Will James
@willjames.bsky.social
Seattle journalist trying to understand many of the worst things
Currently making audio documentaries with KUOW
Podcasts:
Lost Patients (2024)
The Walk Home (2022)
Outsiders (2020)
Married to @sydbrownstone.bsky.social
https://www.will-james.work/
Currently making audio documentaries with KUOW
Podcasts:
Lost Patients (2024)
The Walk Home (2022)
Outsiders (2020)
Married to @sydbrownstone.bsky.social
https://www.will-james.work/
New: One week ago, a jury ordered Seattle to pay more than $30 million to the family of a teen killed at CHOP.
Today, a survivor of the same shooting filed his own lawsuit against the city.
Robert West was shot in the head at age 14 and survived.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Today, a survivor of the same shooting filed his own lawsuit against the city.
Robert West was shot in the head at age 14 and survived.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Surviving teen shot at Seattle CHOP refiles lawsuit
Robert West, who was 14 when he was shot in 2020, sued Seattle after a jury awarded more than $30 million to the family of a teen killed in the same shooting.
www.seattletimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:17 AM
New: One week ago, a jury ordered Seattle to pay more than $30 million to the family of a teen killed at CHOP.
Today, a survivor of the same shooting filed his own lawsuit against the city.
Robert West was shot in the head at age 14 and survived.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Today, a survivor of the same shooting filed his own lawsuit against the city.
Robert West was shot in the head at age 14 and survived.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
My colleagues had me on the @kuow.org arts show Meet Me Here to talk about Infinite Jest lol
www.kuow.org/stories/30-y...
www.kuow.org/stories/30-y...
30 years later, is "Infinite Jest" the best or the worst?
We made our hosts read (some of) Infinite Jest, the thousand-page novel by David Foster Wallace that turns 30 this month, to answer the question once and for all: Do we have to read this book?
www.kuow.org
February 4, 2026 at 10:11 PM
My colleagues had me on the @kuow.org arts show Meet Me Here to talk about Infinite Jest lol
www.kuow.org/stories/30-y...
www.kuow.org/stories/30-y...
"Adults in the Room" premiers later this month. You can hear the trailer now.
It's been illuminating to work alongside Isolde, editor Jeannie Yandel, and fellow producer Alec Cowan to help report and tell this incredible story for more than a year.
It's been illuminating to work alongside Isolde, editor Jeannie Yandel, and fellow producer Alec Cowan to help report and tell this incredible story for more than a year.
February 3, 2026 at 9:12 PM
"Adults in the Room" premiers later this month. You can hear the trailer now.
It's been illuminating to work alongside Isolde, editor Jeannie Yandel, and fellow producer Alec Cowan to help report and tell this incredible story for more than a year.
It's been illuminating to work alongside Isolde, editor Jeannie Yandel, and fellow producer Alec Cowan to help report and tell this incredible story for more than a year.
This launches a new effort at @kuow.org called "Focus" — a podcast channel where we'll bring you in-depth audio documentaries on a regular basis.
It builds off "Lost Patients," the podcast I worked on in 2024 with The Seattle Times.
Subscribe to Focus! We're keeping this type of journalism alive.
It builds off "Lost Patients," the podcast I worked on in 2024 with The Seattle Times.
Subscribe to Focus! We're keeping this type of journalism alive.
February 3, 2026 at 9:11 PM
This launches a new effort at @kuow.org called "Focus" — a podcast channel where we'll bring you in-depth audio documentaries on a regular basis.
It builds off "Lost Patients," the podcast I worked on in 2024 with The Seattle Times.
Subscribe to Focus! We're keeping this type of journalism alive.
It builds off "Lost Patients," the podcast I worked on in 2024 with The Seattle Times.
Subscribe to Focus! We're keeping this type of journalism alive.
I'm very excited to announce a new investigative podcast I've been a part of.
"Adults in the Room" looks into a 25-year-old scandal at Seattle's elite Garfield High School that went unresolved... until my colleague Isolde Raftery revisited her high school years.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
"Adults in the Room" looks into a 25-year-old scandal at Seattle's elite Garfield High School that went unresolved... until my colleague Isolde Raftery revisited her high school years.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
Coming Soon: Adults in the Room (Trailer)
Podcast Episode · Focus: Adults in the Room · S2 Trailer · 3m
podcasts.apple.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:05 PM
I'm very excited to announce a new investigative podcast I've been a part of.
