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There's plenty of backlash to The Seattle Times' decision to start charging for access to its website. But Dave Ross and Luke Burbank are among many who argue the service provided is worth far more than the cost.(MyNorthwest.com/Jamie Griswold)

In defense of The Seattle Times charging for online access

BY Josh Kerns  on February 25, 2013 @ 11:37 am (Updated: 12:54 pm - 2/25/13 )

There's plenty of backlash to The Seattle Times' decision to start charging for access to its website. But Dave Ross and Luke Burbank are among many who argue the service provided is worth far more than the minimal cost.

"There is a huge personnel cost there. They've got the biggest newsroom in the region. You've got to pay people to do that kind of thing full time," said Ross on Monday's Ross and Burbank Show.

Hundreds of people have lambasted the decision in comments on The Seattle Times web site following the announcement by executive editor David Boardman. He defends the decision arguing "you get what you pay for" and pointing out the economics of the news business have changed drastically and precipitously declining ad revenue no longer pays the bills.

But the vast majority of commenters disagreed vehemently:

"Pay for this crap? Good luck."

"BYE BYE S-times ... the Internet is huge and free of info to inform all."

"There are hundreds of news outlets where I can get my info. The NY Times and the Seattle Times do not hold a monopoly on information dissemination. Besides, using other sources reveals the glaring biases of these publications."

But Ross and Burbank argue critics clearly don't understand the role The Seattle Times plays in generating a vast majority of local news, and how most other news outlets in the region rely on the Times original reporting as the basis for their own stories.

"Everybody knows that everybody else including us feeds off the Seattle Times. We haven't got the kind of reporting staff that they do," Ross said.

While many commenters referenced turning to free outlets such as SeattlePI.com for their news, Burbank points out the PI has just a tiny staff that does little original reporting, primarily aggregating and repackaging content from other sources much like many other outlets ranging from The Huffington Post to The Drudge Report.

"There's like five million weird pop-up ads that happen [on the PI] and 90 percent of the stories are just reposts. And I don't say that to criticize the people who are still at the PI, they're doing their absolute best. But it's very hard to create a real journalistic thing when you have five or six employees," said Burbank.

It's a difficult choice for the Times, which will likely lose a number of online readers when it first shifts to the digital subscriptions in mid-March (which will cost $.99 per week for the first month, then $3.99 per week going forward, or free with any paid print subscription.) While many of the commenters complain it's not worth it, Ross argued the alternative is a complete lack of objective reporting on critical local and regional issues.

"What happens then is that each politician, each political organization, each lobbying group gets to make the news whatever they want. There's no paid, objective arbitrator of what's true and what's not anymore," Ross said. "Everybody who pitches you a news story, if this kind of thing doesn't work, is going to have a pecuniary interest in you believing what they say."

While many commenters complain The Seattle Times and other outlets display a "liberal bias", Ross disagreed.

"Compared to the unpaid media out there, I'm sorry, the Times does a great job. They actually care about the facts. I'm sure reporters have an individual agenda but it's certainly a lot less obvious than on most of the other private websites you go to," he said.

There's no questioning the number of stories broken by the Seattle Times that would not have been exposed without the resources behind the region's largest news gathering operation. Boardman cited several recent examples including reporting on questionable ethical moves by Port of Seattle Commissioner Rob Holland that led to his resignation, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning series on state Methadone policies that led to "more than 2,000 unnecessary deaths."

The Times move is far from unprecedented. As Boardman points out, over 400 news outlets nationwide have implemented some fee for their content. But with a generation raised on free content, there are plenty of questions about whether enough people will pay to keep the Times afloat.

Burbank predicted that ultimately, the vast majority of people who care about local and regional news will bite the bullet and pay for the service.

"Really and truly you've got to at some point start to teach people they do have to pay for stuff. I bet you in five years, most of us - at least the adults among us - will sort of realize that you have to pay for things that cost money to create," he said.

A small minority of commenters on the Times site agreed.

"A world without quality, unbiased investigative journalism is well....it's N.Korea with a little China sprinkled in for further oppression. I like many are more than happy to pay for an online subscription to the Times," wrote one.

Time will tell.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (12)


  • Add A Comment

  • HLD wrote...
    "There's no paid, objective arbitrator of what's true and what's not anymore"
    February 25, 2013 12:49 pm
    Some would say there is not an objective arbitrator of what's true now. One has to look no further than the Seattle Times biased and misinformed reporting during the Seattle Arena MOU proceedings.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • logical open mind wrote...
    Luke-an exception to your last line is single woman welfare who create a child but dont pay for the housing, food, medical for her creation.
    February 25, 2013 5:30 pm
    Adults DO think a adult should pay for something created that cost money.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • po_guy wrote...
    Can you really believe this??
    February 25, 2013 12:52 pm
    "But Dave Ross and Luke Burbank are among many who argue the service provided is worth far more than the minimal cost. " The two most liberal jerks in Seattle SHOULD defend their llib rag!!!
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    You know, that's what most appeals to me most about conservatism...
    February 25, 2013 4:43 pm
    so many of its proponents, like po guy here, present such well reasoned and objective arguments. Such folks stick to the facts rather than engage in personal attack or name calling.

