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Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. editor@thestranger.com (The Stranger Editor) webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Sat, 25 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Sat, 25 May 2013 09:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/23/glenn-beckwatch-cnns-atheist-plot-revealed http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/23/glenn-beckwatch-cnns-atheist-plot-revealed Paul Constant <p><a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes">Yesterday, Dan showed you</a> the awkward footage that ensued when CNN news-idiot Wolf Blitzer accidentally asked an atheist if she thanked the Lord for delivering her from the tornado. </p> <p>Today, <a href="http://christiannightmares.tumblr.com/post/51164159357/glenn-beck-wolf-blitzer-interview-with-atheist">Christian Nightmares notices</a> that Glenn Beck thinks the whole scenario smacks of a conspiracy. He begins, "I really like Wolf Blitzer, and I think he's a good man," but "that questioning was peculiar, even for Wolf, who I think is a religious man." Beck concludes that Blitzer was set up by a producer who is "<strong>sympathetic to the atheist plight</strong>" or "just doesn't like Christians." That producer knew the woman was an atheist but hid the information and told Blitzer to ask the question about God in order to raise awareness of atheism. "That was there for a reason," Beck says, knowingly.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="500" height="281" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/U1t48BB1H9E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/23/glenn-beckwatch-cnns-atheist-plot-revealed#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16858337&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media Religion http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/23/glenn-beckwatch-cnns-atheist-plot-revealed?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16858337&id=comments 20 Thu, 23 May 2013 16:34:39 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/22/breaking-news-pretty-woman-does-something-besides-look-good http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/22/breaking-news-pretty-woman-does-something-besides-look-good David Schmader <p>The opening line of a story on the SIFF premiere by the <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2021024264_nicolenamesxml.html">Seattle Times' Nicole Brodeur</a>:</p> <blockquote><p><strong>You look at director Lynn Shelton and think, &#8220;Why is she behind the camera?&#8221; Girl's a stunner.</strong></p></blockquote> <p>Brodeur was called out for her comment by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reelgrrlsseattle">Seattle's Reel Grrls</a>, and a short conversation ensued.</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:468px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/ebe5/1369249920-screen_shot_2013-05-22_at_12.11.18_pm.png" alt="Screen_shot_2013-05-22_at_12.11.18_PM.png" title="" width="456" height="241" /></div></p> <p>Thanks for fighting the good fight, Reel Grrls.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/22/breaking-news-pretty-woman-does-something-besides-look-good#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16844599&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> City SIFF Media The Ladies http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/22/breaking-news-pretty-woman-does-something-besides-look-good?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16844599&id=comments 22 Breaking News: Pretty Woman Does Something Besides Look Good! Wed, 22 May 2013 12:18:50 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes Dan Savage <p>But there atheists in Moore, Oklahoma:</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="500" height="281" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0LP3Zs_V_BQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Says <a href="http://boingboing.net/2013/05/21/cnn-to-tornado-victim-you-h.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">BoingBoing</a>: "This is CNN."</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16837782&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16837782&id=comments 61 Tue, 21 May 2013 17:36:24 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/fox-news-loathes-failure-unless-that-failure-turns-out-to-be-a-success http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/fox-news-loathes-failure-unless-that-failure-turns-out-to-be-a-success Paul Constant <p>Watch Tesla go from<strong> a Stimulus boondoggle to a thrilling private sector success</strong> on Fox News in just over two minutes:</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="500" height="281" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WcHkIWkecY8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/fox-news-loathes-failure-unless-that-failure-turns-out-to-be-a-success#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16785361&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/fox-news-loathes-failure-unless-that-failure-turns-out-to-be-a-success?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16785361&id=comments 9 Thu, 16 May 2013 11:38:00 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/obama-has-no-apologies-for-spying-on-reporters http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/obama-has-no-apologies-for-spying-on-reporters Dominic Holden <p>Because the president can seize stuff from news outlets when he's <a href="http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-no-apologies-for-investigating-leaks-of-classified">investigating a crime</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>Asked to address the controversial seizure of phone logs from Associated Press journalists by the Department of Justice, President Barack Obama on Thursday said he had no regrets for prosecuting individuals responsible for leaking classified information because they placed the country at risk.</p> <p>"I make no apologies and I don't think the American people would expect me as commander-in-chief not to be concerned about information that might compromise their missions or might get them killed," he said, standing alongside Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the White House Rose Garden.</p></blockquote> <p>I wonder <strong>how far this logic goes</strong>. If the Feds are investigating a murder in Los Angeles, can they just clean the hard drive of every <em>LA Times</em> reporter who may have gotten a tip?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/obama-has-no-apologies-for-spying-on-reporters#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16784950&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/obama-has-no-apologies-for-spying-on-reporters?