The Stranger (newspaper) explained

The Stranger
Type:Alternative weekly
Format:Tabloid
Political:Progressive
Owners:Brady Walkinshaw
Headquarters:800 Maynard Ave S., Ste. 200
Seattle, Washington 98134
U.S.
Publisher:Robert Crocker
Issn:1935-9004

The Stranger is an alternative biweekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, U.S. It has a progressive orientation and as founded in 1991.[1] The paper's principal competitor is the Seattle Weekly.

History

The Stranger was founded in July 1991 by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue was produced out of a home in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood and was released on September 23, 1991.[2] [3] [4] The newspaper's title reflected the fact that Keck had almost no connection to Seattle prior to launching the paper. In 1993, The Stranger relocated to Seattle's Capitol Hill district, where its offices remained until 2020.[5] The Stranger's tagline is "Seattle's Only Newspaper".

In its early days, The Stranger had a print run of 20,000, and focused on Seattle's University District.[2] It was originally distributed as a single sheet of newsprint wrapped around a wad of coupons redeemable at local businesses.

Dan Savage was the Stranger editor-in-chief from April 4, 2001, to September 2007. Associated with the paper since its inception, he made a national reputation writing the paper's sarcastic and sometimes inflammatory sex advice column, "Savage Love", which has since appeared in every issue of The Stranger.[6] Savage became the paper's editorial director in 2007, and was replaced as editor-in-chief by Christopher Frizzelle.[7]

Erica C. Barnett, who was an early news editor for the paper, was named reporter of the year in 2007 by Seattle's Municipal League.[8]

On April 16, 2012, The Stranger won a Pulitzer Prize. Eli Sanders was awarded a Pulitzer in the "feature writing" category for "The Bravest Woman in Seattle", described as "a haunting story of a woman who survived a brutal attack that took the life of her partner, using the woman's brave courtroom testimony and the details of the crime to construct a moving narrative." The feature appeared in the June 15, 2011, edition.[9] In 2014, columnist Jen Graves was a Pulitzer finalist for her criticism columns.[10]

Since at least 2013 The Stranger has been owned by the Seattle-based Index Newspapers; it has been described as distinguishing itself from the Weekly by its continuous local ownership. By 2015, the influence of the paper's endorsements in local elections, which reflect a left-leaning perspective was being felt.[11]

The Stranger made the transition to a biweekly magazine-style format with its September 27, 2017, issue.[12] The paper was distributed to local businesses, newsstands, and newspaper boxes free of charge every other Wednesday. The offices of The Stranger moved from Capitol Hill to Seattle's Chinatown–International District in 2020.[13]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 13, 2020, The Stranger announced that, due to a dramatic decrease in income from loss of advertising revenue, it would suspend its print edition. COVID-19 triggered The Stranger to lay off eighteen of its employees, which reduced its writing department. A successful online fundraiser was then organized to keep The Stranger afloat.[14] [15] Printing resumed in March 2023 with a quarterly arts magazine, while regular editions remain suspended.[16]

In July 2024, the paper, along with the related Portland Mercury were sold by Index Media to Noisy Creek, a media company founded by Brady Walkinshaw.[17] [18] [19]

Awards programs

See main article: List of Stranger Genius Awards winners. Since 2003, in association with the cigarette company Lucky Strike, and later the antismoking arts organization Art Patch, the newspaper has awarded the annual Stranger Genius Awards to four Seattle-area individuals and one Seattle-area arts organization. Besides the recognition, each winner receives a $5000 cash award and a cake.[20] Winners of the award include the filmmaker James Longley, the filmmaker Lynn Shelton, the writer Sherman Alexie, the poet Heather McHugh, the actress Sarah Rudinoff, the experimental-theater collective Implied Violence, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, the artist Jeffry Mitchell, and the artist Wynne Greenwood.[21] A party and rock show for the winners is held every fall; past Stranger Genius Award parties have been held at the downtown public library, Seattle Art Museum, and the Moore Theater.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: 2024-02-29 . Push for WA Democrats to vote 'uncommitted' instead of for Biden in March 12 primary picks up steam . 2024-04-24 . The Seattle Times . en-US.
  2. Wilma, David. The Stranger begins publication in Seattle on September 23, 1991., HistoryLink.org, essay 3506, August 22, 2001. Web page also includes a facsimile of the front page of The Stranger's first issue. Accessed October 19, 2006.
  3. News: Cortes . Amber . October 12, 2016 . An Oral History of the First Year of The Stranger . The Stranger . February 4, 2020.
  4. Book: Bagwell . Steve . Stapilus . Randy . 2013 . New Editions: The Northwest's newspapers as they were, are, and will be . Ridenbaugh Press . Carlton, Oregon . 978-0-945648-10-9 . 861618089 . 260 .
  5. News: Fredericksen . Eric . October 12, 2016 . 1991-1998: An Alternative History of the '90s . The Stranger . February 4, 2020.
  6. News: Murphy . Eileen . Dan Savage takes editorial reins at The Stranger . Association of Alternative Newsweeklies . May 9, 2001 . October 19, 2006.
  7. Web site: Hackett . Regina . The Stranger in charge . Art to Go . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . September 18, 2007 . September 18, 2007 . August 10, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070810063820/http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/art/archives/122018.asp . dead .
  8. Web site: 2007 Civic Awards. munileague.org. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721071404/http://www.munileague.org/civic-awards/past-civic-award/2007-civic-awards. July 21, 2011. December 15, 2008.
  9. http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Pulitzer-Prizes-awarded-to-Seattle-Times-The-Stranger-147631995.html Pulitzer Prizes awarded to Seattle Times, The Stranger
  10. https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/jen-graves
  11. News: Kroman . David . Times or Stranger: Whose endorsement drives votes? . en . Crosscut . August 9, 2023.
  12. News: Zaragoza . Jason . July 14, 2017 . The Stranger to Publish Biweekly With Higher Page Count, Longer Features • Association of Alternative Newsmedia . en-US . Association of Alternative Newsmedia . August 9, 2023.
  13. News: Black . Lester . February 4, 2020 . The Stranger Is Moving to the Chinatown-International District, Baby! . The Stranger . February 4, 2020.
  14. Frizzelle, Christopher. March 13, 2020. "The Stranger Temporarily Lays Off 18 Employees." The Stranger.
  15. Malcolm, Kim, and Andy Hurst. April 16, 2020. "'We sent out an SOS.' Seattle's Stranger in the fight of its life." KUOW.
  16. News: Oxley . Dyer . March 21, 2023 . This Seattle magazine is printing again: Today So Far . KUOW . September 17, 2023.
  17. Web site: Roberts . Paul . 2024-07-29 . After 33 years of feisty, 4-letter coverage, Seattle’s Stranger is sold . 2024-07-30 . The Seattle Times . en-US.
  18. Web site: Rogoway . Mike . 2024-07-30 . Former Washington legislator buys Portland Mercury and The Stranger . 2024-07-30 . The Oregonian . en.
  19. News: Robertson . Katie . 2024-07-30 . The Stranger in Seattle Gets a New Owner, With Plans for Expansion . 2024-07-30 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  20. Frizzelle, Christopher. 2006 Stranger Genius Awards, The Stranger, October 19–25, 2006. p. 25. Related articles p. 25–44. Accessed October 19, 2006.
  21. Web site: The Stranger's Genius Awards . The Stranger . October 13, 2012.