    Nicely done, po guy. You're a credit to your philosophy.

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  • mnpat wrote...
    While many commenters complain The Seattle Times and other outlets display a "liberal bias", Ross disagreed.
    February 25, 2013 1:10 pm
    As if this Dave Ross disagreeing) is a big surprise to anyone. I'm sure he loves it, they report the news most liberals love to see.....as for the comment,"A world without quality, unbiased investigative journalism is well....it's N.Korea with a little China sprinkled in for further oppression.", is exactly what the Times is and why so many have stopped reading it.
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  • flipper wrote...
    It was humorous this morning...
    February 25, 2013 5:09 pm
    Listening to the Ross and Thomas comedy hour...er...morning news and their unbiased remarks on sequestration. Stop trying to hint you're not uber left liberals, simply parroting the AP and White House playbook.
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  • iDontGetIt wrote...
    not a bad idea...but you won't see me use it
    February 25, 2013 5:18 pm
    The problem with most news media is it is so opinionated, biased or otherwise flawed. The reports are generally one sided (right or left does not matter) but given off as 'fact'. Sources are generally not sited or it is a 'source close to the situation'. The problem is there is rarely a counterpoint perspective in the report which does not allow for the 'consumer' to use critical thinking to come to their own conclusion. I remember as a kid that the 'news' was 'news'. A report - sure kind of dry, but it was the facts. Today, it seems that there are so many sources for news, that the producers of such reports feel the need to 'spin' it so it is more sensational or matches what they think people will want to hear or even worse...propels a political agenda that supports a cause they support. If I am going to have to pay for a media source, I certainly wouldn't subscribe for one that is so completely one sided. It seems that almost every report I read on the times should be in the 'editorial' section and not passed as a general report. I do listen to KIRO radio throughout the day and listen to it with an open mind understanding that some lean more left than others, but they are clear that that is their side and they are usually very clear where they stand - it's a different kind of media and I consume it differently.
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  • cdbtx wrote...
    Seattle Times
    February 25, 2013 5:38 pm
    What about their reporting on Benghazi, Fast and Furious, The EPA scandal... all buried or only mentioned briefly... No news here folks.. move along... I can list a hundred stories that the Times never printed, yet moderate newspapers did... and then the bent on headlines... such as increase of 150K jobs headlined as fantastic improvement in the economy... not liberal biased?

    Show me one story in the times during the last five years where they've challenged the Obama administration?

    I current subscribe to 4 news outlets.. but I would not waste $1.00 a year for the garbage the Times prints... yes.. I do read this.. seriously - to see the liberal bent that they apply to the news... but not for the news... I can't waste my time fact checking a newspaper...

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  • John Hamer wrote...
    The Washington News Council Can Help
    February 25, 2013 5:48 pm
    Good piece, Josh. Defending The Seattle Times these days takes courage! (Full Disclosure: I worked there for 13 years as an editorial writer/columnist, but have also constructively criticized them over the years as a media critic for CounterPoint newsletter and in Watchdogs column in Seattle Weekly.) I would urge all commenters here and other readers to learn more about the Washington News Council, which we formed partly because The Seattle Times eliminated its Ombudsman position and our co-founders believed it was a good idea to have an independent outside organization to review complaints against media organizations and render a public assessment of their performance and ethics. That's precisely what we've been doing for 15 years now. You can learn all about our history and accomplishments on our website, http://wanewscouncil.org. To see the WNC in action, watch the hearing (TVW videotaped) on the Leschi School vs. KIRO7 complaint. But we're now the only news council left in the U.S., and we need help to keep our doors open. Donations are tax-deductible; we're a 501c3. Want to help? Click the "Donate" button on our website. If you believe in media accountability, help us out. Call me with any questions: 206.262.9793.
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  • Robert_C wrote...
    Maybe a parody here....
    February 25, 2013 6:16 pm
    I also have a hard time swallowing Dave's view of the Seattle Times being an unbiased paper. Since the Ross & Burbank show is apparently pilfering from the paper, maybe that explains the shows poor listenership since they are just regurgitating the same bias nobody seems to want to pay for. I'm just say'n.
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  • Mavila wrote...
    Yeah, I'm sorry...
    February 25, 2013 7:12 pm
    but I'm not buying it Dave.

    To illustrate, I just did a search of the Seattle Times web site for articles on Jesse Jackson, Jr. and five articles came up since 2/15/13 talking about his guilty plea deal. Only one mentioned that he was a Democrat and it was buried in the 9th paragraph.

    That reporting would have prominently mentioned the party affiliation in each article had it been a Republican.

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  • Michigander wrote...
    Interesting
    February 26, 2013 5:32 am
    So let me understand. A private business is a benefit to the community... Provides an important product... AND should get paid for their services. Well... That is a new concept.
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