At the end of last year, the Seattle Times decided not to rehire a distinguished freelance reporter covering the joint operating agreement it has with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Instead, it will have one of its own staff writers cover the story. The Post-Intelligencer has been covering the story with a couple of reporters on its business desk.
It’s always an awkward situation having to cover your employer, and I don’t think that a reporter can do a truly objective job. The freelancer that had been used, Bill Richards, used to work for The Wall Street Journal, so he knows his way around a business and financial statements. The implication in this Seattle Weekly story is that he was digging into some financial situations that the Times’ owner didn’t like.
Anyway, read it for yourself here and reach your own conclusions.
