Floyd McKay

Floyd J. McKay, emeritus professor of journalism at Western Washington University, covered Pacific Northwest politics as a reporter and opinion writer for four decades, primarily in Oregon. He was commentator/news analyst at KGW-TV (King Broadcasting) from 1970 to 1987. Previously a print reporter, he returned to print and online reporting and commentary from 2004 to 2017 with the Seattle Times Op-ed page and Crosscut.com. He is the author of Reporting the Oregon Story: How Activists and Visionaries Transformed a State (Oregon State University Press, 2016). He lives in Bellingham.

Water come to the News Desert: Bellingham’s New Cascadia News Launches

The inaugural issues of Cascadia Daily News are so superior to current issues of the Bellingham Herald as to force the hedge fund owners of the Herald to look at their hole cards.

Could Nick Kristof Be Oregon’s Next Governor?

Kristof’s candidacy is not the only factor to promise an unusual race for governor.

So Long Henry! An Iconic Northwest Beer is No More

Ironically, for many in the generation before fancy craft beer, the legacy of Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve is not the beer itself. The legacy is the wild and whacky television commercials created to promote the beer.

Nicholas Kristof — The Next Governor of Oregon?

A columnist has only one boss, his editor, who can also stand between him and angry detractors. A governor—even a candidate for governor—is naked against the scorn. Even veterans of other offices are often surprised by how incredibly personal being a governor can be, and how lonely. 

Is Eastern Oregon Quitting Oregon to join “Greater Idaho”? Er… No

Oregon has a governance crisis, directly related to becoming a one-party state. The history of single-party domination is often that of drifting to the fringes of left or right. Oregon is no exception. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is widely disliked in rural areas; she is generally seen as the typical Portland liberal.

Oregon Gains a Congressional Seat (But Where?)

So, slam dunk for the Dems to score again in 2022, as new congressional borders are drawn? There is predictable pressure from Republicans to rebalance the delegation by drawing a new district that would look purple but could turn red. But it’s a long shot.

Hillary Was Right: A Parade of ‘Deplorables’

All this made for riveting evidence that would convict the former president -- if the jury was made up of ordinary citizens.

Why Bellingham’s Waterfront Took So Long, and Why It’s a Good Idea

There are two huge elephants in this room. One is climate change, since the project is on low-lying shorefront. The other is the railroad, cutting right through the project. All in all, a good fit for "The City of Subdued Excitement."

Turning the Day of Rage into a ‘Teachable Moment’ Faces Obstacles

Putting your comments or advice "on the air" so to speak with virtual learning means this goes into the homes of your students, where backlash is guaranteed.

Mad-Enraged to Mad-Deranged: Sanity and the American President

What should be clear is that Trump’s frontal attack on American elections and the threat of a bloodless coup must call forth a vigorous response from leaders of both parties. What should be obvious is that Trump’s mental struggles will not cease when he leaves office, nor will his cult-like hold on millions of Americans.

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