We have all read recently about the threat of possible closure faced by the Boston Globe. A number of Boston-based bloggers who care about the continued existence of the Globe have banded together in conducting a blog rally. We are simultaneously posting this paragraph to solicit your ideas of steps the Globe could take to improve its financial picture:
We view the Globe as an important community resource, and we think that lots of people in the region agree and might have creative ideas that might help in this situation. So, here's your chance. Please don't write with nasty comments and sarcasm: Use this forum for thoughtful and interesting steps you would recommend to the management that would improve readership, enhance the Globe's community presence, and make money. Who knows, someone here might come up with an idea that will work, or at least help. Thank you.
(P.S. If you have a blog, please feel free to reprint this item and post it. Likewise, if you have a Twitter or Facebook account, please add this url as an update or to your status bar to help us reach more people.)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Blog Rally to Support The Boston Globe
Paul Levy, president and chief executive officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and author of the Running a Hospital blog at runningahospital.blogspot.com, has started a blog rally in support of the Boston Globe:
Monday, April 6, 2009
OSHA Recommends Fining Buffalo News $31,500 for Reporter's Death at Football Stadium
Filing this under Big Government Gone Wild:
OSHA has recommended that The Buffalo News be fined $31,500 in connection to a sports reporter's death after he fell from a stairwell at a high school football stadium while covering a game. Since when does a newspaper own and maintain a stadium?
“Reporters were exposed to the hazards of falls and head injuries whenever they used the press box,” said Arthur J. Dube, regional director of OSHA’s Buffalo office, told The Buffalo News. “The newspaper was aware of these conditions. [It] should have prevented the reporters from using the stairs and the press box until they were corrected. That’s my opinion.”
The stairway is pictured at left.
Michael Beebe's story continues:
OSHA has recommended that The Buffalo News be fined $31,500 in connection to a sports reporter's death after he fell from a stairwell at a high school football stadium while covering a game. Since when does a newspaper own and maintain a stadium?
“Reporters were exposed to the hazards of falls and head injuries whenever they used the press box,” said Arthur J. Dube, regional director of OSHA’s Buffalo office, told The Buffalo News. “The newspaper was aware of these conditions. [It] should have prevented the reporters from using the stairs and the press box until they were corrected. That’s my opinion.”
The stairway is pictured at left.
Michael Beebe's story continues:
Margaret M. Sullivan, editor of The News, said she found OSHA’s recommendations “illogical.”
“The News’ role is to cover events, not to fix staircases,” Sullivan said. “Reporters go into all kinds of situations and environments, including countries at war. That’s the very definition of the job.”
Lawrence R. Bayerl, director of human resources and general counsel for The News, said he is studying options for appeal.
John Moriello, president of the New York State Sportswriters Association, was even more critical of OSHA.
“The idea that OSHA can even think of assigning blame to the newspaper is nothing less than stunning,” said Moriello, a former reporter for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle who now reports for Fox Sports.
“The school district — and the school district alone — bears responsibility for the terrible tragedy that cost Tom Borrelli his life,” Moriello said. “The accident took place on school property, at a facility that they should have been maintaining and upgrading on a regular basis.”
Belo Starts Layoffs Today; 500 Expected to Go
A.H. Belo, the parent company of The Dallas Morning News and Providence Journal, said it will begin its layoffs today.
Belo had announced in January that it intends to release 500 employees throughout its company, which represents about 14 percent of its workforce.
Specific numbers for each of its properties have not been released, but the company has announced most of the layoffs will take place today and tomorrow.
"Our company continues to face unprecedented economic challenges during this prolonged recession, making this staff reduction a very difficult but necessary decision," said Jim Moroney, publisher and chief executive of The Dallas Morning News.
The cuts come after A.H. Belo said last week it will cut some workers' salaries and suspend pension contributions for the year. Full-time employees making more than $25,000 per year will see salary cuts of between 2.5 percent and 15 percent, depending on their base salary. The changes will go into effect around the beginning of May.
Belo had announced in January that it intends to release 500 employees throughout its company, which represents about 14 percent of its workforce.
Specific numbers for each of its properties have not been released, but the company has announced most of the layoffs will take place today and tomorrow.
