ELI: In a way, you are correct in that the explosion of media sources renders newspapers somewhat obsolete ["Stop the Presses," Eli Sanders, March 9]. However, most of those media sources feed off of daily newspapers, where most of the real, solid daily reporting actually happens. Blogs, radio, TV, other websites, etc. all utilize the reporting of daily newspapers as the basis for their commentary. And it's certainly true of national blogs.
The death of newspapers will leave a huge void in real, objective reporting. There will be plenty of outlets to report things, but much less solid information to report. Also, expect the Seattle Times to deteriorate quickly without competition. Lack of competition will almost immediately result in laziness, cutbacks, and excuses for shrinking or dropping important aspects of the paper.
As for an all-online newspaper, it has to happen. But the advertising revenue is lagging way behind the technology and need. I don't know why advertisers are so reluctant to switch to the web, which seemingly reaches more people more effectively than print, but they are.
Stephen Cornell, Pennsylvania
LOSE THE PRESSES, P-IELI: You've hit upon exactly what I've told the folks at the P-I again and again... go straight to the web and lose the presses. Your workforce can do most of their jobs via the web and video conferencing, so lose the big-ass building and all the overhead that goes with it, too.
They'd be leaner and meaner and still better than the Times. It would be so appropriate for the P-I to lead the way into the next wave of news "papering."
Misty Speck
MOURNING THE P-IDUMBASSES: The reason the death of the P-I is a bad thing has nothing to do with the P-I. It's because what we'll be left with is the Chamber of Commerce newsletter otherwise known as the Seattle Times. And that's a bad thing. At least the P-I tried—kinda, sorta—to reflect a little bit of Seattle's values. The Times has only one value: protect the elite. It will truly be a sad day when that is the sole daily print voice of our metropolitan area.
Dan Ballard
EVERYONE LOVES HORSESEDITOR: Kudos to Brian Barr for his excellent piece on Band of Horses ["America Is a Wild Place," March 9]. I saw them at Neumo's because of that piece and they blew me away. Not only that, but Neumo's was packed!
I would also like to add that it was one of the better articles I'd read in The Stranger because the writer let the band and music speak for itself and didn't show off with his writing. I hope to see more writing like that in the future.
Cas
D'LISH REVIEWBETHANY: I loved your review of Green Leaf! ["Green Leaf Love," Bethany Jean Clement, March 9.] My husband and I go there often and keep taking friends there to try their great dishes. It is a fantastic restaurant run by super-nice people. Glad to see them get some wonderful press.
Kathy Casey
LAWSUIT CITYEDITOR: Thank you for printing Erica Barnett's article "Unfunded Mandates" [March 9]. Those who are familiar with Mayor Gridlock's plan for an Alaskan Way tunnel know that he depends on a lot of "utility money" to bridge the funding gap. Yours is the first newspaper I have seen to question this practice.
The city has been sued on two occasions for improper use of utility money. The first lawsuit has Seattle City Light refunding customers for streetlight maintenance that the city was responsible for. The second lawsuit seeks the same for fire-hydrant maintenance (which, until the City Light lawsuit, was being handled by Seattle Public Utilities).
Using utility money for construction of a new tunnel seems like a surefire way to land the city in another lawsuit. This is just another reason to oppose the mayor's plan.
David Minear
FROM THE FORUMSPOSTED BY FUZED ON FEB 21: Citizens for More Important Things: Join up, add your comments, and get involved. No public money for professional sports. http://www.citizensformoreimportantthings.org
POSTED BY PRO-PAIN ON FEB 21: Thanks for sharing this site. I'm glad it exists.
"They spend money they don't have on the things they don't need..." (Fight Club)
CORRECTIONS: In her March 2 In the Hall column, Erica C. Barnett reported that the Seattle Neighborhood Coalition raised concerns about the Open Public Meetings Act. In fact, the group that raised those concerns was the Seattle Community Council Federation. Also, in the March 9 In Other News item on Aradia Women's Health Center's Pledge-a-Picketer program, we printed the wrong phone number. Those wishing to pledge should call Aradia at 323-9467 or donate online at www.aradia.org. We regret these errors.
