Stories We Tell

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. While place descriptions and news events may coincide with the real world, all characters and the plot are fictional.
Stories We Tell is the first book in the Newsroom PDX series by L.J. Breedlove, and was first published in January 2024. 
The series centers around the students involved in the Eyewitness News broadcast station at Portland State University. The story is told in third person, with the perspective moving between characters.
The cover shows one of the main characters, Cage Washington, crouched with his videocamera.
== Publisher Description ==
Are we journalists or aren't we?
There was no doubt in Cage Washington's mind. The student-run Eyewitness News had to cover the Black Lives Matter protests in the streets of downtown Portland. He stood with his video-camera in hand, and waited for his best friend and editor-in-chief to make up his mind.
Cage had been down there at the protests last night. He watched the cops fire on protesters. Watched protesters break into the federal building. His own eyes were streaming from the tear gas. He was ordering gas masks for his videographer staff today - if he could find any in town.
"Yes," Ryan Matthews said. "Cover it." He smiled wryly at his friend. "Are we journalists or aren't we?"
"We are now," Cage said.
Join EWN in Newsroom PDX a new adult, political suspense series about Portland's protests, the pandemic, and college. Foul language, some sex, a bit kinky, lots of politics - the series and the city.
Book 1 in the series: Newsroom PDX.
Released: January 10, 2024
== Period covered: ==
Friday May 22, 2020 to Thursday June 4, 2020
== Real life news background: ==
* Oregon Governor approves the re-opening of Clackamas County from May 23, 2020 while the adjacent Multnomah County remains in lock-down (Willamette Week).
* Memorial Day celebration (SourceWeekly)
* Impact of Trump's Promotion of Unproven COVID-19 Treatments and Subsequent Internet Trends: Observational Study (PubMed)
* Death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis (ABC News)
* Timeline of events in shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson (AP News)
* Peaceful protest in solidarity, in downtown Portland (OregonLive)
* A Dispute Over a Muslim Student’s Remarks Costs a College Journalist His Job, And Brings National Furor to Portland State University (Willamette Week)
* A vigil was organized by the PNW Youth Liberation Front at Peninsula Park, in the Piedmont neighborhood of North Portland. After hours of largely peaceful demonstrations, protestors marched to the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown Portland. (OregonLive).
* Occupy ICE PDX: a timeline of the Portland encampment (Oregon News)
* Police lock down the downtown area and barricade exits from the I-405. The Portland Mayor declares a state of emergency, including a curfew. (Willamette Week)
* Protestors gather at Laurelhurst Park, and march to downtown Portland (The Oregonian)
* Massive crowds gathered in Portland for a fourth evening of protests. There was a limited police presence, and demonstrators remained peaceful during the 5 hour march. (OPB News)
* Teargas Tuesday - Police use massive amounts of teargas to break up protests in downtown Portland (The Guardian)
* Massive protest march against police brutality (OPB News)
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