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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.

Last Night

Arts & Culture   May 14, 2010 at 11:19 am Josh Feit

Last night, I heard a live saxophone wailing out of Barca on 11th on Capitol Hill.

I’ve lived on Capitol Hill for 11 years and during that time its energy came from a mystique about the past, its tethers to the hep 90s (and even the Haagen-Dazs 80s)—Bailey/Coy on Broadway, the Cha Cha on Pine.

No longer.

That’s Grey. But  you get the idea.




  • gloomy gus

    That “Seattle has come true” would be the tippity-typed epiphany of someone walking one block on 11th reminds me of the old New Yorker cover art of the Manhattanite's map of the world.

  • Josh Feit

    I do. And the original post had a description of the businesses stretching from Melrose to 12th and from Denny to Spring. I cut it because it seemed long winded.

    When I hit Ballard and Fremont, I see the same thing. But I work downtown and I live on Capitol Hill—so that's my specific example on what I see happening citywide.

    Sorry if it rubs you the wrong way that my example comes from Capitol Hill.

  • gloomy gus

    That's the pitfall of being your own editor – you cut too much!

  • Josh Feit

    Nah. Erica edited it. She agreed. Keep it short.

  • gloomy gus

    Okay fine. Joke fell like lead. I take it back.