Murray Statement on Final Print Date of the Seattle P-I

Statement

Murray Statement on Final Print Date of the Seattle P-I

"For 146 years, the P-I has informed, investigated, enlightened and entertained readers across our region. And tomorrow it will publish its final print edition. Hearst has said it will replace the paper with a smaller online edition. But it won't be the same.

"We've been lucky to live in a two-newspaper town. Two-newspaper communities used to be common, but they are rare these days. In Seattle, the Times and the P-I had a Joint Operating Agreement for 26 years, but they were always rivals when it came to breaking news.

"Competition made both papers dig a little deeper, and push a little harder. That competition meant everyone from corporate leaders to school officials to sports team owners were held to a higher standard. And our community is a better place as a result.

"The P-I's reports on asbestos led me to introduce my legislation to ban it. And they have uncovered and publicized the dangerous shortage of FBI agents in the Pacific Northwest. We need reporters to root out corruption, shine a light on the operations of government, and tell the people what's really going on in our communities.

"For me, the PI's staff are reporters, editors and publishers, but they are also friends, neighbors and individuals who pushed all of us in elected office to think more broadly and be the hardest-working public servants we could be. I will miss the P-I."

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