Slog

News & Arts

The Stranger Suggests

Critics' Best Bets
Music Arts & Food

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

  |  

Monday, January 21, 2013

Media The Seattle Times Erases Line Between Opinion and News Departments

Posted by on Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 4:02 PM

The Seattle Times is increasingly brazen about using its purportedly neutral news stories to serve the paper's editorial agenda. The top headline today, for example, is a celebratory piece about Seattle snagging a basketball team, in which zero credit is handed to the city official who made the deal possible, Mayor Mike McGinn. In fact, the story hands all the credit to Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess:

"This is a great day for Seattle and our region," City Councilmember Tim Burgess, who spearheaded efforts that produced enhancements in the original deal with Hansen, said Monday while standing in front of KeyArena.

Burgess, who is running for mayor to unseat Mike McGinn, said the council has been working since late last year with the mayor's office and the Seattle Center to make sure KeyArena is ready if a team is awarded to Seattle.

That's right, the first mention of McGinn is... about Burgess trying to push him out of office. Hundreds of words later, there's a statement from McGinn's office, but the article never acknowledges, anywhere, that he had anything to do with the arena deal (or that he granted an interview). This is consistent with a paper that has long smeared McGinn and fawned over Burgess.

On the other hand, McGinn is needlessly inserted into a news article just below that piece on this morning's front page, a fear-mongering feature about—you can't make this up—how McGinn might be creating safety problems for airplanes. "Mayor Mike McGinn wants to add a new challenge" for sea planes that must encounter 24-story towers under McGinn's rezoning plan for South Lake Union, the second sentence begins. (In truth, this rezoning began under former mayor Greg Nickels.) In other words, the Seattle Times's front page associates the mayor with big, bad scary things—that might just result in airplanes crashing into skyscrapers—which he has little to do with. But they ignore his accomplishments, giving the credit to someone else. It's like the Ministry of Truth.

For more examples, there's the time the "news" section of the paper blamed McGinn for a decline in Chinatown's restaurant revenues, due to higher parking rates, even though a Sightline report actually proved the revenues were increasing. And when McGinn does something right? Well, there's the editorial that praises a school attendance campaign that conveniently neglects to mention that McGinn created it. The examples could go on.

I've had plenty beefs with McGinn and given him praise where it's due. But McGinn isn't the point here. It's that the Seattle Times claims to separate its news from its editorial opinions. They even recently wrote that the paper was "impartial," even though the business side spent big money campaigning in a partisan race. But don't be fooled. The Seattle Times is a conservative opinion outlet from cover to cover. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with using the front page as an editorial venue—if you admit it—but they need to stop pretending there's a separation of opinion and news, when the Seattle Times knocked down that wall a long time ago.

UPDATE at 5:40 p.m.: Lo and behold, the Seattle Times arena article has been updated—what great timing—to lead with a quote from Mayor Mike McGinn (but it still doesn't acknowledge that he had anything to do with it). After the jump, I've posted a screen grab of the story's lede as it appeared before the update.

ST_screen_grab.png

 

Comments (31) RSS

Newest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
Will in Seattle 31
Suburban Times is just jealous that we love our Mayor.
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on January 22, 2013 at 11:34 AM
30
#28 is obviously someone who knows nothing at all about the newspaper business
Posted by Mister G on January 22, 2013 at 11:22 AM
29
Dom doesn't mind bias. He just minds blatant bias he disagrees with.

@8 -- "I'm not completely in love with McGinn. I once asked him nicely to match his socks right before I rubbed his cock and balls all over my infatuated face."
Posted by six shooter on January 22, 2013 at 10:24 AM
28
I realize that print-news is a dying industry, but this situation is crying out for an opportunist to come in, start a new mainstream (sorry Stranger, you've already got the alt-weekly thing down pat, and I salute you for it) newspaper, focus it just left of center, provide thoughtful editorials (left, right, or otherwise, as the ST can't even rise to basic competence), and drive those morons into irrelevancy (if they're not there already). A little competition is a healthy thing, you know.
Posted by bitethemailman on January 22, 2013 at 8:52 AM
27
i really love that people don't understand the difference between the times' and the stranger's objectives. just because they are both made out of paper does not mean they are attempting to achieve the same goals, represent the same things, or have the same context. reading comprehension yo!
Posted by giygas on January 22, 2013 at 6:43 AM
26
The Seattle Times has REALLY gone downhill recently. Or maybe they were always that way and I just didn't notice. Either way, this kind of journalism is reprehensible.
Posted by Tyro on January 22, 2013 at 3:49 AM
25
The Times will no doubt pay for a full-page ad for Burgess.
Posted by sarah70 on January 21, 2013 at 11:19 PM
24
Old news to those of us paying attention, but a big problem for democracy since the public at large has no idea.

So, what do we do about it?
Posted by Morganb on January 21, 2013 at 10:41 PM
JonnoN 23
@16 that is a masterpiece
Posted by JonnoN on January 21, 2013 at 10:39 PM
tim koch 22
hey man. we have only just begun kicking the living crap out of what remains of the racist tea party. i am gonna speed that up some on my end too. i don't like bigots. thats the long and short of it there.
Posted by tim koch on January 21, 2013 at 8:14 PM
Supreme Ruler Of The Universe 21
McGinn is in the weird position of being a man without a country, or rather he's a man with a country, but somehow a bunch of phonies have seized the border and won't let him in.

