Panelists from left to right: Lex Vaughn with The Needling, Tobias Coughlin-Bogue from the South Seattle Emerald, Ryan Packer from The Urbanist, and moderator and Real Change’s Editor-in-Chief Dominique Morales discuss local politics at Town Hall on election night, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo: Susan Fried)
Last night, the Wyncote NW Forum space at Town Hall was filled to capacity for an Election Night discussion with local independent media centered on state and local politics. Comedian and DOOM LOOP illustrator Brett Hamil was the host, and Real Change Editor-in-Chief Dominique Morales was the moderator in panel discussions.
Two panels consisting of reporters and editors discussed the local races and initiatives and results of early returns. The conversation also included a discussion about how the reporting by independent media impacts how the community engages in local politics.
Morales asked a panel consisting of the South Seattle Emerald’s Lauryn Bray, Real Change’s Marian Mohamed and Guy Oron, and the International Examiner’s Chetanya Robinson how they thought their reporting influenced how the community engaged in local politics.
“I think the question kind of assumes that our reporting influences communities, but when you’re sitting there in front of your computer as a journalist, you can only hope it does,” Bray responded. “I would really hope, like I said earlier, that people read my reporting and get angry. … I just hope that people will continue to read and not get burnt out and to understand that there is power in showing up and making your voice heard and being seen.”
Another panel consisting of Lex Vaughn from The Needling, Tobias Coughlin-Bogue from the South Seattle Emerald, Ryan Packer from The Urbanist, and Morales covered a wide range of topics related to the election from the City Council race between Tammy Woo and Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the initiatives on the ballot, state legislative races, and the governor’s race.