SEATTLE NEWSPAPERS

The two most important and most widely known daily newspapers in Seattle are The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

The Post Intelligencer is the oldest paper, founded by J.R. Watson on December 10, 1863 as the Seattle Gazette. In 1867 it was taken over by Sam Maxwell and renamed the Weekly Intelligencer. In 1881, the Seattle Post and the Weekly Intelligencer merged, the name of the new paper was a combination of the two old ones and became the Post Intelligencer.

The Post Intelligencer is perceived to be more liberal than The Seattle Times, although also the Times can be called quite liberal. The Post Intelligencer is famous for its political coverage, and it has won several Pulitzer Prizes. Especially its columnists and editorial cartoonist have proven themselves to be outstanding. Editorial cartoonist David Horsey has won two Pulitzer Prizes. He won the first one in 1999, a good year for American cartoonists thanks to Bill Clinton’s adventures with his secretary. In 2003, Horsey won another Pulitzer Prize, mainly based on his commentaries on the Bush administration. Horsey has a bachelors’ degree in communications and a master’s in international relations from the University of Kent in England. He was born in 1951.

The Seattle Times is the other major daily newspaper in Seattle. It was founded in 1896 by Alden J. Blethen. It is the largest local newspaper in Washington State, and is well-known for its Sunday edition. The Seattle Times is a quality newspaper and won seven Pulitzer Prizes. According to its own website, “it is also recognized nationally and internationally for in-depth, quality reporting and award-winning photography and design.”

Since 1983, The Seattle Times and the Post Intelligencer form a Joint Operating Agreement. The production, marketing and advertising and circulation are run together by The Times Co. However, both Seattle newspapers keep their own separate news and editorial departments. In 2003, The Times tried to end the Joint Operating Agreement. It felt that the agreement was financially undermining. This was not agreed upon by the Post Intelligencer Editor and many visits to court followed. The dispute continued for 4 years, but the newspapers finally settled their disagreement on April 1, 2007. The Hearst Corp., owner of the Post Intelligencer, paid The Seattle Times Co. $25 million to quit trying to cancel the Joint Agreement until 2016.