By: Joe Strupp A Seattle citizens group that had been fighting to keep the city's two daily newspapers going, but temporarily ceased activities, returned Wednesday, hiring a fundraiser, retaining new attorneys, and increasing its board, The Seattle Times reported.
"The moves were an indication the Committee for a Two-Newspaper Town is not going away, despite some setbacks that included losing its lawyer and having ties severed from a key source of funding," The Times reported. The newspaper added that the non-profit group is seeking to raise up to $500,000 for legal expenses.
The paper reported that the group would solicit funds from "prominent people in the community that really care about Seattle," committee Co-Chairwoman Anne Bremner, a well-known trial attorney, told the Times.
The committee formed in response to a court battle between The Seattle Times Co. and The Hearst Corp., which owns the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Representatives of both companies have been critical of some of the group's efforts in the past. The papers have been in a dispute over their 23-year-old joint operating agreement, which the Times is seeking to break.
The Times has sought to end the JOA, claiming it can invoked an escape clause in the agreement that allows either paper to pull out following three straight years of losses. The Times contends it has such losses, while the P-I disputes the claim. Both sides have agreed to settle the matter through arbitration.
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