"Adults in the Room" looks into a 25-year-old scandal at Seattle's elite Garfield High School that went unresolved... until my colleague Isolde Raftery revisited her high school years.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
"Adults in the Room" looks into a 25-year-old scandal at Seattle's elite Garfield High School that went unresolved... until my colleague Isolde Raftery revisited her high school years.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
Correction: It's more than $30 million. Sorry.
Breaking: A jury has found the city of Seattle liable for the death of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was shot and killed in CHOP in 2020.
The juror awarded $29 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
The juror awarded $29 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Seattle CHOP verdict: City must pay $29 million to family of slain teen
A King County jury found Seattle was negligent in its response to the fatal shooting of a teenager in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone in 2020.
www.seattletimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Correction: It's more than $30 million. Sorry.
We're working on it.
January 29, 2026 at 11:03 PM
We're working on it.
Correction: It's more than $30 million.
January 29, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Correction: It's more than $30 million.
Breaking: A jury has found the city of Seattle liable for the death of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was shot and killed in CHOP in 2020.
The juror awarded $29 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
The juror awarded $29 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Seattle CHOP verdict: City must pay $29 million to family of slain teen
A King County jury found Seattle was negligent in its response to the fatal shooting of a teenager in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone in 2020.
www.seattletimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Breaking: A jury has found the city of Seattle liable for the death of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was shot and killed in CHOP in 2020.
The juror awarded $29 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
The juror awarded $29 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Jury finds the city of Seattle liable for the death of Antonio Mays Jr., who was killed in CHOP in 2020.
Awards more than $25 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
Awards more than $25 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
January 29, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Jury finds the city of Seattle liable for the death of Antonio Mays Jr., who was killed in CHOP in 2020.
Awards more than $25 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
Awards more than $25 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
There's a verdict in the Antonio Mays Jr. case, after nearly three weeks of jury deliberations and a month-long trial.
Attorneys are assembling in the downtown Seattle courtroom. I'll thread the verdict below.
Attorneys are assembling in the downtown Seattle courtroom. I'll thread the verdict below.
I'm sitting in the King County courthouse, where a jury is deliberating in Antonio Mays Sr. vs the city of Seattle.
Antonio Mays Jr., 16, was killed at CHOP in 2020; His death led the city to disband the protest zone.
If there's a verdict, I'll post here.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Antonio Mays Jr., 16, was killed at CHOP in 2020; His death led the city to disband the protest zone.
If there's a verdict, I'll post here.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Jury left to deliberate as trial for teen’s death in CHOP zone ends
Ten jurors must agree on two questions related to whether the city’s emergency response failed 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr.
www.seattletimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:59 PM
There's a verdict in the Antonio Mays Jr. case, after nearly three weeks of jury deliberations and a month-long trial.
Attorneys are assembling in the downtown Seattle courtroom. I'll thread the verdict below.
Attorneys are assembling in the downtown Seattle courtroom. I'll thread the verdict below.
Yeah. There is an element of journalism that requires engaging with public opinion. But there's also an element that requires *tuning out* opinion in order to make a genuine run at the truth. And being on social media a lot has a way of making that second thing almost impossible.
January 29, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Yeah. There is an element of journalism that requires engaging with public opinion. But there's also an element that requires *tuning out* opinion in order to make a genuine run at the truth. And being on social media a lot has a way of making that second thing almost impossible.
Totally. It's people not clicking links plus the quality of dialog on algorithmic social media. For every genuinely helpful interaction with a reader or a source, there is an order of magnitude more that are annoying, bizarre, or just someone posturing for one reason or another.
January 29, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Totally. It's people not clicking links plus the quality of dialog on algorithmic social media. For every genuinely helpful interaction with a reader or a source, there is an order of magnitude more that are annoying, bizarre, or just someone posturing for one reason or another.
So I begrudge no one for using these platforms to try to scrape by.
But I'd push journalists to consider whether it's really necessary to be posting, and to consider the ways it's limited or altered how they see the world — and thus how they do their jobs.
But I'd push journalists to consider whether it's really necessary to be posting, and to consider the ways it's limited or altered how they see the world — and thus how they do their jobs.
January 29, 2026 at 7:14 PM
So I begrudge no one for using these platforms to try to scrape by.
But I'd push journalists to consider whether it's really necessary to be posting, and to consider the ways it's limited or altered how they see the world — and thus how they do their jobs.