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16784950&id=comments 24 Thu, 16 May 2013 10:57:30 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/the-way-to-leak-now http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/the-way-to-leak-now Eli Sanders <p><a href="http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/05/listen-up-future-deep-throats-this-is-how-to-leak-to-the-press-today/"><em>Wired</em> explains</a> how to be a confidential source in the age of Obama's leak investigations. Tools of the trade include "burner" phones, long walks, and hammers.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/the-way-to-leak-now#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16779236&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/16/the-way-to-leak-now?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16779236&id=comments 4 Thu, 16 May 2013 06:00:00 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/15/if-the-seattle-times-can-afford-7-editorial-board-members-surely-it-can-afford-an-ombudsman http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/15/if-the-seattle-times-can-afford-7-editorial-board-members-surely-it-can-afford-an-ombudsman Goldy <p>We all had a good chuckle yesterday over <em>Seattle Times</em> editorial board member Jonathan Martin's unselfconscious post about the "<a href="http://blogs.seattletimes.com/opinionnw/2013/05/14/the-strangers-obsession-with-the-seattle-times/"><em>The Stranger&#8217;s</em> obsession with the <em>Seattle Times</em></a>." Martin attempted to use our crappy search engine to find the number of times we've written about his paper since the beginning of the year (he says 22) compared to the number of times we've written about, say, "Ed Murray" or "the homeless" (Martin alleges 16 and 7, respectively). </p> <p>How many hours did he labor over Slog, typing in search phrases? Geez... talk about obsessed.</p> <p>But as usual when it comes to his editorial board, I question Martin's math. I can't make our search engine work any better than Martin, but I'd be damn surprised if I've personally written fewer than 22 posts critiquing the <em>Seattle Times</em> this year. And if I'm obsessed, it's not like I'm unaware. In fact, I'm frequently taunted for my <em>Seattle Times</em> posts within the office (fuck you, Paul). Indeed, a few years back, after <a href="http://horsesass.org/?p=5191">forcing their hand on a particularly big story</a>, I printed up <em>Seattle Times</em> business cards with the title "Volunteer Ombudsman."</p> <p>So yeah, I'm a bit obsessed with critiquing the publication that claims to be our state's unchallenged paper of record since it successfully drove Seattle's other daily out of business.</p> <p>That said, 22 posts on one subject may seem like an obsession to somebody like Martin, who only has <a href="http://search.nwsource.com/search?sort=date&from=ST&source=ST&byline=Jonathan%20Martin">39 bylines since January 1</a>, but it's a drop in the bucket within the context of the 3600-plus posts that have scrolled through Slog over that same period. I mean, a little perspective. As of yesterday afternoon, the <em>Seattle Times</em> entire seven-member editorial board had only generated 199 bylines this year, compared to 372 from me alone. Sure, when you throw in their approximately 200 unsigned editorials, they collectively have me beat. But not Paul, whose freakish 777 bylines this year (and counting) nearly doubles the combined output of the <em>Seattle Times</em> ed board.</p> <p>I'm not saying Martin and his colleagues are lazy. But if his paper can afford the luxury of a seven-member ed board, surely it can afford to <strong>hire a real ombudsman</strong> instead of relying on volunteers like me to keep it honest.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/15/if-the-seattle-times-can-afford-7-editorial-board-members-surely-it-can-afford-an-ombudsman#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16764861&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/15/if-the-seattle-times-can-afford-7-editorial-board-members-surely-it-can-afford-an-ombudsman?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16764861&id=comments 21 Wed, 15 May 2013 11:05:47 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/14/we-do-not-trust-photos-anymore http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/14/we-do-not-trust-photos-anymore Paul Constant <p><a href="http://mashable.com/2013/05/14/world-press-photo-fake/">Nina Frazier at Mashable</a> says that a controversy erupted over the Photo of the Year winner from the World Press Photo Foundation:</p> <blockquote><p>World Press Photo submitted the files for forensic review following controversy that spiraled from a blog post by image analyst Neal Krawetz, who alleged that the photo was actually a <strong>composite of three separate images</strong>. The story was later picked up by tech blog ExtremeTech.</p> <p>However, after carrying out its own investigation, World Press Photo said Krawetz's analysis is "deeply flawed."</p> <p>"It is clear that the published photo was retouched with respect to both global and local color and tone. Beyond this, however, we find no evidence of significant photo manipulation or compositing," two photo experts said in a World Press Photo statement released Tuesday.</p></blockquote> <p>Experts said that no pixel in the image, <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/05/14/world-press-photo-fake/">which is really quite striking</a>, was moved out of place, though the image did go through considerable lightening and darkening. It's getting easier and easier to manipulate photographs, and soon we'll be able to manipulate them on a granular level as soon as we take them&#8212;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/14/scalado-remove-clears-up-your-photos-we-go-hands-on-video/">this product</a> was a real eye-opener for me. So at what point do photos become as untrustworthy as drawings? Are we ever going to reach that point? Are we already there?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/14/we-do-not-trust-photos-anymore#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16765042&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media Visual Art http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/14/we-do-not-trust-photos-anymore?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16765042&id=comments 22 Tue, 14 May 2013 16:13:38 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/14/quick-everyone-insert-the-word-homeless-into-whatever-youre-writing http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/14/quick-everyone-insert-the-word-homeless-into-whatever-youre-writing Christopher Frizzelle <p>That's the problem with <em>The Stranger</em> lately. <a href="http://blogs.seattletimes.com/opinionnw/2013/05/14/the-strangers-obsession-with-the-seattle-times/">We haven't used the word "homeless" enough.</a> And we supposedly care about the homeless! </p> <p>In conclusion, homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless homeless Ed Murray.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/14/quick-everyone-insert-the-word-homeless-into-whatever-youre-writing#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16762462&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/14/quick-everyone-insert-the-word-homeless-into-whatever-youre-writing?