The Seattle Weakly: Apolitical No More
When the New Times took over the Seattle Weekly’s holding company, one of the paramount complaints of the merger was that New Times shied away from politics, seeking instead to run canned movie reviews and cover story schlock over local reporting, especially political battles.
And yet, this week they are slamming Jim McDermott for neglecting the Seventh District, urging on Richard Pope against everyone’s favorite County Council lush Jane Hague, and now there’s word that they’re running with the Bruce Harrell ma-ma-where’s-my-pa story the Stranger apparently rejected.
But wait, it gets better. City councilman Richard McIver was picked up last night for spousal abuse; he admitted he’d been out drinking before he came home and got into a spat with his wife.
Who was he out drinking with?
Let’s all welcome back the Seattle Weakly to the realm of local-politics-as-spectator-sport. Now, if they can actually get some reporters who can write again….
Isn’t it fun to bash the “Weakly”? Always makes you feel great. And it’s so easy, especially when you’re fed the latest angle of hate by the always reliable and fair folks at the Stranger.
It’s ok, Dylan is an equal opportunity hater.
I can’t speak for Dylan, but I was loathing the Weekly long before there even was a Stranger.
SO the guy who trolls the Stranger Slog under all those pseudonyms has a name!
Or at least I’m assuming it’s you, Stoesz, because you sound exactly like them.
You got me, man. There’s only one person in Seattle who doesn’t subscribe to the “Stranger cool/Weekly lame” mantra. But now that you’ve blown my cover, I guess I’ll just slink off to live to the remainder of my painfully unhip, yuppie life in shamed silence.
No, but seriously folks, I don’t normally post on any blog, and never use a pseudonym when I do.
I only spoke up now because I just don’t get the sneering at Aimee Curl, a hardworking, resourceful reporter who comes up with fresh angles and highly readable stories on a regular basis. This week’s cover story is a good case in point. Call me crazy, but I just can’t get excited about reading a dozen consecutive variations on the same story (Monorail, Tim Burgess, etc.) of the kind that are served up at that other paper.
There is good writing in both alt weeklies, though, so why the dumb tribalism directed only against the Weekly?
Stoesz,
If you actually read this site, you’d see that there’s been at least one recent MBS post critical of the Stranger.
Furthermore, as far as I can remember, every time there’s been a mention of the Weekly here, I’ve mentioned how much I dislike the Weekly and how much I’ve disliked the Weekly since the 1980s. There are a number of reasons I’ve always disliked the Weekly; the childish insistence that the only reason anyone dislikes the Weekly is because they are some sort of urban hipster who worships the Stranger (which I also do not particularly like) is but one of those reasons.
I would be seriously impressed if just once someone’s defense of the Weekly was something other than “we’re not the Stranger”.
Hit a little too close to home there, David?
And the point being that with all the talk that the Weekly was going to become more apolitical, to have this much local political coverage — and to have a reporter be an accessory to a major incident involving a councilman — is a bit of a shock.
Call me crazy, but I just can’t get excited about reading a dozen consecutive variations on the same story (Monorail, Tim Burgess, etc.) of the kind that are served up at that other paper.
Yes, exactly what I was saying on Monday. Geez, people, does ANYONE not named Monica Guzman read my posts?
Curse you and your dastardly power of Googling! Yes, I’ve been a freelancer for them for years. But almost every local writer I know has done something for either the Weekly or the Stranger at some point.
I suppose I could have studied in greater detail the long history of your Weekly hatin’, but I will take your word for it that it is of a finer variety than that of the braying Sloglodytes. And that it is balanced with a measure of Stranger hatin’. Disdaining the local alt weeklies is one the great local sports, and I wouldn’t attempt to deny anyone that pleasure. Really the only point I wanted to make is that whatever you want to say about the Weekly, Aimee Curl is a damn fine reporter. (No, she’s not a friend of mine, though I did meet her once.)
I actually LIKE this blog BTW–it’s one of the sites I check everyday. I wouldn’t have bothered posting otherwise.