"Our company continues to face unprecedented economic challenges during this prolonged recession, making this staff reduction a very difficult but necessary decision," said Jim Moroney, publisher and chief executive of The Dallas Morning News.
The cuts come after A.H. Belo said last week it will cut some workers' salaries and suspend pension contributions for the year. Full-time employees making more than $25,000 per year will see salary cuts of between 2.5 percent and 15 percent, depending on their base salary. The changes will go into effect around the beginning of May.
Friday, April 3, 2009
New York Times Co. Threatens to Shut Down Boston Globe
The New York Times Co. has told officials at the Boston Globe, which it owns, that unless the newspaper's unions swiftly agree to $20 million in concessions it will shut down the publication, union leaders said in a Boston Globe story written tonight by Robert Gavin and Robert Weisman.
Executives from the Times Co. and Globe made the demands Thursday morning in an approximately 90- minute meeting with leaders of the newspaper's 13 unions, union officials said. The possible concessions include pay cuts, the end of pension contributions by the company and the elimination of lifetime job guarantees now enjoyed by some veteran employees, said Daniel Totten, president of the Boston Newspaper Guild, the Globe's biggest union, which represents more than 700 editorial, advertising and business office employees.
The concessions will be negotiated individually with each of the unions, said Totten and Ralph Giallanella, secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters Local 259, which represents about 200 drivers who deliver the newspaper.
"We all know the newspaper industry is going through great transition and loss," said Giallanella. "The ad revenues have fallen off the cliff. Just based on everything that's going on around the country, they're serious."
Catherine Mathis, a Times Co. spokeswoman, declined to comment. Globe publisher P. Steven Ainsley also declined to comment.
Obama Offers Condolences to CBS's Reid
CBS White House correspondent Chip Reid's father past away just as Reid went overseas to cover President Barack Obama at the G-20 summit. He had wanted to return home, but family members urged him to stay as that was what his father's would have wanted. Obama offered his condolences, as we do too.
White House Press Office Dials Up an Odd Briefing
The White House press office gave reporters a little more than what they were expecting yesterday when it distributed a phone number that was meant to be a conference call with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Jim Jones to discuss the NATO summit.
The number was a porn line.
Reporters were greeted with a woman's voice that was most definitely not the secretary of state. The Washington Post has the audio.
This is not the first misstep for the new press office, but unlike some of the others, this seems to fall under the "oops, my bad" category.
The number was a porn line.
Reporters were greeted with a woman's voice that was most definitely not the secretary of state. The Washington Post has the audio.
This is not the first misstep for the new press office, but unlike some of the others, this seems to fall under the "oops, my bad" category.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Schieffer Symposium: Journalists Have a Bias Toward Obama
Panel members at the fifth annual Bob Schieffer Symposium at Texas Christian University told their audience last night that up to 90 percent of journalists voted Democratic and have some level of bias in favor of President Barack Obama.
The panelists included David Brooks, Gwen Ifill, Trish Regan of CNBC's "The Call," and Mark Shields.
On the topic of how well the media are doing to cover the Obama presidency, every panelist agreed that there is some form of bias, regardless of whether it is conscious. This can't be a surprise to anybody, but what is noteworthy is that you have a group of high-level journalists willing to admit it publicly.
Callie Mason of the Daily Skaiff writes:
Ifill said in a press conference held before the event that the media are obsessed with whatever makes the most interesting story.
"The press is obsessed with everything he says and everything she wears," Ifill said of Obama and his wife, Michelle.
Shields said the media have a tendency to favor the winner in any campaign.
Brooks said the majority of the people he works with are in favor of Obama.
"Among my colleagues, 90 percent vote democratic," Brooks said.
Brooks went on to say that even if journalists are not aware of their biases, they have them. However, he said he believes the press is being fair in covering Obama and that most reporters are committed to journalism, not personal politics.
Shields said he doesn't think Obama is getting a free ride, but part of problem is that Republicans are currently voiceless.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
At Least 3,943 Newspaper Employees Laid Off in March
March was the most difficult month of the year so far for newspaper employees as at least 3,943 people were laid off. Some news organizations announced layoffs and did not release information on how many people got pink slips. Most of the damage came from the McClatchy chain as more than 1,200 workers were told to leave. In addition, we said good-bye to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
This figure is more than double the total of January and February. The total as of March 31 is 7,546.