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16762462&id=comments 28 Tue, 14 May 2013 10:45:10 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/but-will-the-male-fans-call-themselves-equestrionies http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/but-will-the-male-fans-call-themselves-equestrionies Anna Minard <p>From the <em>New York Times</em>, reports of a brand-new <em>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</em> spinoff that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/business/equestria-girls-a-my-little-pony-offshoot-in-its-movie-debut.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB">reimagines the horses as teenage girls</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>&#8220;We are responding to the desire by our fans to experience the brand in more ways,&#8221; said John A. Frascotti, Hasbro&#8217;s chief marketing officer. &#8220;They <strong>imagined themselves as which pony they would be</strong> or which pony they identified with the most.&#8221;</p> <p>So Hasbro created <strong>Equestria Girls</strong>, a parallel world in which the My Little Pony characters were reconceived as teenage girls in high school. To maintain continuity, Hasbro retained the same creative talent, animation style and message of friendship.</p></blockquote> <p>The full-length animated movie version of these new ponies-turned-teens will be released in June. Click over to the NYT story for a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/business/equestria-girls-a-my-little-pony-offshoot-in-its-movie-debut.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB">picture of the fillies</a>.</p> <p>Obviously, the real question is: Will <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/26/what-do-you-think-of-the-bronies-trailer&view=comments">Bronies</a> like this new universe? Or is this aimed at the original My Little Pony market of 5- to 10-year-old girls, who probably do identify with and imagine themselves as the characters? I can't tell. I mean, I kinda hope that adult male Pony fans are imagining which pony they would <em>be</em>, and not, you know, <strong>a different verb</strong>. But I don't know. I've mostly seen it go <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/25/brony-urges-man-to-stop-having-pretend-sex-with-his-imaginary-pony-fiance&view=comments">the other way</a>, and a new hot teen version makes that suuuuuuuper icky.</p> <p>Anyways, this is the actual world you live inside of, in case you were wondering, not a wacky Monday-afternoon asleep-at-the-desk dream. Real life! Brought to you by Hasbro.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/but-will-the-male-fans-call-themselves-equestrionies#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16755644&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Animals Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/but-will-the-male-fans-call-themselves-equestrionies?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16755644&id=comments 20 Mon, 13 May 2013 15:29:12 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/i-tried-to-complete-this-seattle-times-questionnaire-but-could-not-find-my-neighborhood-on-the-list http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/i-tried-to-complete-this-seattle-times-questionnaire-but-could-not-find-my-neighborhood-on-the-list Goldy <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/ffdb/1368482125-questionnaire.png" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/ffdb/1368482125-questionnaire.png" alt="questionnaire.png" title="" width="500" height="407" /></a></div></p> <p>Oh. South Seattle. Nice to see that the <em>Seattle Times</em> is so interested in targeting "relevant information" to the residents of Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Columbia City, Rainier Beach, Georgetown, South Park, Mount Baker, and Seward Park.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/i-tried-to-complete-this-seattle-times-questionnaire-but-could-not-find-my-neighborhood-on-the-list#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16755630&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> City Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/i-tried-to-complete-this-seattle-times-questionnaire-but-could-not-find-my-neighborhood-on-the-list?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16755630&id=comments 34 I Tried to Complete this <i>Seattle Times</i> Questionnaire, but Could Not Find My Neighborhood on the List Mon, 13 May 2013 15:13:35 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/our-creepy-government-secretly-obtained-ap-reporters-phone-records http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/our-creepy-government-secretly-obtained-ap-reporters-phone-records Paul Constant <p><a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/govt-obtains-wide-ap-phone-records-probe">The AP, appropriately, reports</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>The Justice Department <strong>secretly obtained two months of telephone records</strong> of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news.</p> <p>The records obtained by the Justice Department listed incoming and outgoing calls, and the duration of each call, for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and the main number for AP reporters in the House of Representatives press gallery, according to attorneys for the AP...<strong>The government would not say</strong> why it sought the records. U.S. officials have previously said in public testimony that the U.S. attorney in Washington is conducting a criminal investigation into who may have leaked information contained in a May 7, 2012, AP story about a foiled terror plot. The story disclosed details of a CIA operation in Yemen that stopped an al-Qaida plot in the spring of 2012 to detonate a bomb on an airplane bound for the United States.</p></blockquote> <p>You can <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/us-cia-thwarts-al-qaida-underwear-bomb-plot-200836835.html">read that May 7 story here</a>. President Obama's second term is quickly getting weighed down by these sorts of eminently avoidable scandals, and their liberal base isn't eager to defend them from critics, when they're committing shitty Bush-Administration-style acts like this.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/our-creepy-government-secretly-obtained-ap-reporters-phone-records#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16755135&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media Breaking News http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/our-creepy-government-secretly-obtained-ap-reporters-phone-records?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16755135&id=comments 18 Mon, 13 May 2013 14:13:10 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/white-man-news http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/white-man-news Charles Mudede <p><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/05/13/report-diversity-on-evening-cable-news-in-13-ch/194012">There is this</a>:<br /><blockquote>Cable News Guests Were Largely White Men. