Food & Drink
Sci-Fi in Seattle: New Local Media Venture
Scout cofounder Berit Anderson answers a few questions about her new journalism venture
By Seattle Mag July 14, 2015
This article originally appeared in the August 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
Berit Anderson stretched the frontiers of community-based journalism during her four-year tenure as managing editor of online journal Crosscut. With her new media company, she blows them into outer space.
The member-supported website called Scout aims to provide a nuanced and constructive exploration of world-shaping tech developments—genetic augmentation, workplace automation, private space exploration and more—with a content mix that includes nonfiction stories by investigative journalists and science fiction by acclaimed authors. Yes, sci-fi focused on those same tech topics and set in a future no more than seven years away. Look for Scout’s (joinscout.com) first stories this fall.
What inspired the company’s name?
Berit Anderson: A scout is someone who ventures ahead of the rest and identifies threats, new resources and new opportunities. That’s what we’re trying to do with our members. We see each of them as scouts in their own right, contributing insight and experience that gives the community as a whole a better picture of what’s really happening right now and what the future might hold. Also, we may or may not have a cat named Scout that wouldn’t stop staring at us while we were naming our company.
What is the value of pairing sci-fi set in the very near future with investigative reporting?
BA: As one of our members put it recently, by the time a TechCrunch or a GeekWire reports on the launch of a new Google product, their R&D department is already using science fiction as a blueprint for building their next product. Our goal is to use science fiction to give our readers an edge through strategic foresight.
What sci-fi character would be the ideal mascot for Scout?
BA: Thufir Hawat, from Frank Herbert’s Dune. Hawat is a Mentat, a discipline prized for its analytical capabilities and attention to nuance. Hawat is a gem among Mentats and an adviser to royalty, helping them to see the benefits and impacts of big, sweeping decisions. Above all, he is fiercely loyal, with an unshakeable moral compass.
Follow Us
Book Excerpt: Old White Man Writing
Seattle resident Joshua Gidding examines his own white privilege
In his book, Old White Man Writing, Seattle resident Joshua Gidding attempts to come to terms with his privilege. Gidding grapples with the rapidly changing cultural norms in 21st-century America while examining his own racial biases and prejudices. As Manhattan Book Review notes: “Old White Man Writing is an introspective deep dive into an eventful life…
Glacial Expressions
Local scientist and painter Jill Pelto spotlights climate change in a multi-artist show at Slip Gallery
The divide between the arts and sciences is long-fostered and well-documented. From elementary school onward, children are often singled out for their penchant for math or artistic ability and guided toward classes — and later careers — that align with their right or left brain tendencies. For Jill Pelto — a local climate scientist, painter,…
How Taproot Theatre Survived A Financial Crisis
Theatre is planning for its 50th birthday next year
Karen Lund vividly remembers that sinking feeling she had in the fall of 2023. That was when Lund, producing artistic director of Taproot Theatre Co., first realized that the financially strapped, midsized professional theatre in the Greenwood neighborhood might not survive. The theatre had already weathered the worst of the pandemic, but costs were mounting….
Humanities Washington Fights ‘Midnight’ Cuts
Nonprofit loses previously approved federal grants with little warning
The letter came without warning, like a slap in the face from an invisible hand. Humanities Washington CEO and Executive Director Julie Ziegler had already been talking with peers in other states, and she readied herself for the blow. The National Endowment for the Humanities (think DOGE) had terminated her nonprofit’s previously awarded federal grant…