Nigel deserved the award. He documented the story when others tried and failed, or failed to try.

He brought down the biggest powerbroker in the state, and the long term fallout isn't even close to being clear.

Nigel is far and away the best investigative reporter in town (and probably a geography far wider).

Will he stay at Willy Week? Hard to say. If I'm Zussman, I find a way.

I'm very excited for Nigel. This is a huge thing, equivalent in some respects to winning a Nobel. It could not have gone to a more deserving guy.

The story was a blockbuster and had a major impact in Oregon. But Pulitzer material? I wonder what the other nominees were. The WW coverage lists a number of people who should done something about the story they heard way back when. They were friends and family members of the young woman, many of whom are not now and have never been public figures. Is it the fault of turn-of-the-century public figures that these unknown people did not confront Goldschmidt? Someone fell down on the job when doing the background investigation for Goldschmidt's nomination to be Carter's Transportation Secretary. Neil should never have run for Governor with such a deep dark secret. But to my mind that is his responsibility more than "those who should have known". There was WW reporting about the girl's counseling files. Why weren't those made public then?

Yes, Neil is a criminal and it is an argument against statute of limitations on statutory rape. But the whole spectacle was unseemly. I esp. remember the horde of reporters as Kulongoski was leaving a military funeral. Why should he have taken his mind away from the funeral to answer stories as he was ambushed by reporters? Did the same reporters spend as much energy on the story of Oregon's Donald Walters and why it took so long to discover that he, not Jessica Lynch, was the hero of that ambush?

And why the insistence by some that everyone who had attended a certain holiday party "should have known" Neil's dark secret? Because of a rumor? How were "you were supposed to believe that rumor and go public with it" bullies any different than Bill Frist diagnosing Terri Schavio via videotape? Aren't they both cases of "what do you mean we should do the work of finding fact?" because sensationalism is better than serious, fact filled discussion?

Here is a quote from the WW coverage. It quotes "the Father of the Pearl District". The name of this site is BlueOREGON. How many people in counties removed from the Portland area could tell you what "the Pearl District" is, much less recognize this man's name? Yet, when this story first broke, it was as if any Oregonian who had ever met Goldschmidt should be hanging their head in shame and no other issue was more important. Mannix would like it still to be so--maybe someone will run for Gov. who never met Goldschmidt and make life difficult for those locked in the Mannix-Saxton struggle. There are other issues important to Oregonians, after all.

Al Solheim, a real-estate investor who has been called "The Father of the Pearl District," acknowledges that he knew Susan and that she told him in the mid-'80s about her abuse at Goldschmidt's hands. "This was a situation that was very difficult for her," Solheim recalls. "She was distressed."

Solheim believed Susan but was not sure what to do. "I was shocked," he says. "I thought about it for a couple of days. [Goldschmidt] was one of the great political figures of our time, and I knew if it became public it would be devastating."

Rather than approaching Goldschmidt, Solheim contacted a mutual friend, Bob Burtchaell, who had experience as a counselor and was also a private investigator. Burtchaell played basketball with Solheim and Goldschmidt when Goldschmidt was mayor. As WW has reported previously, Burtchaell became the middleman between the governor and Susan, getting her out of jams and mediating between the two of them or diverting her when she demanded to meet Goldschmidt.

LT raises a point about this being BlueOREGON, not BluePORTLAND. Sitting here in Central Oregon, it's like it's not relevant to me much of the time.

But, so what. Like I have written before, I read the Oregonian, watch the Portland TV channels, and have family in Portland. Like it or not, Portland is the big cheese in Oregon. Most people accept that over here. At times it is funny, like in January when the Democratic Party had its big organizational meeting in Portland, and nearly everyone from the east side of the State made it, but the people in Portland couldn't get off their porches. Sometimes it is sad, like being ignored, told you are a "dying" part of the country. Sometimes it makes you angry, like when again the Willamette Valley people want to take away or make very expensive our studded tires (as important as a seat belt in the winter here). But overall, there is Portland, and you just can't escape that reality no matter how much you want to.

LT writes that we don't know where the Pearl District is, or who the "father of the Pearl District" would be. Again I state, we read the Portland papers, watch the Portland TV, and have family over there. More to the point, few over there know where Juniper Canyon Road is or what is at the end of it; where Riverside Ranch is, or what is special about it; and why Post is of such geographic interest in Oregon.

(Answers to the quiz above - Prineville Reservoir, the "sage brush subdivision" that helped trigger Oregon's land use laws, and Post is the geographic center of Oregon.)

So, on the one hand, an urban Portlandite or Willamette Valley dweller should not assume that those of us in the rest of the State care or notice what your issues are about; but on the other hand, you shouldn't assume we don't know, because we often know a whole lot more than you give us credit for. But we can pretty much guarantee you don't know s--t about us.

