Most Influential: New Media Movers & Shakers

New media contenders are influencing and shaping Seattle’s news landscape

The New, New Media

Print newspapers might be going the way of the stone tablet (we miss you, old-school print P-I!), but journalists aren’t down and out. They’re still hewing to trusted and true journalistic standards with newly created online-only publications. A few of these new new media contenders are influencing and shaping Seattle’s news landscape, five W’s at a time.

[BUSINESS BREAKOUT]
Techflash.com
Who's behind it: John Cook and Todd Bishop, former Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporters
What it covers: Venture capital, Microsoft, startups, technology and innovation
Where it’s based: Downtown Seattle
When it was founded: 2008
Why read it: Cook’s and Bishop’s reputations as savvy tech reporters make the site a must-read for locals following everything from venture capital news to reviews of locally made iPhone apps.

[THE POLITICAL NEWBIE]
Publicola.net
Who's behind it: Cofounders Josh Feit and Sandeep Kaushik; both mastered alternative snark as staffers of The Stranger
What it covers: Local and national political news and gossip, with a sprinkling of pop culture, food, tech and music
Where it’s based: Belltown
When it was founded: 2009
Why read it: Whether you agree or disagree with Publicola’s witty and irreverent brand of political coverage, it’s time to start paying attention to this hipster-humored, no-frills site. Why? Publicola reports it has secured enough private funding in 2009 to “guarantee [it] will be around for some time.”

[THE GENERALIST]
Seattlepi.com
Who's behind it: 20 staffers from the print P-I (and the deep pockets of the Hearst Corporation) plus social-networking and blogging trend-setter Monica Guzman
What it covers: News you can use about sports and community
Where it’s based: Belltown
When it was founded: 2009
Why read it: With a staff of journalists, feeds from wire services, reader blogs and media partners (including Xconomy.com and Seattlemag.com), the online-only P-I gives readers a frequently updated take on the city and beyond.