Oregon Society of Professional Journalists Names Tess Riski Its Rookie of the Year

From the Department of Shameless Self-Promotion: The Oregon chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has named WW reporter Tess Riski its 2020 Rookie of the Year.

SPJ Oregon bestows that honor annually to the journalist who produced the state’s best work in a first full-time reporting job.

Riski, who covers criminal justice for WW, was singled out for her work covering 100 consecutive nights of Portland protests and the rise of QAnon in Oregon politics.

“The first months of 2020 were a unique moment to begin a journalism career,” wrote news editor Aaron Mesh in his nomination letter. “What sets her apart is her talent for identifying a meaningful trend and following it to its conclusion.”

Judge for yourself. Here are five stories Riski has written for WW that we think are worth your time.

Emergency Room Nurse J.R. McLain Has a Tough Job. Meth Is Making It Harder.

A Candidate for Congress Is Bringing the QAnon Conspiracy Theory to a Baseball Stadium Near You

Night After Night, Portlanders Confront Trump’s Violent Police in Downtown. It Feels Like a Party, and the End of the World.

For Nearly a Year, Teenagers Have Been Robbing Portland Dispensaries. Then Somebody Shot a Budtender.

A Portland Cop Killed a Man Who Had a Replica Gun. That’s Part of a Pattern.