Goodloe-Johnson's side gig
Not much fazes me anymore when it comes to our district, but I nearly fell out of my chair as I read today's NYTimes article on the Seattle PI's upcoming transformation:
Who will these "government officials" be? Drumroll, please:
Really, I'm speechless. What about you?
But the P-I, as it is called, will resemble a local Huffington Post more than a traditional newspaper, with a news staff of about 20 people rather than the 165 it has had, and a site consisting mostly of commentary, advice and links to other news sites, along with some original reporting.
The site has recruited some current and former government officials to write columns, and it will keep some of the popular columnists and bloggers who already work there, in addition to the large number of unpaid local bloggers whose work appears on the site. Hearst also plans to repackage material from its large stable of magazines for the site.
Who will these "government officials" be? Drumroll, please:
Among the new columnists, Hearst said, will be Norm Rice, a former Seattle mayor, and his wife, Constance Rice; a congressman, Jim McDermott; Maria Goodloe-Johnson, who heads the city’s public schools; and a former police chief, a former United States attorney, and two former governors.
Really, I'm speechless. What about you?
Comments
Cannot wait to register for comments!
So what? So she is writing a press release or column every once in a while.
I think its fine, and really don't understand what the big deal is for you Denise.
And to repeat something I just typed under the school bell thread: Am I having a computer caching issue or has the district changed the bell times proposal yet again...back to 8 instead of 8:15 for K-8s. If so, the word I'm choosing to use is "flabbergasted."
http://www.seattleschools.org/
area/board/08-09agendas/
03180agenda/
transportationreport.pdf
Hopefully this is my mistake. K-8s have 6 years of elementary and 3 years of middle school. I do not understand how an 8 a.m. time can be acceptible for the same students that are starting after 9 a.m. everywhere else in the district.
It may be that she's expecting to write and distribute her bi-monthly happy talk column such as was projected in the Entry Plan (remember the Entry Plan?). She may not be expecting much feedback - certainly no more than she would see in the Letters to the Editor section of the Times.
But the P-I.com is not the Times. The P-I's strength will be the advantages presented by the electronic media - discussion. Whether Dr. Goodloe-Johnson knows it or not, or expects it or not, anything she writes for the P-I.com will have a discussion thread attached to it. She may or may not participate in that discussion thread, but it will be there and it will shade the tone of her work.
I don't know if I should expect her to write much or write frequently. You can be sure that the Times and the P-I would each give her all the space she wants and she hasn't published more than a handful of columns in the nearly two years that she has been here in Seattle. I certainly expect her columns to have discussion threads. I don't expect her to read, let alone participate, in those threads.
Anyone who's done a lot of online writing or blogging (not just anonymous commenting/trolling--thanks much, Keepin' On), knows that you put yourself out there. It really pushes you to listen and respond directly to your readers (or constituents).
I've never perceived Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson to be that into direct communication with the public. But she's sure to get it with a column. Also, I assume she'll work under an editor who wants more than boilerplate district press releases.
I'm looking forward to reading what's on Goodloe-Johnson's mind.
Very bizarre...
I apologise for the snarky post.
Your answer to my post did clarify your post - which I have to say was hard to interpret. So thanks.
I will just say, that when you agreed to be a blogger here, you did need to expect comments occasionally. And you may not like them all. And you may not like the fact that we can post anonymously. But I think that issue has been done to death already.
I love Seattle Citizen's idea of a point/counterpoint with Dr. G-J. That certainly would be lively and give the PI some spark.
"But I'm tired of talking about myself. You talk about me for awhile."
Except in reverse order.
But, more and more I'm feeling out of sync with Seattle, with the no-irony zones (as Charlie calls it), with the district dramas, etc. so probably is time to just shut up and find the exit.
Please stay in the mix. I so miss The Chalkboard and the topics you brought up—including the one about satire and irony.
My own take is cynical. I'm like you. I'd love to hear what Dr. G-J really has on her mind, but I don't think she's going to do more than stick to her talking points.
I'd like to think that Norm Rice, Jim McDermott, along with MGJ, are up for blogging with the comments turned on, but I'm expecting CYA time instead. If the P-I is going to follow the HuffPo model, Mz. Ariana isn't afraid to protect her friends by deleting critical or probing comments.
What IS the party out of power here, and who is its spokesperson?
Another question it begs is what is the party that MGJ represents, and what are its goals?
We are all spokespersons. The P-I can choose someone - anyone.
You are also right. Thank you.
"Editor's note: Seattle area opinion leaders have been invited by seattlepi.com to participate in Seattle Views. Posts are not edited or pre-screened by the seattlepi.com. The authors are solely responsible for content."
So... there will be no editing support from the P-I.
It really will leave you speechless.
Helen Schinske
http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/times-they-are-changin
I like the comment that the next column will be "the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind." I'm pretty sure that the current use would be considered "Fair use" but I wonder what would happen if McDermott decided to have an entire series of columns themed around Bob Dylan songs?
Also, I presume that Jim's not getting paid (I mean, other than the salary we pay him as a congressman?)
There seems like there's a free ranging comments section -- what do you have to do to register?
Helen Schinske
1. a science teacher who could not teach and was not replaced until April
2. a school counselor who couldn't counsel. She never once ran groups for middle schoolers and could not effectively deal with problems at this age group
3. silly "orange slips" for behavior that was less important than the more important things.
4. bullying was unrecognized by teachers and administrators.
It is possible the school is fine for Grades K-6. But for the older kids, it doesn't hold a candle to the more seasoned schools, like Eckstein and Hamilton.