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.

Olympia Rocks! Sorta.

News   February 17, 2009 at 2:27 pm Josh Feit

A strong voice (and a deep and famous one, the guy from Sha-Na-Na, Jon Bauzer Bauman), took the microphone in front of the state senate’s consumer protection committee today to testify in favor of Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welle’s (D-36, Ballard) “truth in music advertising” bill.

The bill makes it illegal for fakes to book shows as famous bands, an affliction that—according to Bauman’s gravely-voiced testimony—plagues oldies bands like the Platters, who Bauman poignantly credited with advancing the cause of civil rights in the 1950s, which is totally true.

Bauman’s testimony was interrupted when the fawning baby boomer legislators played a recording of Sha-Na-Na

Something that’s a little odd here: Sha-Na-Na were themselves a facsimile, forming in hippie-drenched 1969 as a fake 1950s band, covering Doo-wop/rock and roll standards.