West Seattle Herald prints remaining situation after practically 100 years

For nearly a century, the West Seattle Herald, now called Westside Seattle, has been telling the stories of the people who live there.

SEATTLE – It’s the end of an era for a local newspaper that has been around for nearly 100 years. The West Seattle Herald published its final print edition on Friday.

After 98 years the presses will stop.

“To my brothers and I, all we know is newspapers, we have ink in our veins,” said Patrick Robinson, new media director for Robinson Papers.

For decades the West Seattle Herald, now called Westside Seattle, has told the stories of the people who live there.

“Sad, disappointed, that we couldn’t continue,” said Tim Robinson, Associate Editor and General Manager.

Robinson brothers Patrick, Tim and Ken grew up in the newspaper business.

“The pandemic pretty much got us out of business,” said Ken Robinson, the managing editor.

This is due to a decline in advertising revenue.

“As Facebook, Google, and Craigslist began to take away all of our main sources of income, it became increasingly difficult to keep a print publication alive,” said Patrick.

The Robinson family is behind neighborhood newspapers that cover areas from Seatac to Ballard. They told the stories that may not get TV time or appear in major newspapers.

“We’re so deeply involved in the fabric of the community that we have a mural in West Seattle dedicated to paper on one wall,” said Patrick.

It is an imprint of the legacy and community journalism that has now come to an end.

“It doesn’t mean we don’t want to come back, it just means it’s difficult right now,” said Tim.

While the online presence continues, business owners have asked if there is some way to revive the historic community capsule. That means that this story is far from over.

“You can’t spell West Seattle without the Herald,” said Patrick.