The Spokesman-Review

• 1. The 1893 Merger

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  On the 29th of June 1894, the first issue of The Spokesman-Review appeared in Spokane, Washington. This publication emerged from a merger between two earlier papers: the Spokane Falls Review and The Spokesman. The Spokane Falls Review had been established in 1883 as a joint venture involving local businessman A.M. Cannon alongside Henry Pittock and Harvey W. Scott of The Oregonian. The Spokesman itself began operations in 1890 before joining forces with its rival just three years later. The combined entity adopted its current name shortly after the consolidation was finalized. For decades, this new newspaper would become the sole daily broadsheet remaining in the city.

• 2. Cowles Family Control

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  W.H. Cowles acquired ownership of both predecessor newspapers in 1897, setting a long-term course for the business. Under his direction, The Spokesman-Review supported Republican Party causes while maintaining independence on other matters. Time magazine noted that the paper helped secure lower freight rates for the Northwest region and contributed to an improved park system. The publication gained popularity by opposing gambling, liquor, and prostitution within the community. When Cowles died in 1946, his son William H. Cowles Jr. took over as publisher. Managing editor James Bracken received significant news and editorial control during this transition period. The family retained ownership through 2025, making it one of the few remaining family-owned newspapers in the United States.

• 3. High Profile Conflicts

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  The newspaper faced national attention when President Harry Truman visited Spokane in 1948. He declared The Spokesman-Review one of the two worst newspapers in the nation alongside the Chicago Tribune due to its opposition to the New Deal and Fair Deal programs. A later controversy involved the River Park Square Parking Garage project between 1997 and 2004. Critics claimed the Cowles family profited up to $20 million from this public-private partnership. An independent review by the Washington News Council found the paper at fault for news bias regarding the garage issue. In 2004, a sting operation targeted Spokane mayor James E. West. Journalists conducted the investigation which some academics viewed as entrapment. West lost a recall vote in December 2005 before dying of cancer the following summer.

• 4. Circulation Decline And Shifts

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  According to data reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal on the 29th of April 2010, average Sunday circulation totaled 95,939 copies. Weekly circulation averaged 76,291 during that same period, representing a year-over-year decrease of about 10.5 percent. This downward trend mirrored patterns seen across newspapers throughout Washington state. The newspaper formerly published three distinct editions: a metro edition covering Spokane and outlying areas, a Spokane Valley edition, and an Idaho edition serving northern Idaho. After a large downsizing of the newsroom staff in November 2007, the paper moved to a single zoned format. This new structure emphasized localized Voices sections staffed primarily by non-union employees. The publication ceased printing its Saturday edition in April 2020.

• 5. Nonprofit Transition Plan

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  In 2025, the Cowles family announced it would donate The Spokesman-Review to the nonprofit Comma Community Journalism Laboratory. A few months later, Hagadone Media Group of Coeur d'Alene agreed to print the newspaper. This arrangement followed the announcement that Northwest Offset Printing had ceased operations as the previous in-house printer. Under editor Rob Curley, hired in 2016, circulation increased from 68,000 to 82,000 within one year according to a 2017 Rotary Club article. The paper remains the third-largest daily publication in Washington state after the Seattle Times and The News-Tribune of Tacoma. It continues to serve eastern Washington and northern Idaho with most readership concentrated in those regions.