The Sacramento Bee has been publishing original editorial cartoons since 1857, when it first started publishing. Today, we are excited to announce the hiring of a new editorial cartoonist - Jack Ohman, formerly of the (Portland) Oregonian…. During his career, Ohman has won nearly every major prize in his profession, including those from Sigma Delta Chi, the Overseas Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Robert F. Kennedy Award. In 2012, he won the Scripps Howard Journalism Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Announcing his departure from the Oregonian earlier this week, Ohman, 52, said: “I feel like I’m at the peak of my career.” He is.
I’ve been a fan of Jack Ohman’s work since I was in college. I went to Macalester College in St. Paul while Ohman was a student at the University of Minnesota a few miles away and across the Mississippi River. I first became aware of his talent during his time with the U of M’s daily newspaper, the Minnesota Daily. How good is Ohman? Good enough that he was syndicated at 19. He became the editorial cartoonist for The Oregonian in 1983, the same year I moved to Portland. Over the years, Ohman’s been one of the most honest public voices in Portland.
Yesterday it was announced that Ohman had accepted a buyout from The Oregonian and immediately hired by the Sacramento Bee. I don’t pretend to know the circumstances of Ohman’s departure; perhaps it was just time for a change. Whatever the case, there’s going to be a huge hole on The Oregonian’s editorial page, and it’s just one more example of why Portland’s daily newspaper is rushing headlong towards irrelevance. Though often claiming to aspire to be a major newspaper, it’s becoming increasingly clear that The Oregonian’s future is not bright. It’s a small town newspaper that seems destined to roll into mediocrity before arriving at its ultimate destination: extinction.
I wish Ohman well, and I’ll continue to follow his work. As for The Oregonian, it appears increasingly willing to settle for mediocrity and lower expectations. Instead of trying to compete and innovate, Portland’s newspaper appears to be caving in to the inevitable without a fight. I wonder if anyone will even notice when it disappears altogether?