But I'd push journalists to consider whether it's really necessary to be posting, and to consider the ways it's limited or altered how they see the world — and thus how they do their jobs.
This was kind of intentional on my part, as I saw less and less value, and more and more hazard, in using these platforms for journalism.
But it's also luck; just a function of the types of stories I've gravitated toward and have been allowed to pursue. That's a privilege not every journalist has.
But it's also luck; just a function of the types of stories I've gravitated toward and have been allowed to pursue. That's a privilege not every journalist has.
January 29, 2026 at 7:07 PM
This was kind of intentional on my part, as I saw less and less value, and more and more hazard, in using these platforms for journalism.
But it's also luck; just a function of the types of stories I've gravitated toward and have been allowed to pursue. That's a privilege not every journalist has.
But it's also luck; just a function of the types of stories I've gravitated toward and have been allowed to pursue. That's a privilege not every journalist has.
More and more, I feel incredibly lucky to have fallen into a media career that does not require me to post on social media all the time.
It just seems bad. For the journalist, for the journalism, for the audience, who are tricked into believing they're consuming something more than empty calories.
It just seems bad. For the journalist, for the journalism, for the audience, who are tricked into believing they're consuming something more than empty calories.
January 29, 2026 at 7:04 PM
More and more, I feel incredibly lucky to have fallen into a media career that does not require me to post on social media all the time.
It just seems bad. For the journalist, for the journalism, for the audience, who are tricked into believing they're consuming something more than empty calories.
It just seems bad. For the journalist, for the journalism, for the audience, who are tricked into believing they're consuming something more than empty calories.
Having interviewed lots of people and then, lately, having been booked on or almost booked on some podcasts myself has been eye-opening. The takeaway is that I've been way too concerned with being polite and possibly inconveniencing people for my entire career.
January 28, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Having interviewed lots of people and then, lately, having been booked on or almost booked on some podcasts myself has been eye-opening. The takeaway is that I've been way too concerned with being polite and possibly inconveniencing people for my entire career.
We have successfully moved all of our crappy millennial LEGO set furniture and are now tending to the emotional needs of our cats.
Moving is bittersweet. Then there's the ecstasy of knowing that, soon, I will no longer have to shop at the Safeway on 15th, which is without a doubt the worst grocery store in America.
January 27, 2026 at 7:43 PM
We have successfully moved all of our crappy millennial LEGO set furniture and are now tending to the emotional needs of our cats.
If there's no verdict today, the jury in the Antonio Mays Jr. civil trial will have been deliberating for seven full days.
I'm sitting in the King County courthouse, where a jury is deliberating in Antonio Mays Sr. vs the city of Seattle.
Antonio Mays Jr., 16, was killed at CHOP in 2020; His death led the city to disband the protest zone.
If there's a verdict, I'll post here.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Antonio Mays Jr., 16, was killed at CHOP in 2020; His death led the city to disband the protest zone.
If there's a verdict, I'll post here.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Jury left to deliberate as trial for teen’s death in CHOP zone ends
Ten jurors must agree on two questions related to whether the city’s emergency response failed 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr.
www.seattletimes.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:49 PM
If there's no verdict today, the jury in the Antonio Mays Jr. civil trial will have been deliberating for seven full days.
Four full days of deliberation last week with no verdict.
I'll be back in court tomorrow, when the jury meets again.
I'll be back in court tomorrow, when the jury meets again.
January 19, 2026 at 8:39 PM
Four full days of deliberation last week with no verdict.
I'll be back in court tomorrow, when the jury meets again.
I'll be back in court tomorrow, when the jury meets again.
Moving is bittersweet. Then there's the ecstasy of knowing that, soon, I will no longer have to shop at the Safeway on 15th, which is without a doubt the worst grocery store in America.
January 19, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Moving is bittersweet. Then there's the ecstasy of knowing that, soon, I will no longer have to shop at the Safeway on 15th, which is without a doubt the worst grocery store in America.
No verdict yesterday; I'm back in the courthouse today.
January 13, 2026 at 5:08 PM
No verdict yesterday; I'm back in the courthouse today.
In case this feels like déjà vu, it's because I posted something like this on Friday. I left court Thursday with the understanding the jury would be deliberating the next day, but it turned out the judge decided to send them home instead.
January 12, 2026 at 5:53 PM
In case this feels like déjà vu, it's because I posted something like this on Friday. I left court Thursday with the understanding the jury would be deliberating the next day, but it turned out the judge decided to send them home instead.