The Seattle Times says it is launching a dedicated women’s sports beat this month, an editorial change that will include planned coverage of the Seattle Storm and University of Washington women’s sports.
In an Oct. 4 announcement, the newspaper said reporter Kate Shefte and assistant sports editor Sean Quinton will lead the effort. The Times said its broader sports staff will continue to cover women’s sports and female athletes as well. This is a newsroom coverage announcement—not a team transaction, league decision or on-court result.
What the new beat is intended to cover
The Times said Shefte will report on the issues, topics and trends facing female athletes at all levels, including economics, culture and social questions surrounding women’s sports in Greater Seattle. The announcement says her assignment will include taking over Storm coverage, reporting on Seattle’s other women’s professional franchises, covering UW women’s sports and following selected local figures.
Shefte joined the Times in 2022 to cover the Kraken, according to the announcement. The newspaper said she also covered the PWHL’s Seattle Torrent during its inaugural season and contributed to Storm coverage. Her Kraken work is expected to shift toward big-picture stories, features and analysis.
How the coverage plan is structured
Quinton, an assistant sports editor since 2019, will work with Shefte as the beat is built, the Times said. The newspaper described this as an expansion of its editorial focus in a Seattle market with teams in the WNBA, NWSL and PWHL.
The confirmed development is the Times’ stated plan to add a dedicated women’s-sports reporting structure. How often individual teams, players or programs are covered will depend on the newsroom’s future editorial decisions and the events those organizations create.