The Stranger is thrilled to announce our brand new staff writer. His name is Micah Yip and we rescued him from a small newspaper in California (just kidding, they did great work, which is the reason we hired Micah). City Hall beware. We could tell you more about him, but we’ll just let him do that. He’s a writer after all.

Micah, who are you?

I’m a journalist from Northern California, born in the Bay Area, raised in a Sacramento suburb. My reporting background is in local government and social issues.

Some might accuse me of what my generation (annoyingly) calls a “performative male.” I crop my shirts, I use wired headphones, I like indie pop, I’m a slut for a tote bag. Sue me.

I’ve always had a deep desire to pursue justice and stand for what’s right, which is what drew me to journalism. I believe ethical, accessible journalism is essential to building a more free and just society. It keeps power in check, which is paramount today when our country is hurtling toward authoritarianism at breakneck speed.

Personality-wise, I feel I can be awkward, but I think it’s part of my charm (think Tom Holland’s Peter Parker). I’m a perfectionist and an overthinker. I love traveling and connecting with people. I enjoy a morning stroll to a coffee shop over a late-night club crawl. 

Perhaps most importantly, I am a son, an older brother, a friend, and a boyfriend. I’m mixed race—Chinese and white—and I’m proud of my heritage. 

Anyways, I am these things and more. “I contain multitudes,” or whatever that Walt Whitman quote is. 

Why did you decide to come to The Stranger?

I think most people believe good journalism is neutral, but I don’t—I believe journalism should be objective, accurate, fair and truthful, which isn’t always neutral. Journalists have a moral imperative to call out injustices and report truth, but we can’t do that if we legitimize viewpoints that cause harm. At The Stranger, I’m given the freedom to fulfill my duty as a journalist—seek truth and report it.

The Stranger also presents news that’s digestible. Legacy media can get too formal, whereas The Stranger is funny and readable, making it more accessible and appealing to a wider audience.

Also, the energy of the workplace is great. The people here are fun, collaborative, friendly, intelligent and hilarious, and I can be myself! 

What’s your favorite Stranger story you’ve ever read? Least favorite?

I enjoyed 20 Hours on the 1 and the Denny Blaine Park coverage. I don’t have a least favorite! 

You’re from California. What’s your favorite John Steinbeck novel? 

I think I read The Pearl in middle school?

You’re from California. Have you ever run from a fire? 

No. But have I run to a fire for a story? Also no. 

You’re from California. You’re allowed to share your opinion about Gavin Newsom now. What is it?

He had Ch*rlie K*rk on his podcast, so…

What are you obsessed with journalistically? 

Getting and spilling the tea, keeping democracy alive, those little flip-top reporter’s notebooks, NPR podcasts.

What are you obsessed with non-journalistically (personally)?

Indie coffee shops, cats, tote bags, hyper-specific Spotify playlists, my loved ones, NPR podcasts.

Do you care about sports? If not, what is the closest thing to sports you care about? 

I liked the San Francisco Giants as a kid, so I still call myself a fan. But could I tell you a single player’s name today? Absolutely not. Regardless, I won’t be trading my Giants jersey for a Mariners one anytime soon. Sorry.

Do you have a favorite crime or criminal classification?

Arson. But only the kind that doesn’t hurt or kill people.

You’ve been here for four days. Do you know what “the Big Dumper” is? If not, what’s your best guess without Googling? 

The what now…??? I’m too scared to guess. 

Do you remember 9/11, or are you Gen-Z? 

I’m Gen-Z, so no, I don’t remember. It’s unfortunate because I hear we’re supposed to “never forget” or something.

Have you ever published a swear word before?

Sadly, no, not before joining The Stranger. FUCK. (There, I did it!)

Are you feeling quizzed?

Slightly. I haven’t brushed up on my Facts About Myself flashcards lately, so I might not be acing this one.

Do you wear wigs?

“Uh, no I do not.”

Have you worn wigs?

“No, I have not.”

Will you wear wigs?

“Maybe.”

When will you wear wigs?

“HahaHAHAAAAA!!!”

Without Googling, name four Seattle celebrities. If you don’t know, you can guess. 

Uhhh… Jimi Hendrix, Patrick Verona, Christian Gray, the Starbucks founder…?

Favorite band? 

Peach Pit. 

Favorite movie? 

This is simply an impossible question to answer. I have multiple: Spotlight, Lady Bird, The Farewell, the Star Wars prequels, or any MCU Spider-Man film. 

What form of transportation are you most excited about? Let’s find the answer this way. Fuck, marry, kill: The Washington state ferry, the light rail, King County Metro bus

Fuck the King County Metro, marry the light rail, kill the Washington state ferry. Fucking the metro is kinda risky, because it’s giving STI vibes, but I guess there’s protection for that. I’m marrying the light rail because it’s more reliable in my experience than the metro. And I’m killing the ferry because I’ve never used it, and I’m not marrying or fucking someone I haven’t met before. Just not my style, personally.

26 replies on “The Stranger Has a New News Writer!”

  2. “The Stranger also presents news that’s digestible.”

    Yeah, if you mean ignoring almost all the violent crime news in Seattle because a very tiny amount of it is committed by White people. So “progressive”.

