Portland loses an icon of journalistic integrity
Zane Sparling, 33, served the city with grace, covering sensitive public safety issues with humor and unflinching accuracy
Zane Sparling—a beacon for journalistic integrity in Portland—often said, “If you aren’t pissing off both the cops and the protesters, then you’re not doing your job.”
With the death of Sparling, 33, heartfelt tributes (not angry letters to the editor) have come rolling in from both cops and protesters. This devastating loss of a Portland treasure from a rare form of cancer showed how true journalists don’t serve whoever happens to be the antagonists of the day; Sparling served everyone selflessly.
As reported by The Oregonian, where Sparling had worked since 2021, he was a daily presence at the Multnomah County Courthouse. His reporting often covered protests in the city center and crime scenes in Old Town and the Pearl. He had previously reported news for the Portland Tribune, where he was a co-worker with the author of this obituary.
Sparling’s journalism could be both incisive and sensitive, cheeky and serious, while bringing attention to aspects of civic life that often would have otherwise gone unnoticed.
His most recent investigative series on a spat between a judge and the district attorney was both revealing and even-handed. With the most recent election filing deadline looming, Sparling knew that his efforts were timely, and The Oregonian thankfully supported his various hunches.
Sparling and his partner Suzette Smith, Portland Mercury arts and culture editor, encouraged each other through challenging careers in journalism. They served as models for how two writers can thrive together, even in our present-day publishing environment.
Sparling is also survived by his parents, Scott Sparling and Harriet Miller; uncle Michael Miller; and aunts Elaine Tarlton and Carolyn Sparling. Memorial services are pending.
Memorial contributions in Sparling’s name can be made to the EHE Foundation, which seeks treatments and a cure for epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, and to the Oregon High School Journalism Institute, where Sparling volunteered to impart his enthusiasm for journalism onto the next generation.
He was way too young. This was a nice tribute.