Erica Smith's blog, Paper Cuts, is a great resource for this information as well. Her blog has a map that pinpoints these layoffs and more.
March 31: The News Leader of Stauton, Va., 23 people.
March 30: Florida Communications Group, owner of The Tampa Tribune and other holdings, 53 people.
March 30: The Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, 23 people.
March 30: The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Va., six people.
March 30: The News Virginian in Waynesboro, Va., one person.
March 29: Palisadian-Post of Pacific Palisades, Calif., two people.
March 29: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 12 people.
March 27: Boston Herald, 24 people.
March 27: The Buffalo News, 46 people.
March 27: The Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa., shut down its printing plant and laid off 30 workers, via tips to News Cycle.
The Easton (Pa.) Express is eliminating its delivery staff and laid off 18 people, via tips to News Cycle.
March 27: The Daily News of Arlington Heights, IlI., 24 people.
March 27: Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen faces closure, tentatively 60 people until a possible sale agreement is reached.
March 26: The Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times, 19 people.
March 26: Flint (Mich.) Journal, 82 people.
March 26: The New York Times, 100 people on the business side.
March 26: The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, 18 people.
March 25: The Bakersfield (Calif.) Californian, 26 people.
March 25: Houston Chronicle, 200 people.
March 25: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 90 editorial staffers, and 107 people in circulation.
March 24: Glens Falls (N.Y.) Post-Star, 11 people.
March 23: Ann Arbor (Mich.) News announces it will cease publication in July, 272 people.
March 23: The Oregonian in Portland, Ore., 33 people.
March 23: Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, part of the McClatchy chain, 53 people, including the 14 newsroom workers whose union agreed to job cuts on March 19.
March 23: Charlotte Observer, part of the McClacthy chain, 82 people.
March 21: St. Cloud (Minn.) Times, 10 people.
March 21: Orlando Sentinel, 36 people.
March 20: The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Mass., five people.
March 20: Denver Newspaper Agency, the agency that handled business operations for the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post under a JOA, 200 people.
March 20: The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, Tenn., 48 people.
March 19: Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, part of the McClatchy chain, 14 people.
March 19: Centre Daily Times of State College, Pa., three people.
March 19: Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle in Milwaukee, Wisc., four people.
March 19: Skagit Valley Herald of Mount Vernon, Wash., 10 people.
March 19: Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, 10 people in sales.
March 19: The International Edition of The Miami Herald ceases publication on June 11, four people.
March 19: Anchorage Daily News, 45 people, part of the McClatchy chain.
March 17: Crain Communications business news publications, 150 people.
March 17: The Daily Republic of Mitchell, S.D., one person.
March 17: Minneapolis Star Tribune, 24 people.
March 17: Connecticut Post, News-Times of Danbury, The Advocate of Stamford, Greenwich Time and the Brooks Community Newspapers, all part of Hearst Newspaper Group, 48 people.
March 17: Seattle Post-Intelligencer ceases print publication, 140 people.
March 17: Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News, three people.
March 16: Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald, part of the McClatchy chain, nine people.
March 16: Bradenton (Fla.) Herald of the McClatchy chain, 15 people.
March 16: Idaho Statesman of Boise, Idaho, part of the McClatchy chain, 25 people.
March 16: Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, part of the McClatchy group, 30 people.
March 15: Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, 71 people "retired."
March 15: The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., part of the McClatchy newspaper chain, 78 people.
March 15: The News Tribune, a McClatchy newspaper in Tacoma, Wash., 30 people.
March 15: The Olympian, a McClatchy newspaper in Olympia, Wash., 15 people.
March 14, San Francisco Chronicle, 150 people.
March 13, The Daily Record of Wooster, Ohio, seven people.
March 13: Sonoma Valley (Calif.) Sun, four people.
March 13: Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, one person.
March 13: Media General's Washington Bureau, six people.
March 12: The Modesto (Calif.) Bee, 40 people, including the 11 announced on March 10.
March 12: The Forum in Fargo, N.D., 25 people.
March 12: Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald, eight people.
March 12: Albany (N.Y.) Times Union, 65 people.