  3. “I contain multitudes,” or whatever that Walt Whitman quote is.”

    It is “I can contain multitudes.”, and it doesn’t mean what you probably imagine that it means.

    It’s hilarious how you didn’t even bother to look it up to make sure you were correct. You’ll fit right in at The Stranger!

  5. You may notice a significant number of comments from a small faction of unmedicated weirdos here, their contributory numbers showing a direct and inverse correlation with their overall quality and value. Somewhat counter-intuitively we actually welcome these folks, as their participation here not only keeps them off the streets, but also provides for a dark, but fascinating glimpse into the demented mind.

  6. Welcome Micah,

    Just a minor nit with “but we can’t do that if we legitimize viewpoints that cause harm”

    It’s your job as a journalist to report on viewpoints, compare them, and offer critiques them, but the day you decide that a viewpoint is illegitimate, is the day you cease being a journalist.

  9. Do you have a favorite crime or criminal classification?

    Arson. But only the kind that doesn’t hurt or kill people.

    —————————–So coming from California, Micah Yip, which fire did you enjoy more? Palisades or Altadena? (The Stranger your sickness runs deep)

  10. Thomas Paine, on the virtues of magazines, wrote “a magazine, when properly conducted, is the nursery of genius: and by constantly accumulating new matter, becomes a kind of market for wit and utility.”

    However, Paine was critical of zines of his day, complaining “They are now the retailers of tale and nonsense. From elegance they sunk to simplicity, from simplicity to folly, and from folly to voluptuousness.”

    To anyone perusing Micah Yip’s introduction, it is abundantly clear what is forthcoming – another progressive satyr piping Ornette Coleman’s “Dancing in Your Head” into the night. But who knows, he could strike out and shock us with brilliant deviations from the suffocating conformity of TS.

  12. @12 – it was a stupid statement on the part of Yip which essentially apes the “progressive” / Antifa bullshit mantra that “property damage isn’t violence”.

  13. If I shoot a rocket launcher at your car while you are in it, but you are able to escape your car right before the rocket hit your car and exploded it, and you didn’t get hurt, would you consider my action to be “non-violent”? After all, I “only” destroyed your property.

  14. If i had to guess i would assume the stranger is messing with people like you by asking the question because it’s obviously a joke to anyone who doesn’t have brainworms and you guys are always in the comments clutching your pearls but who am i to say, maybe micah actually loves when people die and their property is destroyed in a senseless tragedy and he’s just faking you out by qualifying it with no death or harm. Or maybe he likes arson that hurts/kills animals! So many ways to find offense in there if you look hard enough for it. Can you find a few more. I’ll bet you can!

    (also technically i think we call property damage vandalism but i’m not the word police)

  16. @15 – “(also technically i think we call property damage vandalism but i’m not the word police)”

    So if I shoot a rocket launcher at your car while you are in it, but you are able to escape your car right before the rocket hit your car and exploded it, and you didn’t get hurt, I only “vandalized” your car?

  17. I’m surprised anyone still believes in the fantastical concept of “objective” journalism. While journalists can and should strive for fairness and accuracy, they still must make inherently subjective choices such as what and what not to cover and what facts to include and omit. The adjective you want is “professional.” That said, welcome.

  18. Are you under the impression that violence is a verb? Does assault or murder sound appropriate to you in this context? What verb would you prefer here and why does it matter so much that you’re willing to debase yourself by repeatedly crying about it?

    To me it sounds a bit off to call it violence when someone damages a non-living object but I don’t think it’s technically wrong because i think of violence as being defined by the nature of the act itself more than the recipient. Nonetheless the phrasing comes across as uncanny valley/english as 2nd language to me when describing property damage.

    Otoh it’s obviously wrong to say vandalism wrt harming a living thing, which suggests to me that violence and vandalism are equivalent acts that are distinguished by whether or not the recipient is a living thing, but just going off of vibes as a lifelong English speaker who is not a formal expert.

  19. So… an arsonist who desn’t like ferries and admits she won’t be objective, sounds like a great fit for the stranger. Welcome aboard!

  20. “It’s unfortunate because I hear we’re supposed to ‘never forget’ or something.”

    Ahahahahaha. Nothing like a mass casualty event that devastated thousands of families to go to for an oh-so-chic, dark humor bon mot. On behalf of my friends who had people on the planes and in the towers, you can fuck right off with your too-bored-to-care shit.

  21. JFC people! Having a favorite genre of crime is what supports vast swaths of the podcast industry, not to mention true crime TV shows and entire Netflix categories. That fucking Ed Gein series is currently number one in the nation!

    Ahyuck hyuck you must be an aRsOnisT hyuck hyuck! You sound like idiots.

  22. @21: Yeah I raised an eyebrow at that too cuz I certainly won’t forget my mother calling me at the crack of dawn screaming hysterically, spending days wondering what happened to my legally blind friend who worked in lower Manhattan and if anyone helped her walk across the bridge to Brooklyn. (They did, and she got to her boyfriend’s safely) but it was her 40th birthday and she didn’t celebrate it in the states again for years.

Comments are closed.