10/23 - Pitching the Game

What is a Beat?

A “beat” is defined as follows by the Missouri Group:

“A beat is a reporter’s assigned area of responsibility. This might be an institution, such as city hall. It might be a geographic area, such as a school district or a county. It might be a topic, such as politics or sports. In any news organization, there are few assignments more important, both to the newsroom and to the public.”

• The Missouri Group. News Reporting and Writing (p. 695). Bedford/St. Martin's. Kindle Edition.
  

Two of the most important beats that this news source covers: advocacy(Homelessness, LBTQIA+ rights and stories, people experiencing high degrees of intersectionality) and local government (elections, legislation, candidates).

We chose advocacy of homelessness, LBTQIA+, and people experiencing high degrees of intersectionality as a beat because it is stated as one of Real Change’s main areas of focus on their about us page. Covering local government and election candidates is important because it allows Real Change News readers to pick a candidate, or stance, that aligns with their ideals, and also frequently appears as an area of interest in new issues.

Image Credit: Real Change News; https://www.realchangenews.org/

Let's hear from the reporters:

Nico -

Real Change has impacted local Seattle politics in many ways since its creation in 1994. It has notably helped to influence local politics by focusing on its issues of homelessness and social poverty and justice. Specific actions that the newspaper has taken involve uniting both employees and readers, for example in 2021 when the newspaper successfully organized a protest to stop encampment sweeps during a city hall budget meeting. Real change also participated in helping to create an initiative on the Seattle ballot focused on social housing in the city budget, which although was ultimately unsuccessful proved to be a useful galvanizing force, and revealed a lot of the public’s feeling on issues of homelessness. Real Change also partnered with UW to build the street sinks that one sees around neighborhoods everyday. Overall Real Change has been quite the driving political force, with their interviews on local candidates being an essential viewpoint on local politics in the area.

Charlie -

When we first started analyzing Real Change News it seemed obvious which audience the paper had in mind, progressives in the Seattle area. The paper was originally slated towards being an outlet for those experiencing poverty to speak on their issues, while making a little cash as a vendor. This has since shifted.

The founder, Timothy Harris, was quoted in a 2005 Seattle Times article stating he wanted the paper to be seen “as the progressive, community news source.” It seems they succeeded in their mission. Today, Real Change News shines like a beacon for progressive ideals and has incorporated a variety of topics outside of homelessness.

Real Change’s transformation includes plan to reach readers, The Seattle Times, Sara Green Jean (2005, February 1). https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20050201&slug=homeless01m]

Kevin -

The board of directors at Real Change consists of President Felicia Salcedo, Vice President Matthew Hayashi, and Treasurer Breanne Schuster as well as five other members. Felicia Salcedo was raised in the Pacific Northwest and has been a longtime patron of Real Change News. Salcedo is the Founding Director of the King County Partners Group and We Are In, which focuses on solutions to homelessness and racial equability. She has previously worked for Public Health-Seattle & King County, which supports overdose prevention and solutions to substance use. Matthew Hayashi is the current principal organizational development and leadership consultant for Headwater People. Their work consists of offering consulting services to local organizations to produce a more equitable future. Breanne Schuster grew up in Wisconsin and moved to Seattle in 2012. She is currently an attorney at the Juvenile Law Center.