March 12: Boston Globe, 32 people in advertising.
March 11: The Seattle Times, eight people in advertising.
March 11: Fresno (Calif.) Bee, 63 people.
March 11: Grand Island (Neb.) Independent, eight people.
March 11: Miami Herald, part of the McClatchy chain, 205 people.
March 11: Fort Collins (Colo.) Coloradoan, 48 people.
March 11: The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette and The Island Packet in Hilton Head, S.C., part of the McClatchy chain, 17 people.
March 11: State Media Co. of Columbia, S.C., part of the McClatchy chain, 38 people.
March 10: Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, 20 people.
March 10: The Sun-Star, Los Banos Enterprise and Chowchilla News, McClatchy newspapers around Merced, Calif., 10 people.
March 10: The Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald, six people.
March 10: Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, 14 people.
March 10: The Modesto (Calif.) Bee, 11 people.
March 9: The Tribune of San Luis Obispo, Calif., seven people.
March 9: The News & Messenger of Woodbridge, Va., 22 people.
March 9: The Kansas City (Mo.) Star, 150 people.
March 9: Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, 128 people.
March 6: The Stockton (Calif.) Record, 12 people.
March 6: Tri-City Herald of Kennewick, Wash., three people.
March 5: Ft. Worth (Texas) Star Telegram, 130 people.
March 4: The Washington (N.C.) Daily News, six people.
March 3: The SunPost of Miami, two people.
March 3: Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, 38 people.
March 2: The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, S.C., 20 people.
March 2: Bellingham (Wash.) Herald, 10 people.
March 2: Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, 45 people.
March 1: Fox Valley Publications, a group of weeklies in the Joliet, Ill., area, 155 people.
Here are News Cycle's month-by-month lists of newspaper job cuts this year:
December -- 752 people.
November -- 293 people.
October -- 375 people.
September -- 347 people.
August -- 425 people.
July -- 2,505 people.
June -- 318 people.
May -- 1,084 people.
April -- 1,350 people.
March -- 3,943 people.
February -- 1,492 people.
January -- 2,256 people.
Email me to report any job cuts in the newspaper industry.
This figure is more than double the total of January and February. The total as of March 31 is 7,546.
Erica Smith's blog, Paper Cuts, is a great resource for this information as well. Her blog has a map that pinpoints these layoffs and more.
March 31: The News Leader of Stauton, Va., 23 people.
March 30: Florida Communications Group, owner of The Tampa Tribune and other holdings, 53 people.
March 30: The Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, 23 people.
March 30: The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Va., six people.
March 30: The News Virginian in Waynesboro, Va., one person.
March 29: Palisadian-Post of Pacific Palisades, Calif., two people.
March 29: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 12 people.
March 27: Boston Herald, 24 people.
March 27: The Buffalo News, 46 people.
March 27: The Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa., shut down its printing plant and laid off 30 workers, via tips to News Cycle.
The Easton (Pa.) Express is eliminating its delivery staff and laid off 18 people, via tips to News Cycle.
March 27: The Daily News of Arlington Heights, IlI., 24 people.
March 27: Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen faces closure, tentatively 60 people until a possible sale agreement is reached.
March 26: The Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times, 19 people.
March 26: Flint (Mich.) Journal, 82 people.
March 26: The New York Times, 100 people on the business side.
March 26: The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, 18 people.
March 25: The Bakersfield (Calif.) Californian, 26 people.
March 25: Houston Chronicle, 200 people.
March 25: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 90 editorial staffers, and 107 people in circulation.
March 24: Glens Falls (N.Y.) Post-Star, 11 people.
March 23: Ann Arbor (Mich.) News announces it will cease publication in July, 272 people.
March 23: The Oregonian in Portland, Ore., 33 people.
March 23: Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, part of the McClatchy chain, 53 people, including the 14 newsroom workers whose union agreed to job cuts on March 19.
March 23: Charlotte Observer, part of the McClacthy chain, 82 people.
March 21: St. Cloud (Minn.) Times, 10 people.
March 21: Orlando Sentinel, 36 people.
March 20: The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Mass., five people.
March 20: Denver Newspaper Agency, the agency that handled business operations for the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post under a JOA, 200 people.
