(Photo courtesy of FORJ)
Mark Your Calendars for the FORJ 2026 Rural and Small-Town Journalism Conference!
Registration Now Open!
July 29: Welcome Reception
July 30: Full-Day Conference
Join us for our fourth conference for journalists, philanthropists, strategists and leading academics on the beautiful campus of Central Oregon Community College! This conference is free to attend, but registration is required.
FORJ is committed to strengthening the long‑term infrastructure, workforce, and shared systems that independent, rural, small‑town, and emerging local news organizations need to thrive. Join us for this once-a-year event that brings our community together to sustain journalism in Oregon.
The agenda will include:
- Keynote: Community journalism
- Lunchtime Roundtable
- Emerging Models Track with three sessions
- Digital Strategies Track with three sessions
- Supporting Rural Reporters with three sessions
- Capstone
Lodging is available in on-campus housing. Please be sure to complete the form linked from the conference registration.
Register for the Conference
Join Us for the Welcome Reception!
On the evening before the conference, gather together with independent rural and small-town publishers from across Oregon with state and regional philanthropic leaders who care about the future of community-based journalism.
In addition to networking and conversation, Adam Davis of NW Opinions will present highlights from the Oregon Independent Publisher Sustainability Report, offering new statewide insights into the challenges and opportunities facing rural and small-town news organizations.
Join us from 5-7pm on Wednesday, July 29 at Elevation on the COCC campus for heavy appetizers along with a hosted bar. While this event is free, attendance is limited to the first 125 registrants. The reception is designed to spark connection, shared understanding, and practical pathways for supporting sustainable community-based journalism across Oregon.
Register for the Reception
Homelessness: Real Stories, Real Solutions
Take our quiz and help evaluate community knowledge and perceptions of homelessness.
Over the past 18 months, we have shared 31 in-depth stories seeking to dispel myths about homeless community members through FORJ Lab’s Homelessness: Real Stories, Real Solutions series.
Central Oregonians are invited to take a short, anonymous quiz to help us understand what community members learned and whether perceptions have shifted around homelessness since the beginning of the project.
This quick quiz takes about three minutes to complete will be open through the month of May. Please take a moment to share your perspectives with us!