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, white men make up only 31 percent of the U.S. population. On evening cable news, they represented a much larger percentage of guests &#8212; 62 percent of guests on CNN, 60 percent on Fox, and 54 percent on MSNBC.</p></blockquote> <p>There is also this:<br /><blockquote>White Guests Hosted Most Often On Cable News. Fox News had the largest proportion of white guests &#8212; 83 percent. African-Americans were the largest non-white group on all networks, representing 19 percent, 10 percent, and 5 percent of guests on MSNBC, Fox, and CNN, respectively</blockquote> And this is the way <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States">it is</a>: <br /><blockquote>Non-Hispanic White or European America - 63.7 %</blockquote><br />Are we arriving at a stage in American history when there's no such thing as universal news programming? Meaning, in our moment, Fox and CNN are not transnational but instead are for white Americans what Univision is for Latin Americans and BET for black Americans.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/white-man-news#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16752647&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/white-man-news?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16752647&id=comments 18 Mon, 13 May 2013 07:35:58 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/a-new-person-for-the-internet-to-love http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/a-new-person-for-the-internet-to-love Wm.&#153; Steven Humphrey <p>Last week you loved <a href="http://gawker.com/the-guy-who-rescued-three-kidnapped-women-in-cleveland-493626030">Clarence Ramsey</a>&#8212;that is until you heard about <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/smoking-gun-cleveland-hero-charles-ramsey-a-repeated-domestic-abuser-with-jail-time/">this. </a>Now you feel uncomfortable about that. </p> <p>WELL, HAVE NO FEAR, because here's the NEWEST person for you to love on the internet: Melinda Brown Duncan BAY-BEE, who has a few choice and hilariously filthy (and on point) words to share with the leadership of Detroit. I'd vote for her anytime, and anywhere. (That is until we hear that she did something terrible. What a fickle internet we are!)</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="500" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wu-lcpiYMxU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/a-new-person-for-the-internet-to-love#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16731803&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media Teh Internets http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/a-new-person-for-the-internet-to-love?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16731803&id=comments 27 Fri, 10 May 2013 13:17:37 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/seattle-loses-another-local-publication-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/seattle-loses-another-local-publication-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of Unpaid Intern <p><em>Posted by news intern Ansel Herz</em></p> <p>In what certainly <em>looks</em> like the first casualty of right-wing media conglomerate Sinclair Broadcasting's <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/11/komo-tv-and-radio-acquired-by-right-wing-broadcast-group">takeover</a> of Fisher Communications, <a href="http://seattlepulp.com/" target="_blank">Seattle Pulp</a> has been shut down, along with Portland Pulp. The Seattle site launched two years ago and was billed as covering the city's lifestyle beat "with a more urban, witty and fun voice," targeting the 18-34 age demographic.</p> <p>However, Kevin Cotlove, Director of Content at KOMO, says closing the site had "nothing to do" with the pending Sinclair merger. "It was a business decision solely related to the performance of those sites." Fisher's website says the site earned a million annual pageviews.</p> <p>"I adored writing for Seattle Pulp," a former Pulp staff writer, who prefers not to be named, explained to me via email this morning. "We weren't huge, but we did <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Yr0YBRUoHU4J:www.seattlepulp.com/stories/Hey-slacker-If-you-ride-the-bus-get-yourself-to-this-very-important-Metro--206421841.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a">inform our readers</a> of interesting, local happenings... <strong>It's a sad day any time a locally-focused website is shuttered</strong>, because it means lost jobs and lost voices."</p> <p>RIP, Seattle Pulp.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/seattle-loses-another-local-publication-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16729249&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/seattle-loses-another-local-publication-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16729249&id=comments 10 Fri, 10 May 2013 10:37:30 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/heroic-village-voice-editors-quit-rather-than-laying-off-more-employees http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/heroic-village-voice-editors-quit-rather-than-laying-off-more-employees Paul Constant <p>The always-awesome <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/business/media/top-editors-abruptly-leave-village-voice.html?_r=0">David Carr at the <em>New York Times</em> writes</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>Will Bourne, who became editor in chief of <em>The Village Voice </em>in November, and Jessica Lustig, the deputy editor since January, are leaving the weekly publication.</p> <p>They met with the staff at 11 a.m. on Thursday and said that Christine Brennan, executive editor of Voice Media Group, had instructed them to lay off or drastically reduce the role of five employees on the 20-person staff. Rather than carrying out the cuts, they <strong>resigned and left immediately</strong>.</p></blockquote> <p>Good for Bourne and Lustig. Cutting (or drastically reducing) the staff of the<em> Voice</em> by a quarter would have been a truly awful experience. And working in that post-cut newsroom would probably have been <strong>worse than being unemployed</strong>. If these cuts go through, I can only imagine that the <em>Voice</em>'s scope is going to have to be drastically reduced.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/heroic-village-voice-editors-quit-rather-than-laying-off-more-employees#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16721089&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/heroic-village-voice-editors-quit-rather-than-laying-off-more-employees?