He came into office with a single mandate, and a clear majority of the popular vote...and he has been steamrolled by the same tax-licking bloodsuckers who ignore 2/3rds majority initiatives in their efforts to line their pockets and give away the store for pennies on the dollar to their cronies and "associates".

It's almost like McGinn is the only "real" person in politics and these other people are sitting around, taking up space, eating everything in the refrigerator and making a mess. In other words, doing the exact opposite of what democracy expects!

People must wonder...will they ever leave...?

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe http://www.you-read-it-here-first.com on January 21, 2013 at 7:39 PM
20
The Stranger is slamming the Seattle Times for being opinionated? I'll give the Seattle "progressives" this much: When they gave you those humorectomies, they also removed your shame bones. In for a dime, in for a dollar!
Posted by Mister G on January 21, 2013 at 7:01 PM
19
@14: Your screen grab says 2:36 p.m.
The Times page when I looked and commented above said they updated the story at 3:10 and not since. Your post went up at 4:02.
You still are wrong. At the very least, they reposted while you were writing and you didn't check again. And then your update was mischaracterized.
Posted by pkbrown on January 21, 2013 at 6:53 PM
tim koch 18
like you they have an agenda, but not one that i want to see too too much of implemented. these guys are going to try and hold up future school funding in court somehow i know it. these next 2 years are gonna be weird.
Posted by tim koch on January 21, 2013 at 6:32 PM
tim koch 17
dom, i laughed when i read this but i know its nothing, but seriously go to the pdc and look up who filed this thing and keep your eye on that guy for real the next 2 years and goldy too. its those freedom foundation guys.

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsno…

Posted by tim koch on January 21, 2013 at 6:28 PM
16
I don't really understand how anyone from The Stranger can justify criticizing another newspaper's political bias.
Surely you are self aware enough to realize that the Slog is the left's answer to Drudge.

What the Seattle Times is doing is messed up, but ya'll are sitting high and mighty in your crystal castle, and the cracks are starting to show. It kinda, sorta is totally undermining your credibility.

I don't really understand what you're mission statement is at The Stranger, but objective news is clearly not the most important issue.
Posted by NancyBalls on January 21, 2013 at 6:15 PM
15
@13 But their sports coverage is excellent and not like the stranger covers sports.
Posted by Seattle14 on January 21, 2013 at 6:13 PM
Dominic Holden 14

@12) I posted a screen grab of the original story--leading with a quote from Burgess instead of McGinn--after the jump. So there's no misreading on my part.

Posted by Dominic Holden on January 21, 2013 at 6:12 PM
13
This only matters because too many people still rely on the Seattle Times for information. The number is declining, just not fast enough.
Posted by don't believe the seattle times on January 21, 2013 at 6:02 PM
12
The Times hasn't updated its story since 3:10 p.m.
Your original story published just after 4.
So really, your update was to let everyone know you misread the story?
Posted by pkbrown on January 21, 2013 at 6:02 PM
11
@6, Since when is a pro-austerity/privatization/deregulation, anti-union, anti-taxation, corporate chilling rag like the Seattle Times not conservative?
Posted by anon1256 on January 21, 2013 at 5:35 PM
gloomy gus 10
Seattle Times needs to not be what it is, winter shouldn't be so chilly, water is too darn wet. Got it.
Posted by gloomy gus on January 21, 2013 at 5:00 PM
9
Nice work Dom.
Posted by Slog Tipper David on January 21, 2013 at 4:54 PM
Dominic Holden 8
@4) In addition to my criticisms of McGinn that I linked in this post, you will recall I've also criticized his botched car tab plan, his failure to appoint an OPA director, and, on his preference for a court monitor, I said, "an objection from McGinn and the SPD should indicate who we should choose."
Posted by Dominic Holden on January 21, 2013 at 4:50 PM
mrbarky 7
This is really worrying. Gov. McKenna should do something about this.
Posted by mrbarky on January 21, 2013 at 4:47 PM
fletc3her 6
While I agree in part, the Times is certainly not "conservative" in the modern political meaning of the word. They did run their own ads for McKenna, but they also ran ads to defeat Ref. 74.
Posted by fletc3her on January 21, 2013 at 4:39 PM
5
Pot, meet kettle.
Posted by Dom is so McGinn's butt boy on January 21, 2013 at 4:36 PM
4
Coming from McGinn's lapdog this is pretty laughable.
Posted by bigyaz on January 21, 2013 at 4:34 PM
3
I surprised Dominc was able to type this post while still wiping McGinn's semen off his chin......
Posted by Slurpy Journalists? on January 21, 2013 at 4:24 PM
2
Wait, are you saying that the Seattle Times isn't fair and balanced?
Posted by Astounded on January 21, 2013 at 4:10 PM
1
The Seattle Times has one, and only one, interest: cutting taxes on the Blethen family. Everything else they publish is noise.
Posted by maddogm13 on January 21, 2013 at 4:09 PM

Add a comment

Advertisement
 

Want great deals and a chance to win tickets to the best shows in Seattle? Join The Stranger Presents email list!


All contents © Index Newspapers, LLC
1535 11th Ave (Third Floor), Seattle, WA 98122
Contact Info | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Takedown Policy