By David Horsey, Seattle PI
Well the dreaded day has come to pass; the last printed edition of the Seattle PI has been sold.
Now, it’s on to a new, and pretty damn exciting venture; the world of online news and information. People said it would never happen- that once the printed paper was gone, it would all be gone.
But no. Hearst has opted to take a brave step into the unknown- no other mainstream daily in the country has even attempted it, let alone created a successful model. The PI will struggle, it will have failures and it will have its share of successes. Hopefully, when all is said and done, it is around for another 150 years.
Changes are already noticeable. New sections displayed on the front page now highlight new, and for many unknown or unexplored voices. Community and neighborhood blogs are relishing in the new online traffic that comes with being featured on a site that already boasts half a million hits a day- more, now that curiosity has been piqued.
The Seattle Times has chosen to respond in their own special way, declaring the PI dead, and openly welcoming PI readers to their newspaper.
Well, Seattle Times, I have news for you. The Seattle PI isn’t dead- it has been reincarnated. It has new breath and new life. The possibilities for its success are endless.
Furthermore, there are two kinds of people in Seattle; those that read your paper, and those who would rather vomit in their mouths and swallow it back down.
Take your uppity, elitist, right-leaning paper and shove it where the pixels don’t shine.
We are standing by the PI. Sure they’ve made mistakes in the past; sure their coverage on some things could have been better. But they try. When their ear is pulled, they listen. They don’t seek to constantly cast certain Seattle residents and neighborhoods in an unfortunate light. There is a consciousness about the PI that you’ll never be able to touch because you have no desire to; it’s not in your line of sight at all, because you make the choice to turn the other way. There is no story you can cover that the PI can’t cover better.
News is bigger than 1 paper; in fact, it’s bigger than 2. It’s why we have sights like Publicola, Seattlest, or Crosscut, and neighborhood blogs like The Rainier Valley Post and the South Seattle Beacon.
Thus, consider this a refusal of your offer to cross over to the dark side.
Checking in for those who would rather vomit in their mouths. I loathe the Times.