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16721089&id=comments 5 Thu, 09 May 2013 12:18:18 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/seattle-times-tries-charging-its-reporters-to-access-their-own-website http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/seattle-times-tries-charging-its-reporters-to-access-their-own-website Dominic Holden <p>Yesterday I got a tip that <em>Seattle Times</em> employees&#8212;including the reporters&#8212;were expected to pony up for their own website's paywall (at a discounted rate, but pay nonetheless). Is that a real thing? As a reporter, I frequently have to search our website's online archives for linking, providing context, or developing backfill on articles. It didn't seem possible that a newspaper would actually charge its reporters for an essential function of their jobs. That would be <strong>like installing payphones on everyone's desk and pocketing the money</strong>. So I wrote to <em>Seattle Times</em> executive editor David Boardman:<blockquote>Hi, David. I just heard that <em>Seattle Times</em> reporters must pay to pass the newspaper's paywall (at a reduced rate). </p> <p>Is this accurate? If so, why is that the policy? What's the rate they pay? Does that complicate their own reporting? Like, how do reporters gather backfill from the paper's archives without paying? Have there been problems (reporters losing a password and/or having trouble looking at the website)? Have there been complaints?</p> <p>Thanks!</p> <p>Dominic Holden<br />News Editor, The Stranger</blockquote>Boardman replied this morning:</p> <blockquote><p>Hi, Dominic.</p> <p>Like most businesses that <strong>expect their employees to use the company's products</strong>, we have long encouraged our employees to have home subscriptions to the printed Seattle Times and have provided significant discounts for them to do so. Some only subscribe for the days they are not normally at work, where they get free copies.</p> <p>When we went to digital subscriptions, those who already had print subscriptions at home &#8212; even if only for the Sunday paper &#8212; received full, free access. Those who didn't were <strong>offered deeply discounted print/digital or digital-only subscriptions</strong>.</p> <p>Because full digital access is necessary for everyone in the newsroom, I offered all employees the opportunity to opt out of the subscription requirement if they felt they could not do it for either financial or philosophical reasons, and that we would pay for their subscription. I'm pleased to say that of nearly 200 newsroom employees, <strong>only seven took that option</strong>. So it's clearly not a big deal here. Everyone has full access and has since the digital-subscription program began.</p> <p>David</blockquote>Boardman is the best thing at that newspaper&#8212;and it sucks that his staff is asked to pay to do their jobs. It's nice of Boardman to provide a plan for opting out, but he shouldn't have to provide that plan. Moreover, reporters shouldn't feel like they're <strong>drawing unwanted attention by asking to opt out</strong>.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/seattle-times-tries-charging-its-reporters-to-access-their-own-website#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16720058&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/seattle-times-tries-charging-its-reporters-to-access-their-own-website?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16720058&id=comments 53 Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:56 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/08/seattle-weekly-eliminates-restaurant-critic-position http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/08/seattle-weekly-eliminates-restaurant-critic-position Bethany Jean Clement <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:160px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/49bc/1368117916-screen_shot_2013-05-09_at_9.44.51_am.png" alt="Screen_shot_2013-05-09_at_9.44.51_AM.png" title="" width="148" height="168" /></div></p> <p><a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/05/08/critic-hanna-raskin-out-at-seattle-weekly.php">Eater.com has the details</a>, and quotes departing critic Hanna Raskin as saying the position is being replaced with someone who will "write press releases, create brochures and represent the paper at public events." While Raskin says that <em>Seattle Weekly</em> hasn't "ruled out the possibility" of running restaurant reviews, it is "unclear who might write them," which makes it sound pretty damn unlikely. To have less food coverage in Seattle&#8212;less public discussion of what's become a great local food and restaurant scene&#8212;is sad.</p> <p>Last Wednesday, <em>Seattle Weekly</em> <a href="http://www.seattleweekly.com/music/946775-129/chris-music-editor-seattle-kornelis-weekly">eliminated its music editor position</a>.</p> <p>I've emailed <em>Seattle Weekly</em>'s new editor in chief Mark Baumgarten for comment. Baumgarten took the editor in chief job last month.</p> <p>UPDATE: Mark Baumgarten responds: </p> <blockquote><p>The new Food + Drink Editor position will not involve writing press releases and brochures as a primary function, although it will involve contributing to public communication about developments with our Food + Drink coverage. It's one of the editor's many tasks, as it is one of mine. In fact, I just wrote a press release about Hanna's departure and the new position this morning.</p></blockquote> <p>The press release is after the jump.</p> <p>UPDATE #2: </p> <p><em>Seattle Weekly</em>'s editor in chief Mark Baumgarten writes:</p> <blockquote><p>Seattle Weekly <strong>will continue to review restaurants</strong>. The shape of that review coverage and who will be writing those reviews will be largely determined by the editor we hire to run the section. </p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>HANNA RASKIN LEAVING SEATTLE WEEKLY FOLLOWING RESTRUCTURE</p> <p>For the past two years Hanna Raskin has served as Seattle Weekly&#8217;s Food Critic, providing our readers with expertly-written accounts of her culinary sojourns every week. In addition to rich and engaging feature writing, she has presented studied, insightful and honest criticism about this city&#8217;s food, helping readers to avoid the bad, and enjoy the good. As Food Critic, she has been a great asset to this paper. </p> <p>As we shift the structure of Seattle Weekly following a change in ownership and editorial leadership, the Food Critic position is being eliminated to make room for a Food + Drink Editor position (description below). Because of this change and Hanna's desire to remain focused on food writing, she has decided to leave the ranks of Seattle Weekly&#8217;s full-time editorial staff. She will wrap up her tenure at the end of this month, although her reviews will run for two weeks past that date. We have welcomed her to contribute more in the future and hope that she does.</p> <p>In the coming weeks we will be hiring a Food + Drink Editor, whose job it will be to oversee the development and daily operations of Seattle Weekly&#8217;s Food + Drink coverage. The editor will be responsible for ushering in a new, more robust weekly product that will feature criticism alongside features, columns and more experimental fare from some of Seattle&#8217;s savviest food writers. This editor will also be responsible for keeping readers abreast of trending topics and daily news on the Voracious blog, maintaining Seattle Weekly&#8217;s up-to-date and exhaustive online dining listings and planning our annual Restaurant Guide. And he or she will write about the city&#8217;s restaurants, be they new and noteworthy, longstanding and worth another look, or hidden in plain sight and waiting to be discovered.