Now that Nigel has won, hopefully he will stop using lars to get out his stories a day ahead of it being published. Nigel should just come out and say where he lies in the political arena and that goes for the rest of the WW writing staff. As you can tell I’m not a fan of the WW, the story was good and entertaining but that’s as far as it goes. Utilizing right wing media to pump your stories (from nigel, “lars is the only person in portland media in that goes after dishonesty and hypocrisy” that’s nice since lars is an outsider) says a lot about where the mindset of the WW is.

nice response Jeff...

as a former GP'er, i wouldn't mind hearing a bit about what's been happening "down south". that is, if there's any Blue Oregonians left outside of Ashland [if there are, i feel sorry for you].

Congrats to Jaquiss, WW and all that.

Regarding the comments about burning the Big O's britches, or how WW regularly kicks their pants, I would just offer this:

Having travelled extensively around the US, and read daily newspapers far and wide, we shouldn't be so quick to kick the O around. It's actually a pretty good paper(and no, I do not and never have worked thered). The front section actually includes stories of national and international significance. It makes an effort to cover suburban and downstate issues. Do I wish it was an even better paper? You bet. Do I wish they could get out of the mindset of casting everything as A vs. B? Yes, but I wish that of virtually all of the media.

But seriously, have you ever read the Chicago Tribune, Indianapolis Star, Cleveland Plain Dealer, any paper in Texas or anything owned by Gannett?

Remember, yesterday the O was listed as a finalist. That means 3 Pullitzers and a finalist in the Portland area in the past 5 years. How about a small amount of willingness to acknowledg there is some amount of good journalism being committed in Oregon?

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Rob KKKremer, it's spelled 'Zusman;' pay attention. Kari, the way you used it in a sentence leads me to ask: What does 'meme' mean? The ZerO editorial shamed themselves for spite -- dog-in-the-manger gnawing their own "finalist" bone preponderously and tossing off Jaquiss' grapes of glory with a sour "alternative" weakly. Although truth did out, as it ever does, there in "that no one in power deserves absolute trust." Probably what they meant was 'corrupts absolutely,' but adverbs belong sparingly and 'corrupt' is a dangerous word seen on the same page as The Oregonian masthead.

And for so many sleep-walking and tv-watching their years of life away, Who didn't know? Time spent in the flesh, talking with people, offers sight that all are failed, all have sinned. Fairly much proportionate, even -- the more the pius, the more the puke. The less, the less, as a rule. That's how everyone can know, sight unseen, (i.e., not 'knowing' in the biblical sense).

Applying that, know this: The ZerO powerstrokers knew all along, and held the secret (quid) for the leverage (pro quo). They don't believe in themselves to compete, so they monopolize. That's why Liars can't allow equal time and cuts people down and off -- when you see him monopolizing talk, then know he has an immorality he doesn't believe he can survive being said. And, to beat it unconscious, the taken-advantage-of 14-year-old girl/woman was not innocent then. Of course the retort is Goldschmidt was guilty. Fine and true. She was not innocent. I know of these things by proxy, which I might find time to share, good lord willin' and the creek don't rise.

[off-topic material deleted, including link to TomFlocco.com. -Editor.]

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Tom Flocco and Jeff Rense report, you decide credibility. Use what you got.

Speaking of which, (dismissal of unexamined gnarlies we don't want to face and figure out), I meant to mention before the PDXTrib's truculence. They picky-poked an offense to portland indymedia, whose complaint got an inky reply and, leaving that aside, the PDXT seemed deliberate to touch that website and/to snoot this one. Signalling BlueOregon is datum non grata there, among other things. I doubt Stanford wants to go there -- absolutism -- considering the flux, ('don't speak too soon for the wheel still it spins, the order is rapidly changing' -- Dylan), (and the blogs now will be later mainstream?).

But ... but, did anyone mention portland.indymedia.org here, in 'blogs we read'? Does anyone here think it's 'credible'? I think it's great.

TV distorts, I deride.

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"She was not innocent" says Tensk... You say this about a 14 year old - well below the age of consent? Shame on you for blaming the victim.

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One of the aspects, or points, is just that. I am not innocent, too. Are you?

We do what we can where we are set, and watch what we do, mindful. Like all of us, each child can and does raise a village.

Bottom line, though, mindfully reflecting: Who you gonna vote for?

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Congrats to NJ and WW. But I cannot believe that all of the story has been told. I would like to hear more about the Burtchaell connection.

<h2>Burtchaell was the Goldschmidt friend and private investigator who "dealt with" (i.e. silenced) the victim. First of all, this is unethical for a PI, and he was chastised before the state board (http://www.obi.state.or.us/08-06-04%20Minutes%20Reg%20Meeting.pdf see Item 6d). Second it is unethical for any citizen to cover up a crime (statutory rape), so he is essentially an accomplice. Third, he apparently benefitted from Goldschmidt owing him a favor. The orignal WW story details a sweetheart land deal for BB that NG pushed for approval. Fourth, after the orignal WW story broke, but before WW reported on Burtchaell's involvement, Burtchaell published an op/ed piece in the Oregonian criticizing WW for publishing the story and comparing NG to John F. Kennedy. Clearly trying to cover his tracks at that point. Fifth, BB's PI work is mainly for SAIF, which has been in the news plenty. One wonders if there is a political connection here too.</h2>