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.

Erica Honored at NARAL Banquet

PubliCola Adds Life   May 24, 2010 at 2:00 pm Josh Feit

PubliCola editor Erica C. Barnett got a lovely plaque and a standing ovation at NARAL’s “Power of Choice” luncheon today at the downtown Sheraton.

PubliCola’s own Erica C. Barnett with NARAL’s Lauren Simonds and a fancy award.

NARAL Executive Director Lauren Simonds cited ECB’s December PubliCola editorial “What the Abortion ‘Compromise’ Means for Women” when she called Erica to the podium to accept NARAL’s 2010 “Power of Choice Award” honoring Erica’s feminist reporting.

Even when Erica swaps out her torn jeans and Keds and puts on a nice skirt and blouse to accept an award at a fancy banquet—Gov. Gregoire was there—Erica cannot stop reporting.

She has a post coming on the heels of this one with the some newsy notes.




  • Wes

    Way to go Erica!!!!!!

  • gloomy gus

    Congratulations and well done!

  • http://www.seattleuntimely.com charlie

    congrats Erica and Publicola.

  • Barb Wilson

    excerpt from the program…

    “Erica has also been an amazing advocate for reproductive justice in the media. Last December, she reported on the Senate health care reform language that “throws women’s health care under the bus.” She also covered the murder of late-term abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller, for the Stranger, saying that “there is no common ground—not when “common ground” is code for ceding women's rights to calm a storm we didn't create.” We are very excited to present the Power of Choice Award to such a devoted advocate!”

    Nice work and congratulations Erica.

  • Sam M.

    Erica, your devotion to women's issues, and how you seamlessly champion them in your everyday writing and reporting, is inspiring. You have earned this, and I look forward to you continuing to do so. Congratulations.

  • Come on, Seattle

    Congratulations, Erica, it is well-deserved.

  • http://www.joeszilagyi.com/ Joe Szilagyi

    Congrats!

  • Yusuf Cabdi

    Congratulation, Erica you desrved. You made publicola a world class online news.
    keep up the good work!!

  • seabos84

    Congrats Erica.

    To the choice movers and shakers of NARAL & PP etc etc – try focus groups from different $ocial cla$$e$ than focu$ group$ made of tho$e with $imilar educational background$, zip code$, profe$$ional / managerial career$, vacation ta$tes –

    The flat earth righties will ALWAYS be flat earthers, AND, they'll always have to lie cuz they represent a minority of the population – flat earth righties.

    Why are things worse now than they were when that WA. proposition barely passed in 1991? NOT cuz of righty loony tunes – cuz of the political incompetence of the affluent when it comes to strategy, tactics and messaging.

    rmm.

  • Barleywine

    Thanks for all your work here, and there.

    (I can't stop staring at the plaque :)

  • teve

    …um, go back to WashBlog. You don't make any sense here.

  • elaineinballard

    Congrats Erica!

  • seabos84

    I must have missed on the FAQ that blogging = being a sycophant !!

    Happy Happy Happy! Barack will save us with his 3rd way if we're all upbeat! Money only matters to the base and the lowly and the ignorant!

    BTW – how come, whoever you are, you aren't on washblog? Too many people ridiculing your sing “my favorite things” approach to politics?

    rmm.

  • teve

    I don't understand anything you just wrote.

  • Gary

    Thank for, Erika, for making sure this site didn't become some pseudo-hipster blog (like the Slog, for instance) and that you focus on real stories from an informed and objective (at least for in the most important stories) perspective.

    It's a huge releif from the sarcastic-ironic “witty” nonsense that poses as information news, which youd imagine was written by one of those “yeah I have lots and tats and piercings, I cant believe everybodys looking at me” types.

    But I digress. Excellent job turning publicola into the most trusted site for what is happening in out city–across all facets.

  • Tana Senn

    Congratulations. Well earned award from a great organization!

  • Gomez

    Congratulations. I must add on the subject of abortion that you probably don't want to be in UW's Red Square right now, as an anti-abortion group (that has a website I'm not going to link) has a massive display of dead fetus posters in the center of the square. UWPD also deployed cops to guard the display and protesters.

  • Donolectic

    Congrats Erica. Very deserved.