Seattle Times fails to meet its own standards for its coverage of the homelessness crisis

November 2, 2025, was the 10-year anniversary of Seattle/King County declaring homelessness an emergency.  A decade later, government actions have caused homelessness to increase 68% and thousands have died (mostly from drug overdose). The Seattle Times, despite having an editor (Molly “MJ” Harbarger) and two reporters (Greg Kim and Anna Patrick) to cover the issue, failed to mention this milestone or the worsening homelessness problem. We examine the newspaper’s narrow focus and how it allows the region’s political leadership to escape accountability as more people continue to suffer on our streets.

In early 2019, then Seattle Times Executive Editor Don Shelton posted the newspaper’s mission statement, vision, and priorities.

The paper’s mission statement proclaims, “The Seattle Times serves the Greater Seattle Area through public service and quality, independent journalism from which we will never waver. Our newsroom and coverage reflect the vibrancy and diversity of the region and tell the story of its continuing transformation.”

Its vision states, “To be the model of innovative, audience-supported regional journalism, to strengthen democracy, build community and enrich people’s lives.”

Among the Seattle Times’ priorities are:

• “We hold the powerful accountable, inform the electorate and protect the rights of the powerless.”
• “We give voice to the voiceless; reflect the plurality of perspectives, identities and experiences in the Northwest; and ensure that communities see themselves and their concerns represented in our work, as both a fundamental element of accuracy and a necessary condition of our survival.

At the end of the article Shelton asks the readers, “How are we doing?”

Well, Seattle Times, your coverage of the homelessness issue has repeatedly failed to meet the criteria you have set for your newspaper. Here are five clear examples.

1. Times homeless coverage is not “independent”

Most of the Seattle Times’ homeless coverage is run through its Project Homeless (a revenue generating initiative to offset dwindling circulation numbers) which is primarily funded by very partisan organizations with deep ties within Seattle’s liberal establishment. For example:

• The Campion Foundation’s website proclaims the progressive’s mantra that we must “Increase and leverage government’s role.” (i.e. expand the size, cost and power of government).
• The President of the Raikes Foundation’s Housing and Homelessness efforts is a former senior staff member for Democrat U.S. Senator Patty Murray. The foundation’s website makes the false claim that what we are doing for the homeless “is working,” we just need to increase the amount of money.
• The Seattle Foundation is a typical progressive organization, filled with liberal activists promoting Left-wing solutions.

Of course, the Times proclaims that the paper retains editorial control over content, but with its funding coming from only one political viewpoint, this could explain why its articles only promote the viewpoints of its funders.

2. Lack of “diversity” of viewpoints in coverage

While Housing First policies continue to increase homeless numbers, the paper has actively denounced the alternative “Treatment-based” homeless strategy in its reports. Following the Trump Administration’s executive order to re-designate federal funding of the failed Housing First programs to those focused on real recovery, The Times’ Project Homeless posted an article full of complaints from those who implemented the failed policy and continue to financially benefit from its expensive implementation. Yet nowhere in the story are there quotes from those who continue to suffer from these policies or from those who support treatment-based approach.  Instead, the reporters only provided unsubstantiated opinion from one side. For example, they wrote that the treatment-based strategy “would not only infringe on human rights and be difficult to enforce, but it would likely be ineffective at reducing homelessness or addressing mental health and substance use issues.”

A recent statewide poll found that 83% of residents want to see more treatment-based solutions to the homelessness crisis. Despite this overwhelming support, the Times remains narrow-minded and refuses to inform its readers of the arguments, studies, and examples which support abstinence treatment to help those who are homeless. Only promoting one strategy can hardly be considered “diversity.”

3. It is not “independent journalism” that is “audience supported” when the newspaper is lobbying politicians for government subsidies.

As the Times’ circulation and advertising revenue are shrinking, it has sought multiple government subsidies to keep operating. For example, during the 2025 legislative session, the paper repeatedly promoted HB 5400 which would increase business tax so The Times could meet its expenses (the bill died in committee).

In order to receive this taxpayer money, The Seattle Times needs the support of powerful politicians and in Washington State that means support from Democrat leaders.

This journalistic conflict of interest creates an appearance of collusion in coverage of the homeless issue. Is The Times willing to attack a Democrat politician’s homelessness record if that politician is instrumental in the newspaper obtaining government funds?

4. The Times failed to hold any politician “accountable” for the region’s failed homelessness strategy.

While liberal politicians have spread the failure of the homeless strategy to many different political bodies, there are some politicians who should be held accountable for their actions. The Seattle Times has failed to identify or even question the politicians or operatives responsible for the decade of failed homelessness strategies.

Key among them is former King County Executive, and current Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine. He declared homelessness an “emergency” in 2015, he was the driving force behind the formation of the expensive and dysfunctional King County Regional Homelessness Authority (then led its governing board), and he spent a half billion dollars purchasing 15 hotels around the county (at $330,000 per room) to warehouse homeless individuals, many of whom are still active in their drug/alcohol addictions.

A recent audit found that during Constantine’s administration the King County’s Department of Community and Human Service was subject to widespread fraud with only paperwork for 1% of the disbursement of $1.8 billion grants to combat homelessness.

The Times has never held Constantine accountable for his actions. They have not written an article outlining the many failures of his homelessness strategy. They have failed to even ask him tough questions (the way ChangeWA did last year), even when he makes such absurd statements as drug addiction does not play a role in causing homelessness, it is strictly a housing issue.

Because The Times (and other Seattle media) failed to hold Constantine accountable, he called in political favors and he will become very wealthy ($6 million) as CEO of Sound Transit (another institution The Times fails to hold accountable for its wasteful spending).

5. The Times has failed to give a “voice to the voiceless” who are begging for treatment alternatives or complain about the drug environment in public housing.

Ginny Burton (herself an addiction treatment success story) has interviewed dozens of homeless individuals for her Modern American video series. Many have complained that no addiction treatment has ever been offered and public housing staff are not trained on how to help those seeking treatment.

Because the Seattle Times has chosen to ignore these voices, there is still no addiction treatment available for many who are homeless.  As the result, nearly all continue to suffer from their addictions, and sadly thousands have died. These are the voices the public needs to hear, but since treatment options don’t fit within the progressives’ homeless narrative, the Times refuses to give them a voice.

It is important for the Seattle Times – as it would be for any journalistic outlet –  to perform its role as a government watching, holding accountable those with complete control of our government. As we have seen, the Times has failed to meet their own journalistic standards and as the result, our government continues to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on expensive partisan homelessness strategies that only increase the number of those on the streets and the number of homeless deaths.

Contact the Seattle Times and demand that the newspaper keep to their mission statement, principles, and priorities when it comes to their coverage of the homelessness issue. Be independent of political and financial control, provide a broader perspective of the issue, but most of all, hold the powerful accountable for wasteful spending and fraudulent activities. Too many people are dying and suffering on our streets for the region’s top newspaper to not demand more of our elected officials.

Photo: Change Washington