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Monday, March 16, 2009

City / Media What's Been Lost: Athima Chansanchai

Posted by Eli Sanders on Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 10:40 AM

Over the last week, I asked several Seattle Post-Intelligencer staffers to tell me what Seattle will have lost when, after tomorrow, the newspaper's print edition ceases to exist. Here's P-I reporter Athima Chansanchai:

I see the loss as this—not only individual voices who connected with the community and told their stories, but a collective force that rallied through situations that have crumbled less dysfunctional families: a JOA hanging like a black cloud over our heads, a crosstown rival that outgunned us 4-to-1, personal tragedies that rippled throughout the newsroom, a strike (I only know through second hand stories, as that was before my time) and countless re-orgs. These things and much more draw you close.

This is the break-up of a family, and while no family is perfect and this one far from it, it was still ours, for a time. This wasn't just a newsroom and it wasn't just a job. It can't be, not with our pay and what we have to take on a daily basis. (You try fielding calls and e-mails EVERY day from people who think you're devil's spawn. ) We fought, we made up, we agreed to disagree and sometimes we even came to see the other side. We respected each other, we laughed together, we rehearsed and played together. (P-I Battle of the Bands!) Now, we go down together.

Illustration by Andrew Saeger.

Comments (8) RSS

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As much as I hate to see anyone lose their job and social connections made at the job I will not mourn the death of the PI. They ceased being relevant to my interests a long time ago.

Posted by NaFun on March 16, 2009 at 11:21 AM

The other big loss? The competition between the two sets of reporters, which kept them ALL on their toes (not to mention made the job a lot more fun). It's a sad day for ALL the reporters in this town.

Posted by Jane on March 16, 2009 at 11:40 AM

Yeah, ok, Jane, we get that you work for the Times.

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 16, 2009 at 12:12 PM

I don't work for the Times, actually. Or any other news media source, for that matter. Nice try, though!

Posted by Jane on March 16, 2009 at 12:18 PM

You're an idiot, Will. Your response to Jane's (correct) post is completely uncalled-for and vacuous. No rational person could see a "Times" perspective in her comment.

Posted by Fnarf on March 16, 2009 at 12:25 PM

"Now, we go down together."

Heh.

Posted by Gay double-entendre hunter on March 16, 2009 at 12:25 PM

I think one can reacquire Athima Chansanchai through yoga and meditation.

Posted by NapoleonXIV on March 16, 2009 at 1:33 PM

Hearst Corporation pull plug on Seattle P-I print edition, Seattle P-I publish final print edition, freak out, online-only out, SEATTLE P-I BECOME ONLINE-ONLY NEWSPAPER!

ONLINE-ONLY SEATTLE P-I WILL SMASH ONLINE-ONLY SEATTLE TIMES!

And no, I don't feel like letting it go.

Posted by The Incredible Sulk on March 16, 2009 at 3:55 PM