Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

The Oglesby Letter

News   January 22, 2009 at 12:07 pm Sandeep Kaushik

I just got a copy of the letter that P-I Publisher Roger Oglesby sent to the state formally announcing that Hearst is planning to shut down the P-I and that 181 employess at the paper are on the verge of losing their jobs. This formal notification has been reported here, but seeing the letter in its entirety, with its dry, antiseptic laguage, really drives home (at least for me) both the magnitude of the P-I shut down and the pain it will cause.
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Oglesby writes that the P-I will stop printing sometime between March 18 and April 1, and that ”it is anticipated that all position and jobs at the P-I will be eliminated, affecting 181 employess. The facility closing and loss of employment will be permanent…” Hearst does hold out the possibility that “certain employees” may be offered jobs at a web only version of the P-I, but overall the tone of the letter is grim, grim, grim. Read it for yourself.