@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
Seattle-based reporter, cofounder (with @joshfeit.bsky.social) and editor of PubliCola.com, and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery She/her, Latina, Texan
SPD Claims "300% Increase In Justice" Due to Surveillance Camera HQ; Judge Rules Against Activists in Press Pass Case
Today's Afternoon Fizz.
publicola.com/2026/03/11/s...
It's a structural problem at the city that we fund so many basics with levies. I don't know the exact solution, but I do know that our libraries should be able to hire people as needed and do regular necessary maintenance without having to ask the voters for more money every 7 years.
Not a slam on Wilson, but it is completely insane that we fund BASIC LIBRARY OPERATIONS, including staff and security guards, with a levy that depends on regular voter approval. Non-capital library expenses are a basic city function that shouldn't be at regular risk of cancelation.
I will say also that there is a ton of sexism embedded in calling me a "gossip blogger," a constant refrain from critics over my many years of doing this. As is the routine implication that the mayor and I are best gal pals because she wrote five columns for me over two years.
If you're so inclined, please contact KIRO and let them know (politely!) what you think of their decision to use their power to trash a longtime independent journalist and one of the only remaining people reporting on City Hall. mynorthwest.com/contact-us
Here is the segment where their guest accused me of fabricating my story, having no sources, and being a "gossip blogger.' (Again, I have known many KIRO reporters over my decades in Seattle. They have seen and often cited my work). mynorthwest.com/gee-and-ursu...
I have demanded an apology on social media that they might actually read (I'm pretty sure they aren't on Bluesky!) and the response has been crickets. I stand by my work and resent KIRO Radio's use of their power to try to harm me as an independent journalist.
I have been working alongside KIRO Radio's reporters for 25 years, and their decision to use their massive megaphone to run a 10-minute radio piece trashing me as a person and a journalist is outrageous and unacceptable.
KIRO Radio has still not reached out to me after running a ten-minute segment accusing me of fabricating my heavily reported story about allegations against a city department director by his staff, which their guest called "unsourced." They also referred to me as a "gossip blogger" nine times.
Wilson, who was a writer and activist before she became mayor, wrote for me five times over two years, with the last piece in 2024. Here's a report from my payroll software showing what I paid her for her work (yes, I believe in paying writers)—a total of $3,900 over two years.
Oh my GOD. The woman KIRO Radio allowed to go on the air tonight and accuse me of DEFAMATION against the Civil Rights Office director, without contacting me before engaging in this attempt at reputational damage, ALSO claimed I paid @mayorofseattle.bsky.social. $30,000. Which is an ACTUAL lie..
Extra laughable in the case of Brandi "I'm not a journalist" Kruse.
I'm fine with people who headline rallies on legislation outside the legislature not being able to turn around, walk inside, and get press credentials granting them special access to the legislature where they will film propaganda films about the legislation they just rallied for or against.
I think it's worth it to read the order in the case, which notes that the three activists said they were the same as Seattle Times reporters, since the Seattle Times has hired lobbyists. I've made it available here. publicola.com/wp-content/u...
I have serious concerns about gatekeeping, as an independent journalist who JUST TODAY was ridiculed by a local FM radio host as a "gossip blogger." But it seems like a reasonable restriction on press access to limit it to people who do not work for political interest groups.
Choe works for Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk's group, and the Discovery Institute, a local right-wing group that whips up fear and hatred about homeless people.
The anti-trans measures specifically oppose the legislature's actions to protect trans kids. Handing press passes to activists working against the rights of trans children would be as absurd as giving them to people working on behalf of any other activist group.
I don't know "many in news media" who host and speak at activist rallies. The ruling notes that shortly before asking for press passes, Kruse and Hoffman spoke in support of two anti-trans initiatives at a Let's Go Washington rally. They also noted Choe works primarily for non-media activist groups.
Seems like KIRO Radio in Seattle could have picked up the phone (or read my story, which included interviews with 1/4 of the staff of this department) before running a piece calling me a "gossip blogger" with no facts but I guess radio standards ain't what they used to be
It is simply laughable that these people, two of whom once worked for news outlets, claim the mantle of "journalist" in perpetuity. And BTW, Choe—who works for Turning Point USA— shows up at press events anyway and people just let him run around dramatically getting his dumb "action" shots
PubliCola was the first online-only outlet to get media credentials at the state Capitol, because we're a news source
Unlike far-right activists who dox people, harass immigrant day care providers, attend Trump praise sessions, and plagiarize real journalists' work.
Seattle Nice: Mayor Wilson Wants to Go Big on Shelter. Will She Succeed—and If She Does, What Then?
Our latest podcast, in which we discuss what an all-out push for shelter means for the city's homelessness response.
publicola.com/2026/03/10/s...
And yeah, this is a Geekwire special—booster-ish story about a local-ish company—but I do think the references to "getting my hair cut by Amazon" are extra cringe in this case. Amazon did not cut your hair. They put their brand on a human being's talent.
what a read
1. No Bluesky! Curious if Seattle usage is above or below average. 2. Yay Pinterest representation! But 3. Pinterest isn't really social media??
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
As Criminal Case Backlog Persists, New City Attorney Says She'll Reorg Her Office for Faster Results
But will simple changes—and an assist from the state legislature—be enough to break a logjam that has persisted for years?
publicola.com/2026/03/09/a...
Praising the rare women who managed to rise through the ranks of the boys' club is off-point anyway for a department that lags the rest of the country in recruiting women and has backed far, far away from its pledge to have a 30 percent female recruit class by 2030.
SPD posted a selective paean to four female Seattle police officials for International Women's Day. They skipped over former SPD assistant chief Linda Pierce, the highest-ranking woman as of 2009, when she left after raising concerns about how women were treated.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
wow so brave
And this is just a personal peeve, but it's something a group of professional writers and editors should know: The phrase is "here's hoping," not "here's to hoping."