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.

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.

In Lieu of the NARAL Questionnaire

The PostGlobe got its hands on County Executive candidate Susan Hutchison’s response to NARAL’s candidate questionnaire. 

The former KIRO-TV anchor and conservative didn’t fill out the questionnaire. Instead she sent back a statement “in lieu of the NARAL questionnaire”  saying abortion isn’t an issue at the County level, and she’s interested in bringing people together not taking stands on divisive topics.

Matias Valenzuela, spokesperson at King County Health, tells PubliCola that the County runs family planning programs that do pregnancy diagnosis and counseling that provide information on “all the choices including pregnancy termination.”

The County program receives federal funding—and it’s a requirement of the program guidelines to include counseling on abortion.  

The County also provides sex education in the schools and uses a curriculum that includes talking about abortion.


  • http://peacetreefarm.org N in Seattle

    [issue] isn’t an issue at the County level, and she’s interested in bringing people together not taking stands on divisive topics.

    We’ll hear that a lot from Hutchison. As in:

    a) every time she’s asked about an issue on which her views are far, far, far out of the King County consensus

    b) every time she’s uninformed about an issue

  • http://peacetreefarm.org N in Seattle

    [issue] isn’t an issue at the County level, and she’s interested in bringing people together not taking stands on divisive topics.

    We’ll hear that a lot from Hutchison. As in:

    a) every time she’s asked about an issue on which her views are far, far, far out of the King County consensus

    b) every time she’s uninformed about an issue

  • We want more stories on Sandeep’s man

    Thank you for posting another story favorable to Sandeep’s man.

  • Trevor

    Keep this reporting coming. Every little bit counts. Because most voters won’t know unless a google search the day they receive the ballot in the mail reveals these connections very quickly.

  • Trevor

    Keep this reporting coming. Every little bit counts. Because most voters won’t know unless a google search the day they receive the ballot in the mail reveals these connections very quickly.

  • seabos84

    she SHOULD lie.

    given that the approach to messaging for our local, state and national Dim-O-Crats is to:

    1. issue grad school caliber tomes of truth, suitable for … salon loving arm chair warriors with their love of tomes,

    2. act all noble and ignore the incessant, blatant, offensive lies,

    3. pull the besieged, beleagured, and befuddled act in order to drum up $ympathy and $upport

    4. blame us underlings for not banging on enough doors to inspire the citizenry with tomes of truth from the comfortable and cozy salon crowd,

    WHY SHOULDN’T SHE LIE?

    The Lame-O-Crats posing as Dim-O-Crats ain’t making a mockery of her, so, why stop?

    IF our ‘leaders’ are incompetent enough to let this flat earther define herself as competent, compassionate …

    THEN she might as well whomp ‘em.

    rmm.

  • http://LOMG!!! seabos84

    she SHOULD lie.

    given that the approach to messaging for our local, state and national Dim-O-Crats is to:

    1. issue grad school caliber tomes of truth, suitable for … salon loving arm chair warriors with their love of tomes,

    2. act all noble and ignore the incessant, blatant, offensive lies,

    3. pull the besieged, beleagured, and befuddled act in order to drum up $ympathy and $upport

    4. blame us underlings for not banging on enough doors to inspire the citizenry with tomes of truth from the comfortable and cozy salon crowd,

    WHY SHOULDN’T SHE LIE?

    The Lame-O-Crats posing as Dim-O-Crats ain’t making a mockery of her, so, why stop?

    IF our ‘leaders’ are incompetent enough to let this flat earther define herself as competent, compassionate …

    THEN she might as well whomp ‘em.

    rmm.

  • me

    Gary Locke was King County Executive. Then he was Governor. Cathy Rodgers was a State Rep. Now she’s a member of Congress.

    A candidate’s view on a wide variety of issues matter. You never know where they end up.

  • me

    Gary Locke was King County Executive. Then he was Governor. Cathy Rodgers was a State Rep. Now she’s a member of Congress.

    A candidate’s view on a wide variety of issues matter. You never know where they end up.

  • Mikos

    Publicola is indeed beginning to look like the communications arm of the Constantine campaign.

  • Mikos

    Publicola is indeed beginning to look like the communications arm of the Constantine campaign.

  • swatter

    I have to go, “Say WaTF?”

    The County Council and Executive have been unwilling to address the huge budget deficit (Number uno issue) and you guys seems to want to go Code on us. Who cares what the abortion issue is? So what? She is against abortion and so should you. Follow the lead of Clinton and Obama.

    I would say the candidate that would have the best shot of balancing the budget without removing all the programs and laying off all the people needs to be the one elected- this time.

    That may not be Hutch but it certainly isn’t the Mutt and Jeff act of Hunter and Constantine.

  • swatter

    I have to go, “Say WaTF?”

    The County Council and Executive have been unwilling to address the huge budget deficit (Number uno issue) and you guys seems to want to go Code on us. Who cares what the abortion issue is? So what? She is against abortion and so should you. Follow the lead of Clinton and Obama.

    I would say the candidate that would have the best shot of balancing the budget without removing all the programs and laying off all the people needs to be the one elected- this time.

    That may not be Hutch but it certainly isn’t the Mutt and Jeff act of Hunter and Constantine.

  • me

    That’s the point. It’s not that she’s against abortion as much as she’s hiding her political views from the voters. It’s basically a lie of omission. She needs to be straightforward.

  • me

    That’s the point. It’s not that she’s against abortion as much as she’s hiding her political views from the voters. It’s basically a lie of omission. She needs to be straightforward.

  • Alki

    Susan Hutchison is running for public office. If the public wants to know her views on any issue, she needs to answer the question. Simple as that, kids.

  • Alki

    Susan Hutchison is running for public office. If the public wants to know her views on any issue, she needs to answer the question. Simple as that, kids.

  • Free Lunch

    She might as well answer – it doesn’t matter what she says, or even what she stands for. She was on TeeVee! Arnold Schwarzenegger taught us that lesson. Or was it Jesse Ventura?

  • Free Lunch

    She might as well answer – it doesn’t matter what she says, or even what she stands for. She was on TeeVee! Arnold Schwarzenegger taught us that lesson. Or was it Jesse Ventura?

  • We want more stories on Sandee

    Thank you for posting another story favorable to Sandeep's man.