The Seattle Times
Encyclopedia
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer
, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.
of 3,500, which Maine
teacher and attorney Alden J. Blethen
bought in 1896. Renamed the Seattle Daily Times, it doubled its circulation within half a year. By 1915, circulation stood at 70,000. , weekday circulation stood at 251,697.
The Times is one of the few remaining major city dailies in the United States independently operated and owned by a local family (the Blethens). The Seattle Times Company, while owning and operating the Times, also owns three other papers in Washington. The McClatchy Company
owns 49.5 percent of voting common stock in the Seattle Times Company, formerly held by Knight Ridder
.
The Times reporting has received eight Pulitzer Prize
s. It has an international reputation for its investigative journalism, in particular.
In April 2010, The Seattle Times staff won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting "for its comprehensive coverage, in print and online, of the shooting deaths of four police officers in a coffee house and the 40-hour manhunt for the suspect." The city was on edge during the manhunt, and The Seattle Times had around-the-clock staff monitoring the search and investigating the killer's history in the criminal justice system.
won the gold medal at the 2002 Olympics. Many Asian Americans felt insulted by the Times actions even after the newspaper apologized, because Michelle Kwan
is also American.
-owned Seattle Post-Intelligencer, were run under a "Joint Operating Agreement" (JOA) whereby advertising, production
, marketing
, and circulation were controlled by the Times for both papers. The two papers maintained their own identities with separate news and editorial
departments.
The Times announced its intention to cancel the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) in 2003, citing a clause
in the JOA contract that three consecutive years of losses
allowed it to pull out of the agreement. Hearst sued, arguing that a force majeure
clause prevented the Times from claiming losses as reason to end the JOA when they result from extraordinary events (in this case, a seven-week strike
by members of the Newspaper Guild). While a district judge ruled in Hearst's favor, the Times won on appeal, including a unanimous decision from the Washington State Supreme Court
on June 30, 2005. Hearst continued to argue that the Times fabricated its loss in 2002. The two papers announced an end to their dispute on April 16, 2007.
This arrangement JOA was terminated when the Post-Intelligencer ceased publication on March 17, 2009.
.
For decades, the broadsheet
page width of the Times was 13½ inches (34.3 cm), printed from a 54-inch web, the four-page width of a roll of newsprint
. Following changing industry standards, the width of the page was reduced in 2005 by 1 inch (2.54 cm), to 12½ inches (31.8 cm), now a 50-inch web standard. In February 2009, the web size was further reduced to 46 inches, which narrowed the page by another inch to 11½ inches (29.2 cm) in width.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.
History
The Seattle Times originated as the Seattle Press-Times, a four-page newspaper founded in 1891 with a daily circulationNewspaper circulation
A newspaper's circulation is the number of copies it distributes on an average day. Circulation is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the...
of 3,500, which Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
teacher and attorney Alden J. Blethen
Alden J. Blethen
Alden J. Blethen was editor in chief of the Seattle Daily Times from August 10, 1896 until his death...
bought in 1896. Renamed the Seattle Daily Times, it doubled its circulation within half a year. By 1915, circulation stood at 70,000. , weekday circulation stood at 251,697.
The Times is one of the few remaining major city dailies in the United States independently operated and owned by a local family (the Blethens). The Seattle Times Company, while owning and operating the Times, also owns three other papers in Washington. The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
owns 49.5 percent of voting common stock in the Seattle Times Company, formerly held by Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
.
The Times reporting has received eight Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
s. It has an international reputation for its investigative journalism, in particular.
In April 2010, The Seattle Times staff won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting "for its comprehensive coverage, in print and online, of the shooting deaths of four police officers in a coffee house and the 40-hour manhunt for the suspect." The city was on edge during the manhunt, and The Seattle Times had around-the-clock staff monitoring the search and investigating the killer's history in the criminal justice system.
Headline controversy
In February 2002, the Seattle Times ran a subheadline 'American outshines Kwan, Slutskaya in skating surprise' after Sarah HughesSarah Hughes
Sarah Elizabeth Hughes is an American figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic gold medalist and 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies singles.-Personal life:...
won the gold medal at the 2002 Olympics. Many Asian Americans felt insulted by the Times actions even after the newspaper apologized, because Michelle Kwan
Michelle Kwan
Michelle Wingshan Kwan is an American figure skater. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, a five-time World champion and a nine-time U.S...
is also American.
The Joint Operating Agreement
From 1983 to 2009, the Times and Seattle's other major paper, the HearstHearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
-owned Seattle Post-Intelligencer, were run under a "Joint Operating Agreement" (JOA) whereby advertising, production
Production, costs, and pricing
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to industrial organization:Industrial organization – describes the behavior of firms in the marketplace with regard to production, pricing, employment and other decisions...
, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, and circulation were controlled by the Times for both papers. The two papers maintained their own identities with separate news and editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
departments.
The Times announced its intention to cancel the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) in 2003, citing a clause
Clause
In grammar, a clause is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete proposition. In some languages it may be a pair or group of words that consists of a subject and a predicate, although in other languages in certain clauses the subject may not appear explicitly as a noun phrase,...
in the JOA contract that three consecutive years of losses
Profit (accounting)
In accounting, profit can be considered to be the difference between the purchase price and the costs of bringing to market whatever it is that is accounted as an enterprise in terms of the component costs of delivered goods and/or services and any operating or other expenses.-Definition:There are...
allowed it to pull out of the agreement. Hearst sued, arguing that a force majeure
Force majeure
Force majeure or vis major "superior force", also known as cas fortuit or casus fortuitus "chance occurrence, unavoidable accident", is a common clause in contracts that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of...
clause prevented the Times from claiming losses as reason to end the JOA when they result from extraordinary events (in this case, a seven-week strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
by members of the Newspaper Guild). While a district judge ruled in Hearst's favor, the Times won on appeal, including a unanimous decision from the Washington State Supreme Court
State supreme court
In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....
on June 30, 2005. Hearst continued to argue that the Times fabricated its loss in 2002. The two papers announced an end to their dispute on April 16, 2007.
This arrangement JOA was terminated when the Post-Intelligencer ceased publication on March 17, 2009.
Delivery and page width
The Seattle Times was an afternoon paper for 104 years until March 6, 2000. It switched to morning delivery to avoid the fate of other afternoon newspapers that had shut down. This placed the Times in direct competition with its JOA partner, the morning Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
.
For decades, the broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
page width of the Times was 13½ inches (34.3 cm), printed from a 54-inch web, the four-page width of a roll of newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
. Following changing industry standards, the width of the page was reduced in 2005 by 1 inch (2.54 cm), to 12½ inches (31.8 cm), now a 50-inch web standard. In February 2009, the web size was further reduced to 46 inches, which narrowed the page by another inch to 11½ inches (29.2 cm) in width.