Should Oregon Wipe Away Criminal Records?

Oregon’s criminal justice system is in freefall, and now the media is getting in on the act of erasing history. It’s bad enough that we’ve seen the criminal justice system soften up over the years, making it easier for repeat offenders to escape accountability. But now, we’re witnessing a disturbing trend: newspapers and other outlets are actively scrubbing past crimes from public records, erasing details of violent acts and offenders’ histories.

It’s as if these media outlets have decided the public doesn’t need to know who these criminals really are, what they’ve done, or what their victims have endured. The latest example? Bottomly’s decision to not only ignore the facts but to completely rewrite them. We’ve gone from a place where newspapers served as the public’s watchdog, holding criminals and politicians accountable, to a situation where they erase the truth altogether. Imagine that—an armed robbery by a repeat offender? Doesn’t matter. They’ve scrubbed it from the history books. Meanwhile, lesser crimes are now wiped clean, and we have no idea who’s walking the streets anymore.

We’re not talking about minor infractions. We’re talking about expanding expungements to almost ALL crimes, leaving us in the dark. A few decades ago, a DUI arrest would be in the local paper for all to see. Now? It’s gone. No one will know that the state’s new AG was arrested for DUI—or any other crimes they’ve committed.

Should we stand by while the media and the justice system rewrite history? Listen to my conversation with former DA Josh Marquis to hear how dangerous this is, and why it’s a bigger problem than you think.