Business Journalism for stories he wrote about

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

, and in 1987 he won the Bruce Baer Award for journalism in Oregon for his coverage of Portland homeless advocate Michael Stoops. In 2013, Zusman was inducted into the

University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Hall of Achievement. During a 2016 roundtable discussion of local and national politics on an edition of

Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tra ...

's "Think Out Loud", he strongly criticized ''

'' for not endorsing a candidate in the presidential race. Zusman has been the president of the board of the Independent Media Institute based in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. He was elected to the board of the

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

-based

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) is a trade association of alternative weekly newspapers in North America. It provides services to many generally liberal or progressive weekly newspapers across the United States and in Canada. AA ...

(now the Association of Alternative Newsmedia) in 2005 and later served as its president. He serves as a judge for the

Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism The Ancil Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism was created at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication in 1999. The award was created "to honor the journalist of integrity and character who reports with insight and clarit ...

. Zusman taught journalism at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and has lectured at the Academy of Alternative Journalism at the

Medill School of Journalism The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It frequently ranks as the top school of journalism in the Unite ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and the

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (often abbreviated to The Cronkite School by its students and faculty), is one of the 24 independent schools at Arizona State University and is named in honor of veteran broadcast jo ...

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. He is also a former

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

East–West Center The East–West Center (EWC), or the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peopl ...

MusicfestNW & TechfestNW

Zusman and Meeker are the founders of

MusicfestNW MusicfestNW (MFNW) was a multi-venue music festival that took place every fall in Portland, Oregon from 2001 to 2018. In 2014 the format of the festival changed to a two-day waterfront music festival. The festival was organized by the alternative we ...

, a two-decades-old music festival that takes place in clubs throughout Portland and on the waterfront each summer. He is also a founder of

TechfestNW TechfestNW (TFNW) was an annual technology conference in Portland, Oregon that ran from 2012 to 2021. It was founded by ''Willamette Week'' editor Mark Zusman, and was the sister festival to MusicfestNW, which ran from 2001 to 2018. The event inclu ...

, an annual technology conference in Portland, Oregon which launched in 2011. As a frequent moderator, he brings a journalistic lens to main stage interviews with leaders in the tech space. Recent interviews have included technology journalist

Kara Swisher Kara Anne Swisher ( ) is an American journalist. She has covered the business of the internet since 1994. As of 2022, Swisher was a contributing editor at ''New York'', the host of the podcast ''Sway'', and the co-host of the podcast ''Pivot.'' ...

, co-founder of Recode; and

David Plouffe David Plouffe (; born May 27, 1967) is an American political and business strategist best known as the campaign manager for Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign. A long-time Democratic Party campaign consultant, he was a partner ...

, Obama campaign manager and former Uber exec.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zusman, Mark Living people 1954 births Journalists from Portland, Oregon University of Oregon faculty Northwestern University faculty Editors of Oregon newspapers Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon