​​Active Media Revives West Side Newspaper

A local print newspaper is the backbone of a thriving community like West Salem. For nearly a year, however, our city has lacked dedicated print coverage of its people and stories. 

Now, that changes. The West Side Newspaper returns from its year-long hiatus, ready to reconnect, inform, and unite West Salem as never before.

This exciting initiative comes from Matthew Nelson and Active Media Publishing. The Oregon-based publisher has 25 years of industry experience and a growing love for informing and connecting communities through local news.

Matthew Nelson first dipped his toe into the newspaper industry at the age of 10, when he delivered Beaverton’s Valley Times three times a week, peddling between stops on his Schwinn.

“I always thought that was the extent of my newspaper career until three years ago,” he says. That’s when Nelson ran across The Mountain Times, a newspaper based in Welches, Oregon. “It was a ton of work, but my office staff and I, quite honestly, got so much enjoyment writing stories and getting to know everybody in the community up there, that we decided to peek around and see what other opportunities might be available.”

His search led him to the West Side Newspaper, a recently shuttered West Salem publication with a devoted community surrounding it. The choice was obvious. “We’ve gotten an overwhelmingly positive response from the community,” says Nelson. “It looks like the residents and businesses in the West Salem area are as excited as we are to have the paper come back.”

Indeed, community involvement will be at the heart of the West Side Newspaper. Nelson insists that he and his team maintain an open dialogue with their readers. Emails, social media comments, and even mailed letters are always welcome. “We’re just trying to build a paper where people can feel a closer connection to their own community.”

That closer connection will come in a monthly print edition of the paper that’s packed with news, events, and milestones that honor the lives of locals who have gotten engaged or married, graduated, passed away, or celebrated a monumental birthday.

All that new content will be based in a version of the West Side Newspaper that’s familiar to longtime readers. “We have all the historical copies of the paper from before,” says Nelson. “And we’re going to blend those familiar elements with some newer ideas. For example, we’re excited to deliver the Community Calendar in the center section of the paper where we stuff as many community events as we can. So, when people are looking for places to go or things to do, they’ll have a consistent place to look.” 

One thing you won’t find in the revived West Side Newspaper is international news. “The paper will be packed full of local stories and columns and as much West Salem as we can get into the pages. We’re not interested in national or international news, unless it directly ties to somebody in the West Salem area.”

The goal of the West Side Newspaper isn’t to polarize or divide. Its purpose is to connect. Says Nelson, “We want to reinforce all the positive things that sometimes go unnoticed. That the community should know about. You know, good things. Good things happen to people every day.”

The West Side Newspaper will arrive in mailboxes beginning in November. Join us as we rebuild a trusted voice for West Salem and shape the community together.

Have some thoughts? Want to contribute or support the paper? Let us know! We’d love to get to know you! Send a message to westsidenewspaper@gmail.com.