Support Cascade PBS journalists after online newsroom axed

On Monday, Sept. 22, Cascade PBS announced that it would be sunsetting its online news operation at the end of October. As a result, nine members of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild will be losing their jobs: six reporters, a copy editor, an associate photo editor and an associate news editor.

Now, these nine Guild members will soon enter an already shrinking journalism job market. This fund will provide these laid-off staff members with a financial cushion as they enter the job market and seek opportunities for the next chapter of their careers.

This GoFundMe is being organized by stewards of the Seattle Times’ unit of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild. The unit will then coordinate with a committee comprising members of the Cascade PBS unit to determine how the funds will be allocated and distributed to all Guild-represented Cascade staff affected by these layoffs.

The announcement Monday marks the end of nearly a two-decade tenure for Crosscut, an online news startup that launched in the mid-2000s. In 2015, Crosscut and KCTS 9 merged to become entities of Cascade Public Media. In 2024, both entities were rebranded under the Cascade PBS name.

The loss of yet another news outlet for the region and for Washington state as a whole is devastating. These staffers contributed hard-hitting, in-depth reporting that was read throughout Puget Sound and statewide, providing additional context and depth to the day's news.

Work by Cascade PBS/Crosscut staffers has received numerous awards and has led to policy changes in Olympia. The Washington Coalition for Open Government honored the newsroom several times in recent years for its contributions to the public’s understanding, including tracking government pandemic aid spending and how elected officials shielded records under claims of “legislative privilege.” Cascade PBS reporters conducted an extensive investigation into mobile home park operator Hurst and Son and their attempts to price out low-income and senior residents. That reporting led to numerous articles, podcasts, and a documentary broadcast, as well as viewings around Puget Sound. The reporting has received numerous awards and also led to action by state agencies and new legislation aimed at better protecting mobile home park residents.

Journalists have covered the COVID-19 pandemic, growing housing affordability issues and, most recently, the policies of the Trump Administration — including the recession of public media funding.

The loss of these journalists and the online news operation is sobering in an ever-changing world where more journalists, not fewer, are needed.