</p> <p>We thank Hanna for all of her hard work and we wish her well as she continues to blaze a path in the world of food criticism.</p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/08/seattle-weekly-eliminates-restaurant-critic-position#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16712568&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/08/seattle-weekly-eliminates-restaurant-critic-position?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16712568&id=comments 32 Seattle Weekly Eliminates Restaurant Critic Position Thu, 09 May 2013 09:45:58 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/08/seattle-times-struggles-not-to-murder-children http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/08/seattle-times-struggles-not-to-murder-children Goldy <p>I'm not sure I've ever seen such a <a href="http://blogs.seattletimes.com/northwestvoices/2013/05/08/mayor-mike-mcginn-struggles-to-show-hes-learned-from-mistakes/">brazenly dishonest mismatch</a> between a letter to the editor and the Bizarro World headline the editor slapped on it, but then I don't often read letters to the editor in the <em>Seattle Times</em>, so who knows?</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/c49e/1368034187-screen_shot_2013-05-08_at_10.27.03_am.png" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/c49e/1368034187-screen_shot_2013-05-08_at_10.27.03_am.png" alt="Screen_Shot_2013-05-08_at_10.27.03_AM.png" title="" width="500" height="492" /></a></div></p> <p>Someday, I hope to be as fair, balanced, neutral, and objective as the <em>Seattle Times</em>.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/08/seattle-times-struggles-not-to-murder-children#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16708474&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/08/seattle-times-struggles-not-to-murder-children?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16708474&id=comments 13 <i>Seattle Times</i> Struggles Not to Murder Children Wed, 08 May 2013 11:07:05 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/07/girls-gone-wild-founder-convicted-of-assault http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/07/girls-gone-wild-founder-convicted-of-assault Anna Minard <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:212px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/0c29/1367961859-shutterstock_105048755.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/0c29/1367961859-shutterstock_105048755.jpg" alt="JOE FRANCIS Hoping LA jails have a tooth-whitening program." title="JOE FRANCIS Hoping LA jails have a tooth-whitening program." width="200" height="300" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit"><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-842284p1.html?cr=00&pl=edit-00">s_bukley</a> / <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/?cr=00&pl=edit-00">Shutterstock.com</a></li><li class="imageCaption"><strong>JOE FRANCIS</strong> Probably hoping LA jails have a tooth-whitening program.</li></ul></div>The <em>Los Angeles Times</em> reports today that Girls Gone Wild Founder Joe Francis has been <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-girls-gone-wild-founder-guilty-of-assaulting-woman-faces-jail-20130507,0,4770090.story">convicted of five misdemeanor charges</a>&#8212;including false imprisonment and assault causing great bodily injury&#8212;after a 2011 attack on three women. LA city attorney Carmen A. Trutanich lauded the victims' courage to come forward.</p> <p>From the <em>LA Times</em> account of that night:<br /><blockquote>The group was taken to Francis' gated home, where a physical altercation ensued between Francis and two of the women as he allegedly attempted to pull one of them away from the others, authorities said.</p> <p>Francis grabbed one of the women by the throat and hair and pushed and <strong>slammed her head into the tile floor</strong> four times, according to authorities.</p> <p>The women were escorted out of the house and allegedly told <strong>a taxi would not be called and paid for if they called the police.</strong></p></blockquote> <p>Francis faces serious jail time&#8212;up to five years. He'll be sentenced tomorrow in LA County superior court. Good riddance.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/07/girls-gone-wild-founder-convicted-of-assault#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16698261&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Crime Media The Ladies http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/07/girls-gone-wild-founder-convicted-of-assault?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16698261&id=comments 37 Girls Gone Wild Founder Convicted of Assault <strong>JOE FRANCIS</strong> Hoping LA jails have a tooth-whitening program. <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-842284p1.html?cr=00&pl=edit-00">s_bukley</a> / <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/?cr=00&pl=edit-00">Shutterstock.com</a> Tue, 07 May 2013 16:01:24 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/anti-child-abuse-organization-uses-cheesy-old-technology-in-an-awesome-new-way http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/anti-child-abuse-organization-uses-cheesy-old-technology-in-an-awesome-new-way Anna Minard <p>Remember those colorful '90s bookmarks (and rulers, binders, postcards) printed with weird plastic lines on them so that if you turned them one way or the other, a <strong>different picture would appear</strong>, or the picture would move back and forth? Like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdvvKf2n24A">this</a> <em>Harry Potter</em> one. That technology is called "lenticular printing," and I've only ever seen it as a gimmick for for kids' books or Cracker Jack prizes.</p> <p>Well, Spanish organization ANAR, which works with abused children, just figured out a way to use it in their street ads to solve a major messaging problem. It's a problem that faces many groups that work with systematically abused populations (battered women, enslaved immigrants, sex workers): How do we get our information delivered just to the eyes of someone who needs to see it when they may be <strong>walking down the street with their abuser</strong>? ANAR wanted a way for kids to see an ad with a phone number they can call for help, and an adult to just see a generic anti-child-abuse PSA.</p> <p>Here's what they did:<br /><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6zoCDyQSH0o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p><a href="http://www.diyphotography.net/lenticular-photo-used-secretly-convey-hot-line-number-abused-kids">Read more over here on the DIY photography blog.