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
Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride
Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.
Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…
Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…
Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison
Seattle artist Jennifer Leigh Harrison uses layers of paint and abstraction to explore what we carry beneath the surface.
Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s paintings are dense with movement. Color and texture gather into mosaic-like fields, as if they have been fractured and reformed. There are places in the work where a frenetic buzz seems trapped between the canvas and the first layer of paint. That energy runs through Patterns of Belonging, her current exhibition at…
ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart
The Federal Way-raised singer talks hometown memories, Ivar’s clam chowder, and how it feels to perform in the place he grew up.
Long before he was performing in sold-out arenas around the world and representing brands like Prada, ENHYPEN’s Jay called the Puget Sound region home. Born Jay Park (not to be confused with the other famous K-pop star of the same name, who is also from Seattle) in Seattle and raised in nearby Federal Way before…