| What
an interesting week it’s been! Real Change found
itself at the center of a blogospheric event when I questioned
the angle of a Seattle Weekly story on our turf policies
on my own blog, www.apesmaslament.blogspot.com.
The Weekly’s editor, Mike Seely, took the bait and
fired back on their blog, calling my post a “singularly
bizarre preemptive diatribe,” and promising a balanced
article in the next day’s paper.
The story, which took up the issue of some vendors being
perhaps too successful, was basically balanced, although
many found the premise itself rather small and mean. The
vendors felt hurt by the story, although no one’s
said it’s affected their sales.
The Real Change v. Seattle Weekly spat blew up online
at Horse’s Ass, Crosscut, the Stranger’s Slog,
and several others, creating more buzz than any other
story on Real Change I can recall.
The controversy became a lightning rod for anger over
New Times corporate ownership of the Seattle Weekly and
what that means for local journalism. The Weekly we once
knew would not have made this mistake. For me, this simply
highlights the importance of supporting homegrown alternative
media.
Real Change’s community-based journalism, effective
organizing, and advocacy for the poor, homeless, and vulnerable
have built a deep well of respect and support for our
work in this town. And we’re only getting better!
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