</a></p> <p>I'm not sure how publicizing it on the web really serves the ads' secretive purpose, but I guess it wasn't going to stay completely secret for long. It's just a lesson in creative messaging for the public good. (And it makes me look at shiny rainbow Lisa Frank binders in a whole new way.)</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/anti-child-abuse-organization-uses-cheesy-old-technology-in-an-awesome-new-way#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16686409&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Crime Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/anti-child-abuse-organization-uses-cheesy-old-technology-in-an-awesome-new-way?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16686409&id=comments 7 Mon, 06 May 2013 13:56:08 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/03/hey-ladies-here-are-the-two-kinds-of-woman-you-can-be http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/03/hey-ladies-here-are-the-two-kinds-of-woman-you-can-be Anna Minard <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/b5ea/1367597107-magazines.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/b5ea/1367597107-magazines.jpg" alt="magazines.jpg" title="" width="500" height="375" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">Anna Minard</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>On the left, we have Kim "Even My Armpits Are Fat!" Kardashian. (Let me pause for a moment and say: Like most women, I feel acutely aware of all the ways my body can fail to please others at any given moment, but dear lord, it has never occurred to me that you can have FAT ARMPITS.)</p> <p>On the right, we have Gwyneth "World's Most Beautiful Woman" Paltrow.</p> <p>There's no in between, really. It's either Ol' Fat Armpits McGee or Mrs. <a href="http://www.goop.com/about/whats-goop">Goop</a>. You choose.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/03/hey-ladies-here-are-the-two-kinds-of-woman-you-can-be#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16663234&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> ??!! Media Visual Art The Ladies http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/03/hey-ladies-here-are-the-two-kinds-of-woman-you-can-be?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16663234&id=comments 29 Hey, Ladies, Here Are the Two Kinds of Woman You Can Be Anna Minard Fri, 03 May 2013 11:58:20 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/02/former-boston-phoenix-staffers-start-online-only-ad-free-alternative-weekly http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/02/former-boston-phoenix-staffers-start-online-only-ad-free-alternative-weekly Paul Constant <p>Looks like some ex-Boston Phoenix staffers have been busy: This week, they launched <a href="http://www.fvckthemedia.com/issue01/frontpage">the first issue of <em>The Media</em></a>, an ad-free, online-only alternative weekly. The layout is pretty old-school, which makes it feel kind of refreshingly new-school. You should read <em>The Media</em>'s manifesto, which is titled "<a href="http://www.fvckthemedia.com/issue01/fvck-the-media">Fvck the Media</a>." Like all good manifestoes, it's made up of some exciting stuff:</p> <blockquote><p>When I began to consider maybe starting something new, I thought hard about the specific voids left by the decline of alt-weekly journalism as well as pre-existing online publications. Some feel that the role of alt-weeklies is now carried out by blogs, but<strong> it's not</strong>. There is a specific rhythm to putting out a weekly, a thoughtful pace that the speed of the Internet diminishes. </p> <p>It was a great privilege to be a part of the last generation working in the newsroom of one of the country's best alt weeklies. There was something special about how the <em>Phoenix </em>connected the dots between arts and music and alternative perspectives on news, politics, and activism. Recently on her Tumblr, Claire Boucher a/k/a Grimes wrote what many called a "feminist manifesto" (though it was more a personal essay about resisting oppressive behavior that is often normalized in music). "I don't want to have to compromise my morals in order to make a living," she wrote, and many of her words resonate in media just as much as music. But what really struck me came eight grafs down: "I'm sad that it's<strong> uncool or offensive to talk about environmental or human rights issues</strong>."</p> <p>In the music world it's too often deemed clich&#233;, na&#239;ve, idealistic, or straight-up uncool to talk about politics, news, activism, or environmental and human rights issues. <em>The Phoenix</em> was a breath of fresh air from that; a place that approached music and film with the same sort of critical contextualization it did news and politics. The alternative media world is lacking new publications like this, where folks can go for the experimental music coverage and stay for pieces on the <strong>climate crisis and feminism and weed and Occupy</strong>. This is the sort of publication I hope <em>The Media</em> will be. </p></blockquote> <p>This is exciting stuff. I wish them well, and I'll be keeping a close eye on how the experiment progresses. You can <a href="https://twitter.com/fvckthemedia">follow <em>The Media</em> on Twitter</a>.</p> <p>(Via <a href="http://www.altweeklies.com/aan/former-boston-phoenix-staffers-start-online-alt-weekly/Article?oid=7055737">Altweeklies.com</a>.)</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/02/former-boston-phoenix-staffers-start-online-only-ad-free-alternative-weekly#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16656478&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media Books http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/02/former-boston-phoenix-staffers-start-online-only-ad-free-alternative-weekly?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16656478&id=comments 4 Thu, 02 May 2013 13:08:41 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/02/im-spiffing-up-my-resume http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/02/im-spiffing-up-my-resume Goldy <p>Great news for local out-of-work journalists: According to Politico, <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/05/the-first-al-jazeera-america-bureaus-163119.html">Al Jazeera America is opening up a Seattle bureau!</a> You know those stories about 3,000 people applying for a barista job? This could be the news industry equivalent of that.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/02/im-spiffing-up-my-resume#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16655053&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/02/im-spiffing-up-my-resume?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16655053&id=comments 7 Thu, 02 May 2013 10:53:47 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/01/twitter-vs-the-new-york-times-who-will-survive http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/01/twitter-vs-the-new-york-times-who-will-survive Paul Constant <p><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/01/investing/twitter-thiel-andreessen/">Here's a provocative headline</a> from CNN Money:</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><strong>Peter Thiel: Twitter will outlast the<em> New York Times</em></strong></div></p> <p>Sounds like an old-fashioned bar bet to me!