Very good news: Bellingham and Whatcom County residents are about to get the urgently needed local, political, and government oversight reporting of a professionally managed daily news organization beginning in January. David Syre is funding the startup of the online publication and has hired Ron Judd as the Executive Editor in charge of news operations. Judd is a graduate of WWU, a twenty-year resident of Bellingham, a well known local book author, and a reporter for 30 years of the Seattle Times and other news organizations. Judd is super-qualified for this position.
We owners of Northwest Citizen welcome this professional local news publication. We have never pretended to be a comprehensive news organization and are delighted and fully support this new publication. We urge all readers to support this local effort to have a legitimate daily and professional news organization in Bellingham; one that reports on politics and community affairs and is so needed for us to be informed citizens.
The publication seems unnamed at this point. They will publish a weekly print edition, but will have daily breaking news online.
You can read the full news release here.
Comments by Readers
Satpal Sidhu
Aug 06, 2021Wow! I admire David Syre to support this venture. Our community needs 21st century local news source just like local newspapers flourished in late 1800s and early 1900 all over Anerica. Ron will do a fabulous job!
Gene Knutson
Aug 06, 2021Thanks for the news John, It would have been a blockbuster if John Servais was the new head of the news operations!!!!!
John Servais
Aug 06, 2021Gene, thanks for the compliment. Ron Judd is far more qualified and will be accepted by this community. For 50 years I have put my spare time efforts into prodding the Herald, reporting what the Herald ignored or distorted, and wishing we had a good local newspaper. The Northwest Passage in the early 1970s, publisher of the Whatcom Independent beginning in 2003, and this NW Citizen begun in 1995. All were because the Herald refused to cover important local issues honestly. Ron Judd will bring honest and quality reporting to our town. He is an excellent choice by David Syre.
Gene Knutson
Aug 06, 2021John, I agree Ron will be great but don’t sell yourself short you and NWcitizen have filled a huge hole in Whatcom County over the years. Now with a population close to 300,000 we really need for people to read about what is going on with there governments. Looking forward to it in retriement and not seeing my name in the headlines!!!!!
Dianne Foster
Aug 07, 2021That is so interesting. Since Ron Judd is the executive editor of the Seattle Times, is he leaving them for Bellingham? I’m also a “Times” subscriber, and will miss him there, as so many of their staff have already left.
Ron Judd
Aug 07, 2021Dianne, Thanks so much. I’m not an editor at The Seattle Times, but have been a reporter/columnist there for a long time. I will be leaving that job to become editor/columnist at the soon-to-be-named Bellingham publication.
John: Thanks so much for your support, which is quite meaningful for the development team, especially coming from folks who have worked so hard to keep Bellingham’s news vacuum from going full-on black hole. We are excited to join that effort.
Tip Johnson
Aug 10, 2021I humbly regret to suggest to all of the above that “full-on black hole” may have already been achieved in spite of everyone’s best efforts. North of the Chuckanuts is invisible, Vancouver’s southern-most suburb. Free reign for those who can. I too applaud the effort and will also keep trying. Welcome aboard.