crosscut.com : Seattle Newspapers

The P-I's D. Parvaz will head to Harvard

Crosscut — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:00:01 PDT

Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorialist, pop culture writer, and columnist D. Parvaz has been named a Nieman Fellow and will head off to Harvard University for a year of studying, it was announced Friday, May 16. The Niemans are prestigious fellowships offered by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard.

Another devaluation of the Seattle Times Co.

Crosscut — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:10:01 PDT

Last week was tough for the folks at the Seattle Times Co. The flagship Seattle Times carried through on a plan to cut the paper's staff of 1,845 by about 7 percent, or 125 employees. Meanwhile, in a federal securities filing last Friday, May 9, Sacramento-based McClatchy Co., which owns 49.5 percent of the Times Co. voting stock, disclosed it is continuing to devalue its stake in the company.

Another mayoral spokesperson departs for the same nonprofit

Crosscut — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:57:01 PDT

Martin McOmber, senior communications and policy advisor for Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, will leave city employment on Wednesday, April 30, to join Casey Family Programs as communications director. McOmber will feel right at home at Casey, because the managing director of communications there, Marianne Bichsel, was herself spokesperson for the mayor before joining the foundation in Seattle last fall.

Alex Fryer, communications advisor at the Office of Sustainability and Environment, will fill in until the mayor names a new comm director — though the official City Hall announcement today sure makes it sound like the job is Fryer's to lose.

Can Conlin shape up the City Council?

Crosscut — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:34:01 PDT

Columnist Joni Balter of The Seattle Times has a good riff going in her attacks on Seattle City Council president Richard Conlin. She thinks Conlin is turning Seattle into "one giant kibbutz. Pesticide-free, of course." The latest to get her goat: Conlin's initiative to strengthen Seattle's food system, with all kinds of measures to promote healthy eating, healthy farmers, healthy attitudes.

The high legal cost of practicing journalism

Crosscut — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:00:01 PDT

The demise of newspapers is a very bad thing, and anyone who thinks the Internet will quickly step up to fill the void is delusional. It's hard, for example, to envision even an influential national blog mustering the resources to uncover what The New York Times reports today about retired generals who serve as expert commentators on TV:

Hidden behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a Pentagon information apparatus that has used those analysts in a campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration's wartime performance, an examination by The New York Times has found.

Music critic Melinda Bargreen takes buyout at The Seattle Times

Crosscut — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:00:01 PDT

After 31 years as classical music critic at The Seattle Times, Melinda Bargreen has decided to take a buyout offer. She may return, after some months, as a freelance music critic, and says she'll continue to write book reviews at the paper. Bargreen has been a reliably enthusiastic critic, particularly of the Symphony, Opera, and Seattle Chamber Music Society performances. A pianist, she also provided extensive and informed coverage of concert pianists. She has many close friends in music, extending back to her days at the University of Washington School of Music. Here's the letter she sent around to friends and colleagues:

Getting the spiritual scoop

Crosscut — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:00:01 PDT

Coverage of the Dalai Lama's visit suggests a way Seattle newspapers can get out of their funk: try boosting our spirit.

Kudos to journalists and Cantwell, caution to Lama lovers and trolley lines

Crosscut — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Crosscut readers no doubt by now are ready to cry "uncle" regarding our absorption with The Seattle Times' financial problems and the perilous state of our city's daily newspapers.

Growing up without newspapers

Crosscut — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:00:01 PDT

Sixth of a series: The youngest member of the Crosscut editorial team weighs in.

Why the Sonics should go away

Crosscut — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:00:01 PDT

Brave is the mortal who takes on Art Thiel, the Post-Intelligencer's ace sports columnist. Advocates for a Legislative fix for Husky stadium still think Thiel's withering column about that request sank the idea in a day. (Thiel dislikes the commercialization of college sports and has become the scourge of Huskies.) And now, he's arguing to defy the Oklahoma Sonics group until the last lawsuit dies. "Just say no," contends Big Art.

How to turn around The Seattle Times

Crosscut — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:00:01 PDT

Fifth of a series: Alumni of the newspaper offer their thoughts on what could be done to ensure survival of an important civic institution. Updated 2008-04-11 at 09:06

A surprise amid newspaper gloom: more younger readers

Crosscut — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:00:01 PDT

Fourth in a series: The Internet is destroying the economic model that sustained the newspaper industry for generations, but it is also bringing to newspaper Web sites younger readers.

Journeymen journalists out to pasture

Crosscut — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:00:01 PDT

Third of a series: The decline of newspapers is putting talented mid-career news people on the sidelines.

Don't sell the Times, sell products of it

Crosscut — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:00:01 PDT

Second of a series: What the proudly independent Seattle Times Co. most needs is an infusion of expansionist ideas by taking on a go-go partner.

The Seattle Times' suburban retreat

Crosscut — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:00:01 PDT

First of a series: Publisher Frank Blethen sought to conquer the Eastside but helped turn the suburbs into a daily newspaper desert.

Seattle Times Co. at a glance

Crosscut — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:00:01 PDT

Newspapers and Web sites in the northern corners of the U.S.

The Seattle Times Co. will cut about 200 jobs

Crosscut — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:00:01 PDT

Washington's biggest newspaper will reduce payroll through severance and attrition and cut $15 million from the operating budget this year. About two-thirds of the job cuts would come through actual layoffs.

After sell-off of the Times Co.'s Maine papers, a look at McClatchy

Crosscut — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:00:01 PDT

McClatchy Co. has an ownership interest in almost half of newspapers published daily in Washington, including the Seattle Times. Here's a look at how they may be faring and feeling in the wake of the Times' Maine newspaper sale.

Times Co. memo reveals dip in online ad revenue

Crosscut — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:00:01 PDT

Seattle Times Publisher Frank Blethen's new mantra for his paper's employees goes like this, according to an in-house memo circulated around the Seattle paper on Monday: "Survive…transform…transition…thrive." Sounds kind of catchy, but so far the Times seems to be hung up on the "survive" part.

Maybe it's not so easy keeping factories in Seattle

Crosscut — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:00:01 PDT

I'm a big fan of the Puget Sound Business Journal, which this week has a story about four high profile factories that might leave Seattle. A lot of media attention has followed efforts to keep Korry Electronics, which was looking at the Port of Seattle's Interbay site. (I refuse to call it North Bay.)