Posted Mon, Apr 23, 9:58 a.m.

Spot on, Ted. As Peggy Noonan asked on ABC yesterday: "Where are the grown-ups?" And it's not just government and political institutions that are falling down. Similar problems are evident in the church, the military, sports, the arts, non-profits -- and let's not forget the media. Who can we trust ...

Posted Wed, Nov 23, 3:35 p.m.

Nice piece, Greg. As you know, we filmed a video of Gordon Clinton for last year's Gridiron West Dinner "toast" of former Seattle Mayors. It was done by Jacob Caggiano, the Washington News Council's talented young communications strategist. He and I went to Bayview and met with Gordon and Florence ...

Posted Mon, Nov 14, 10:39 a.m.

Excellent and informative piece, Ted. I haven't seen the movie yet, and may not bother. But as a young reporter with Congressional Quarterly magazine in the early '70s, I went to the Mayflower Hotel for lunch one day with a group of friends just so we could see Hoover and ...

Posted Mon, Oct 3, 2:21 p.m.

THANKS to all those who helped make this the "most popular" and "most commented" article on Crosscut in the past 10 days. Special thanks to Mike James and Ted Van Dyk for their thoughtful and supportive comments. To those who just wanted to attack Sam Reed, please read Mr Baker's ...

Posted Wed, Sep 14, 2:33 p.m.

I first met Bill Moyers when he visited Seattle more than 10 years ago. I told him about the Washington News Council and asked for his feedback. He wrote me a letter (March 5, 2001) that I've treasured ever since. Here's what he wrote: "I was pleased to hear about ...

Posted Fri, Aug 12, 3:12 p.m.

My blog response to David's blog is at http://wanewscouncil.org/blog/ As the old saying goes, there's no accounting for taste. -- John Hamer

Posted Tue, Jun 21, 11:23 a.m.

Crosscut consistently provides a good mix of news and commentary. Comments threads are almost always thoughtful and civil. Kudos to the Crosscut team for persisting in these tough times for high-quality media!

Posted Sun, May 29, 9:05 a.m.

Comments on Crosscut are always substantive and interesting, unlike some other sites plagued by rude trolls. Kieth is right that commenters often point out errors and poor reasoning. However, not as many people read the comments as read the original stories, so inaccurate information can do damage indefinitely. Therefore, the ...

Posted Tue, Nov 2, 9:50 a.m.

Nice piece, Ted. Sorenson's book on Kennedy was one of the first political books I ever bought for myself, and still have my copy. So what were your doubts about Carter's capacity to be President? And what do you think of his performance as ex-President? Ru-486? Geez, what a career ...

Posted Thu, Aug 5, 8:15 a.m.

This is exactly the kind of thoughtful, civil discussion that helps add depth and understanding to such debates. At www.wanewscouncil.org, the Washington News Council's new, improved website, you'll find more topics like this. You can join our community and take part in groups and forums. Yes, we ask you to ...

Posted Thu, Jul 1, 9:16 a.m.

Gee, it's nice to see so many comments on this thread. Such robust discussion about media performance and ethics is exactly what the Washington News Council has been encouraging for 12 years now. In addition to our hearings, all broadcast on TVW, we've held lots of panels and forums for ...

Posted Tue, Jun 29, 5:21 p.m.

Blackie, debbalee and Jo_K -- thanks for your comments. A few thoughts for you each to consider: Blackie -- Yes, the Washington News Council was a "promotional partner" of this event, but we were not "invested" in it financially as a "co-sponsor." We paid for one lunch ticket, that's all. ...

Posted Sat, Apr 17, 11:10 a.m.

Once again, Crosscut's comment thread is as engaging as the original article - if not more so! Since it's my "TAO of Journalism" concept that's being examined (kind of), I'll add some thoughts: 1. To "political" - It's not really so sad that the "biased/slant intention" of news sources needs ...

Posted Wed, Apr 14, 4:01 p.m.

Thanks for writing about the TAO of Journalism concept, Ted. Your piece was accurate, fair and thorough -- just the kind of journalism that the News Council has been promoting since we began in 1998! A couple of updates: We now have a dozen people and organizations signed up to ...

Posted Thu, Mar 4, 11:01 a.m.

Good piece, Matt. This is important stuff and its value will only grow as citizens learn how to filter and use the information. There should be a "TAO of Government Seal -- A Commitment to Transparency, Accountability and Openness," just like the one we're pushing for journalism at www.taoofjournalism.org. The ...

Posted Thu, Mar 4, 9:38 a.m.