March 20: The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, Tenn., 48 people.
March 19: Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, part of the McClatchy chain, 14 people.
March 19: Centre Daily Times of State College, Pa., three people.
March 19: Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle in Milwaukee, Wisc., four people.
March 19: Skagit Valley Herald of Mount Vernon, Wash., 10 people.
March 19: Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, 10 people in sales.
March 19: The International Edition of The Miami Herald ceases publication on June 11, four people.
March 19: Anchorage Daily News, 45 people, part of the McClatchy chain.
March 17: Crain Communications business news publications, 150 people.
March 17: The Daily Republic of Mitchell, S.D., one person.
March 17: Minneapolis Star Tribune, 24 people.
March 17: Connecticut Post, News-Times of Danbury, The Advocate of Stamford, Greenwich Time and the Brooks Community Newspapers, all part of Hearst Newspaper Group, 48 people.
March 17: Seattle Post-Intelligencer ceases print publication, 140 people.
March 17: Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News, three people.
March 16: Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald, part of the McClatchy chain, nine people.
March 16: Bradenton (Fla.) Herald of the McClatchy chain, 15 people.
March 16: Idaho Statesman of Boise, Idaho, part of the McClatchy chain, 25 people.
March 16: Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, part of the McClatchy group, 30 people.
March 15: Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, 71 people "retired."
March 15: The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., part of the McClatchy newspaper chain, 78 people.
March 15: The News Tribune, a McClatchy newspaper in Tacoma, Wash., 30 people.
March 15: The Olympian, a McClatchy newspaper in Olympia, Wash., 15 people.
March 14, San Francisco Chronicle, 150 people.
March 13, The Daily Record of Wooster, Ohio, seven people.
March 13: Sonoma Valley (Calif.) Sun, four people.
March 13: Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, one person.
March 13: Media General's Washington Bureau, six people.
March 12: The Modesto (Calif.) Bee, 40 people, including the 11 announced on March 10.
March 12: The Forum in Fargo, N.D., 25 people.
March 12: Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald, eight people.
March 12: Albany (N.Y.) Times Union, 65 people.
March 12: Boston Globe, 32 people in advertising.
March 11: The Seattle Times, eight people in advertising.
March 11: Fresno (Calif.) Bee, 63 people.
March 11: Grand Island (Neb.) Independent, eight people.
March 11: Miami Herald, part of the McClatchy chain, 205 people.
March 11: Fort Collins (Colo.) Coloradoan, 48 people.
March 11: The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette and The Island Packet in Hilton Head, S.C., part of the McClatchy chain, 17 people.
March 11: State Media Co. of Columbia, S.C., part of the McClatchy chain, 38 people.
March 10: Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, 20 people.
March 10: The Sun-Star, Los Banos Enterprise and Chowchilla News, McClatchy newspapers around Merced, Calif., 10 people.
March 10: The Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald, six people.
March 10: Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, 14 people.
March 10: The Modesto (Calif.) Bee, 11 people.
March 9: The Tribune of San Luis Obispo, Calif., seven people.
March 9: The News & Messenger of Woodbridge, Va., 22 people.
March 9: The Kansas City (Mo.) Star, 150 people.
March 9: Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, 128 people.
March 6: The Stockton (Calif.) Record, 12 people.
March 6: Tri-City Herald of Kennewick, Wash., three people.
March 5: Ft. Worth (Texas) Star Telegram, 130 people.
March 4: The Washington (N.C.) Daily News, six people.
March 3: The SunPost of Miami, two people.
March 3: Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, 38 people.
March 2: The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, S.C., 20 people.
March 2: Bellingham (Wash.) Herald, 10 people.
March 2: Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, 45 people.
March 1: Fox Valley Publications, a group of weeklies in the Joliet, Ill., area, 155 people.
Here are News Cycle's month-by-month lists of newspaper job cuts this year:
December -- 752 people.
November -- 293 people.
October -- 375 people.
September -- 347 people.
August -- 425 people.
July -- 2,505 people.
June -- 318 people.
May -- 1,084 people.
April -- 1,350 people.
March -- 3,943 people.
February -- 1,492 people.
January -- 2,256 people.
Email me to report any job cuts in the newspaper industry.
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