</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/01/twitter-vs-the-new-york-times-who-will-survive#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16646273&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media Teh Internets http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/01/twitter-vs-the-new-york-times-who-will-survive?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16646273&id=comments 12 Wed, 01 May 2013 15:07:06 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/29/i-wish-i-hadnt-bought-newsweek-it-was-a-mistake http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/29/i-wish-i-hadnt-bought-newsweek-it-was-a-mistake Paul Constant <p>Barry Diller talks about his <strong>lack of "great expectations"</strong> for <em>Newsweek</em>, which he bought half of back in 2011, on <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/newsweek-owner-i-dont-have-great-expectations-i-wish-i-hadnt">a Bloomberg News clip via BuzzFeed</a>. This has to be a great day in the <em>Newsweek </em>offices.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/29/i-wish-i-hadnt-bought-newsweek-it-was-a-mistake#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16623667&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/29/i-wish-i-hadnt-bought-newsweek-it-was-a-mistake?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16623667&id=comments 4 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:14:56 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/29/providing-kids-with-free-meals-will-destroy-their-work-ethic http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/29/providing-kids-with-free-meals-will-destroy-their-work-ethic Goldy <p>From the annals of compassionate conservatism comes this suggestion that poor kids be forced to <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/04/25/fox-asks-if-children-should-work-for-school-mea/193768">work for their free or reduced-price school lunch</a>:</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe class="video-embed" src="http://mediamatters.org/embed/static/clips/2013/04/25/29899/fnc-foxandfriendsfirst-20130425-studentmeals" width="480" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div></p> <p>That a West Virginia Republican legislator would make such a stupid and mean-spirited proposal isn't really news. Nearly every state house has its share of Republican crazies. But that Fox News thinks its a topic worthy of discussion rather than ridicule, well that's downright scary.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/29/providing-kids-with-free-meals-will-destroy-their-work-ethic#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16622774&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Politics Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/29/providing-kids-with-free-meals-will-destroy-their-work-ethic?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16622774&id=comments 23 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:28:29 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/my-life-with-all-those-damn-editors http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/my-life-with-all-those-damn-editors Bethany Jean Clement <p><a href="http://jacklimpert.com/2013/04/my-life-with-all-those-damn-editors/">A great blog post </a>by former <em>Washington Post</em> critic Tom Shales:</p> <blockquote><p>I regularly denounced editors as a species, insulting them with such disparagements as, &#8220;Those who can, do; those who can&#8217;t, teach; <strong>those who can&#8217;t even teach, edit</strong>.&#8221; Editors, I liked to say, were all failed writers, and bitter about it, but that kind of logic produces such similarly flawed thoughts as critics are all failed performers or failed somethings. Having now reached an age of reason, that little lull just before senility, I do feel inclined to apologize for those blanket indictments of all editors.</p> <p>I do recall sometimes feeling frustrated in my kill-the-editor campaign by the fact that every time I wanted to take a flame thrower to the copy desk, one of its tireless drones would <strong>find a hideous error I&#8217;d made</strong> in a story and save my ass...</p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/my-life-with-all-those-damn-editors#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16584281&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/my-life-with-all-those-damn-editors?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16584281&id=comments 4 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:45:44 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/the-onion-does-buzzfeed http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/the-onion-does-buzzfeed Christopher Frizzelle <p>Feast your eyes on<a href="http://www.theonion.com/articles/10-shocking-table-corners-we-wish-we-could-unsee,32188/#1"> "12 Shocking Table Corners We Wish We Could Unsee."</a></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/the-onion-does-buzzfeed#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16581942&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/the-onion-does-buzzfeed?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16581942&id=comments 4 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:10:32 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/today-in-burying-the-lede-underage-liquor-sales http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/today-in-burying-the-lede-underage-liquor-sales Anna Minard <p>Literally the last paragraph of this KING 5 News story headlined "<a href="http://www.king5.com/news/investigators/Liquor-stings-targeting-stores-selling-to-underage-buyers-204193201.html">Some big name retailers caught selling liquor to minors</a>" is:<br /><blockquote>[Liquor control board] officials say that compliance checks at spirits retailers show that 93 percent of them are following the law and denying sales to minors. <strong>That&#8217;s about the same compliance rate that liquor stores had when they were run by the state.</strong></p></blockquote> <p>That is basically everything I wanted to know. All of the "news" preceding that&#8212;about liquor stings and how many citations each store has (the highest is Safeway, with nine citations)&#8212;doesn't seem super-relevant once you read the above paragraph. You can let your kids back out of the house now, folks! The streets are as safe (or unsafe) as they always were.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/today-in-burying-the-lede-underage-liquor-sales#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16581564&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Booze Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/24/today-in-burying-the-lede-underage-liquor-sales?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16581564&id=comments 10 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:43:22 -0700 The Stranger