Interesting list, Ted, but as you say we all have our own. The challenge these days is sorting through the cyber-tsunami to find accurate, thorough, ethical and reliable sources that we can trust, as you also acknowledge. That takes a lot of time, and most of us don't have enough ...

Posted Tue, Mar 2, 10:38 a.m.

Fun piece, Skip, but the last word should have been "contradiction," not corruption. It's not corrupt to want it both ways, just human. At bottom, we Boomers are all BoBo's (Bourgeois Bohemians), as David Brooks rightly nails us. -- John Hamer

Posted Thu, Feb 4, 2:57 p.m.

One more thing: They fact-checked every story pretty carefully. The last time they wrote about us, their reporter and then another fact-checker called me and went over virtually every substantive statement and quote to make sure the piece was accurate. If more people in the media did that, there wouldn't ...

Posted Thu, Feb 4, 9:07 a.m.

Sorry to see WL&P; go. It was indeed feisty, informative -- and fun! In 1997, I co-wrote (with Mariana Parks) the first column about its launch in our "Watchdogs" column, as Skip no doubt recalls. We later did a column about WL&P;'s media issue: http://www.seattleweekly.com/1998-02-25/news/a-new-dog-in-town/ And full disclosure: WL&P; wrote ...

Posted Mon, Nov 23, 10:30 a.m.

Yes, it was a nice event and good to see so many great folks supporting Crosscut. It has become a "must read" every day, and I agree with those who noted that the comments threads are consistently thoughtful. As head of the Washington News Council (www.wanewscouncil.org) for almost 12 years, ...

Posted Thu, Sep 17, 2:36 p.m.

To correct and clarify the "reverandmoney" comment (quoting from a Sept. 16, 1998, Seattle Weekly story): The Washington News Council would never have "called" Times editorial page editor Mindy Cameron -- or anyone else -- to explain a case of "editorial backpedaling." The WNC, founded in 1998, considers complaints against ...

Posted Thu, Jun 11, 2:32 p.m.

Point well taken, Danny. We all like to read good stories. Keep them coming. Glad Kristi Heim worked the Seattle Foundation report into her piece yesterday -- which was a story about a foundation report done in Glenview, Illinois! Granted, it was full of good information and statistics about national ...

Posted Thu, Jun 11, 9:26 a.m.

Skip, you absolutely nailed it. One of your best. Has Mossback been using Moss-out? Oh wait, you can't use herbicides in Seattle either...

Posted Thu, Jun 11, 9:05 a.m.

CONTINUED: ...the 19th and 20th scholarships we have given over the past decade, to honor the memories of Dick and Herb, two of the finest journalists this state has ever known. Too bad there aren't more like them around today. ALSO: I think I know who you are, "olyroll," but ...

Posted Thu, Jun 11, 8:40 a.m.

This comment thread is starting to hit the eye of the needle. Thanks, Honus, for your insightful and accurate observations. Personally, I believe the news media have been partly responsible for the decline of trust in major institutions and organizations. And now, ironically -- or maybe as a result -- ...

Posted Wed, Jun 10, 5:39 p.m.

Danny -- Nice to have a real working journalist weigh in on this. You got into in 1990 -- the year I got out. But when I was editing The Times' Sunday Issues section, I know we would have done something on this report and the goals behind it. I'll ...

Posted Wed, Jun 10, 11:18 a.m.

This HAS been a good discussion, as Nick Geranios notes. Provoking good discussion about the news media has been part of the Washington News Council's mission for 11 years now. And we've inspired LOTS of it. Been fun! Here are my responses to some of the points made so far ...

Posted Mon, Jun 8, 6:46 p.m.

Just for the record, MikeH, the Washington News Council has hardly been "ignored" since we began in 1998. Ask Secretary of State Sam Reed, King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, ElderHealth Northwest, the Washington State Beef Commission and Dairy Products Commission, and many others who have come to us with legitimate ...

Posted Wed, Apr 8, 10:07 a.m.

Jean -- Congrats to you, Sally & Tim for the landmark status vote. When you and I had coffee a couple of months ago, I suggested that someone should make miniatures of the P-I Globe and sell them to raise money to preserve or relocate this icon. I bet lots ...

Posted Tue, May 15, 9:41 a.m.

Good Piece on JOA History: Fascinating piece on the Rupert Murdoch-Bill Dwyer meeting about a possible P-I purchase. Fun to recall the clever acronym, PO1NT. I was at The Times when the JOA was announced, having come there 5 years earlier partly because Seattle was then still a town with ...