News, Fake News, & Democracy

Veteran journalist Floyd McKay will discuss the political forces and personalities that shaped modern Oregon, with a particular focus on the political rivalry of Bob Straub and Tom McCall. McKay is the author of 'Reporting the Oregon Story: How Activists and Visionaries Transformed a State.'

Oregon entered a new era in 1964 with the election of Tom McCall as Secretary of State and Bob Straub as State Treasurer. Their political rivalry formed the backdrop for two of Oregon's most transformative decades, as they successively fought for, lost, and won the governorship. Floyd McKay had a front-row seat as a political reporter for The Oregon Statesman in Salem, and then as news analyst for KGW-TV in Portland. Later in his career, he chaired the Department of Journalism at Western Washington University.