Harvard University.
And they filed this report on our young experiment in creating a new model for online journalism.
They begin:
Beat reporters have always had to guard against going native: seeing stories with the narrow viewpoint of your sources, sliding into jargon, getting tangled in micro-stories that matter only to insiders, losing touch with the general audience. It’s an occupational hazard. Or, at least, it was. Now it may be a funding model.
In media-rich , ahead-of-the-curve Seattle, where the general audience has been splintering for more than a decade, one of the biggest success stories has been a profane, lighthearted alt-weekly upstart called The Stranger. You likely know it best as the home of sex columnist (and editorial director) Dan Savage , but The Stranger some years back stumbled upon an unlikely niche: heavy-duty city hall coverage . Much of that work was done by The Stranger’s perennially award-winning city reporter, Josh Feit, 42.
Now Feit is looking to mimic that formula on his breezy, shamelessly wonky new online startup, PubliCola . And so far, against all odds, he’s succeeding — and simultaneously helping to answer a really big question :
If databases can write tomorrow’s cops blotter and philanthropy can fund tomorrow’s big investigations, who’ll finance the day-to-day surveillance of city hall for petty corruption and bad decisions? Feit’s finding out the insiders will.
Two corrections to the article, though. 1) Our uniques have gone up. Since we brought on Erica Barnett, unique visitors have spiked 66 percent. 2) 42? 42? Dude, I’m 32 max. 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club yesterday!
Tweet
32! that explains the frequent use of ‘conventional wisdom’ which is the same ol same ol FAKE centrist / moderate pap. This pap goes back to before you were 12, when the Dim-O-Cratic party was taken over by sell outs and political incompetents in the DLC – the Dukakis / Clinton / McAulliffe types who are always running around worried that fighting fascists will be lied about, the lies will cause the ‘middle’ to dislike / distrust the Dems, and then the Dems will lose.
Oh, WAIT! HOW could I forget!
The DLC types had a Third Way! Anyone notice how that worked out? 2 decades (+++) of a worsening economy for the bottom 85% or 95%, except for the highly paid excuse makers telling us why we need to live under an eyeman / norquist ‘government’.
Thanks Chris, Patty, Maria, Ron, Gary, Frank, Dwight — the torch has been passed to a new generation, born into relative affluence, tempered by getting their asses kicked, disciplined to cave, cower whimper and snivel.
Just do us all a favor, and you’ll be useful. Distinguish in your writing between what you consider reporting, and what is editorializing / opinion.
Read digby and her reporting on the Village Liars passing themselves off as ink stained wretches, afflicting the afflicted and comforting the comfortable …
ummmm… did I make a boo-boo ?????
rmm.
Looking good.
Really need to watch that “going native” thing and starting to use code.
Compared an interview of Hutch today with the slam (i.e. going ‘native’ by hard-working Erica last week) and Hutch seems to be blowing the ‘native’ talking points out of the park.
Nice to see a follow-up. I had to admit I was shocked and impressed that a supposed R could talk articulate. Maybe she isn’t.
She has the gravitas to be exec; Ross Hunter seems to be coming together from the D side. Makes for interesting discussions.
‘scause we loves ECB.
Wait a few weeks Mr. Feit and you will indeed not be 42.
I hate to break it to everyone, but Harvard doesn’t lie. Josh is indeed 42. He can rest assured, however, that according to Douglas Adams, he is officially the answer to everything now. Well done!
“6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club yesterday!”
Congrats, Josh, a rare triple single!!!
(Sorry, I just couldn’t resist!)
In dog years Josh…