The Statesman Journal is the major aily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. It serves Salem, Keizer, and much of the Mid-Willamette Valley. It was formed in 1980 by the merger of the two main Salem newspapers, the Oregon Statesman and the Capital Journal. The Oregon Statesman was founded by Asahel Bush II for the Democratic Party. The Statesman Journal is currently owned by Gannett Co. Inc., the same company that publishes USA Today.