I assume I’m not the only one who loves Charles Mudede, as I assume the folks at the The Stranger keep don’t keep him on payroll out of sheer altruism. And it’s observations like this — in regards to the above-the-fold headline “Graffiti vandals cost public millions” in today’s Seattle Times — that only makes me love Charles more:
No, this is not really a problem for the public. It is a pseudo problem; a mere masking of the true problems the public faces. If The Seattle Times were not an ideological instrument for the interests of the ruling class, it would try to alarm us with this headline: Bankers Cost Public Billions.
Speaking of which, the Times’ Sunday circulation continues to slide, down another 5.2% from last year.
The numbers apparantly only count newspapers who are within the top 25 in the nation, as measured by Sunday circulation. It ignores anything which happens the rest of the week.
Out of the top 25, the Seattle Times is something like # 24, compared with the Oregonian, Milwaulkie Journal-Sentinal, etc.
But I have to wonder at the subscription rates.
As I’ve mentioned previously, at the Home Show in February the Times was trying to get me to sign up. The deal was I would buy the Sunday paper (at rates discounted from the newstand rates), and get the rest of the week for free. Not only that, but I could try it for free for three months, after which I could cancel at no charge. Of course, if I wanted to it wouldn’t take much work for me to find another free three-month trial offer, and continue it indefinately.
Under those circumstances, does “paid circulation” really mean anything?
Fairview Fanny did show her dear old self to be nearly worth the dead trees she’s printed on with a lengthy article in the Sunday business section about how very close the sudden rush of depositors pulling their money out of WaMu before the FDIC moved in came to snowballing into a full-blown, nationwide run on the banks.
I also noted that the Times decided to devote not only the above-the-fold section almost entirely to “the graffitti issue”, but also a considerable portion below the fold – about 3/4 of the front page, overall.
Seattle Times Front Page
(Note: link may not work by tomorrow).
You would think that this would be a wonderful opportunity for a detailed explanation of the finanacial reform proposals, an examination of the positions of Democratics and Republicans with respect tot he proposals, and perhaps even a side-bar of the campaign funding and other potential conflicts of interest affecting each Washington State Congressman and Senator with respect to this legislation.
But no, graffitti has the higher priority, according to the Times.
at least graffitists put on a pair of pants in the morning to go to work, dammit.
what about the one reel non-profit execs raking in 200-300k a year while jacking the shit out of bumbershoot ticket prices? that was some good journalism, eh?
# 5: I found it hilarious that the Times was critiquing One Real’s “bad business decisions” and salaries for a handful of executives for all their problems.
I’d like them to compare it to the Seattle Times’ history of bad business decisions over the past decade or so, all the while blaming their problems on Google. And the Times won’t list it’s executive salaries.
I’m sure the Times would consider a $250K salary as mere “chump change” for CEO compensation.
I find both both Charles Mudede and The Stranger barely readable.
Chuck has been a bit odd since Enumclaw went down. So nevermind.
The real headline, the real hot pot of hate that keeps bubbling up in goldy’s stew, is this banner from above the fold:
SEATTLE TIMES GETS PULITZER. GOLDSTEIN DOESN’T.
Hey, rhp, you’ve got mail. A few clicks back at the Open Thread.
@5 This boomer agrees with you…we haven’t bothered to go to Bumbershoot in years. It’s come an awfully long way from a free event with almost exclusively home-grown talent (and lots of volunteer help, including yours truly) run by a group of hippies who lived in a truck. Now the One Reel folks have morphed into show-biz glitterati, and the event’s turned into frikkin’ Coachella without the scorpions and rattlesnakes.
# 9: I’m not sure to what “mail” you are referring. There WAS this comment….
“If only turgid pedantic brainiac rhp were here to make sense of it all. To lead us through this I-net minefield of clashing Claymores and IEDs….”
Hey, I’m only one man! I can only do so much to try to clear up the explosions caused by the clash of your ideology when it comes into contact with actual facts! Perhaps a tag-team of counselors would be in order….
(Assuming that those firing claymores and IED’s in your head aren’t symptoms of an imminent seizure, in which case I would suggest immediate emergency medical care).
@6 “I’m sure the Times would consider a $250K salary as mere “chump change” for CEO compensation.”
As to the pay for the worker bees…that’s quite anotether story. I used to work in South Lake Union, and I’ve seen the places where the “newsies” go to drink.
You are so very clever, rhp. That’s what we like about you.
As for goldy not getting the respect he thinks he deserves, Brownie was long long ago and far far away, wasn’t he?
re 13: Just like any credibility the Bush administration ever had.
I still haven’t seen George Bush’s ORIGINAL birth certificate — which only proves thast he’s an alien dunce from outer space.
No sign of Troll to tediously remind us that Frank Blethen is a Democrat?
Perhaps the PI can make a comeback with these numbers.
How is the PI doing anyway?
I hate grafitti; morons who like it ought to live somehwere where it shows up. Thank goodness for people hwo also hate it; i recall how Rudy G in NYC cleaned it up.
I get it near me; esp the ‘tagging’; paint it over no matter what
“Bankers Cost Public Billions”
That’s a crock! It was trillions, not billions. Americans lost a third of their net worth.
@8 This blog doesn’t do hate. It does constructive criticism, a subject you know nothing about. It’s your side that’s doing hate.
@11 Sounds like that fucker has a plastic explosives fetish.
@16 See the jackass @9 & 13, might be the same kid.
Plastique. Plastic is for squares like you.
Easy, old codger. You’re letting your fat rolls smother your brains again.
I hate it when you say that.
@20…so says the resident Goebbels…
Grrrr. Don’t you just hate it when rhp lays his hate on us?
And I really hate it when rhp disease is my own damn fault. Jackass fetish fucker that I am, I typed IED when — since this is about rhp — I should have typed IUD.
I hate myself.
@23 Bullshit. It’s spelled “plastic” unless you’re French, and you conservatives are supposed to know the French are goddamed appeasers and traitors (remember “Freedom Fries”?).
@24 A little thin-skinned, are you? Awwwwwwwww.
@25 Some people can’t handle the truth.
Poor dear old Rabbit doesn’t know Shiite from Shinola.
@27 “I hate myself.”
Hmmm, you’re not as stupid as you look. You’re still pretty stupid, though.
@31 You forgot the Kurds. Why did you leave out the Kurds? Got something against them? Iraq has three factions, numbnuts. I can see you’re not exactly a Langley alumnus.
Poor dear old Rabbit doesn’t know his Kurds from his whey.
@31 “Can you say, “Shiite”? Can you say, “Sunni”? I KNEW you could!!!”
Where did that come from? I sure didn’t write it.
My Weakly Reader: The April Fool (no, not Rabbit, not this time) Seattle Weekly did a things-to-hate-about-Seattle cover. Kept waiting for Stoner Lee to pick up on hateful item #15, but he’s MIA and FUBAR. So I’ll have to do #15 myself, as soon as I shake Rabbit off my leg. Hate it when he tries to hump my shins.
So here’s the dope:
Mainline some Thorazine into Lee’s bloodstream, and see if he can pull himself together and …
Discuss.
Came from your pet boy, Art.
So what’s with you and the ho-ho-hos?
No, but how about some cheese-eating surrender monkey on the side?
(Yo! Hareball! You there?)
@39 “(Yo! Hareball! You there?)”
Nah, I went to bed 1/2 hour ago.
I’m confused. So according to Charles Mudede, there should be no local stories in the Seattle Times?
We Know…
@31 That wasn’t even him, Einstein.
@37, @43.
Showed you the highest form of flattery. I stole your excellent stuff.