Author Topic: Winds of Change (Read 283 times)

T0J0 · « **on:** July 14, 2006, 03:14:27 PM »

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Santa Barbara News-Press owner Wendy McCaw told readers Thursday that the resignations of nearly all her top editors were prompted by her unwillingness to let them "flavor the news with their personal opinions."

The editors quit last week, citing meddling in news coverage by McCaw and her team. In a "note to readers," McCaw said the editors - not her - were the problem.

"When I purchased the News-Press, I had goals to improve the quality of the paper, to have accurate unbiased reporting, and more local stories that readers want to read," McCaw wrote.

"Some of the people who lost sight of these goals and appeared to use the News-Press for their own agendas decided to leave when it was clear they no longer would be permitted to flavor the news with their personal opinions."

Publisher Travis Armstrong said a survey of readers conducted by an independent company late last year found many believed stories were slanted. He wasn't able to provide details about the findings.

Armstrong said the paper has lost several hundred subscribers since last week but newsstand sales have increased.

Editor Jerry Roberts, managing editor George Foulsham and his deputy, and the sports, business and city editors all quit, as did a longtime columnist.

FUNKED1 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 14, 2006, 03:30:04 PM »

"Santa Barbara News-Press owner Wendy McCaw told readers Thursday that the resignations of nearly all her top editors were prompted by her unwillingness to let them "flavor the news with their personal opinions.""

Or maybe her willingness to require them to flavor the news with HER personal opinions?

EN4CER · « **Reply #2 on:** July 14, 2006, 03:32:42 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by FUNKED1
"Santa Barbara News-Press owner Wendy McCaw told readers Thursday that the resignations of nearly all her top editors were prompted by her unwillingness to let them "flavor the news with their personal opinions.""

Or maybe her willingness to require them to flavor the news with HER personal opinions?

Good - Maybe they can go hold hands with Dan Rather and have a group hug.

Shuckins · « **Reply #3 on:** July 14, 2006, 03:33:57 PM »

heeheeheee!

This should be good.

Editors were "flavoring the news with their own opinions?" Whooda thunk it. Flavoring the news reporting as opposed to flavoring an editorial I take it.

Hundreds of subscribers have been lost but newsstand sales are up?!

Wow. I'd like to see THAT explained.

FUNKED1 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 14, 2006, 04:17:51 PM »

Gullible

Maverick · « **Reply #5 on:** July 14, 2006, 06:34:41 PM »

All the news that's fit to print, as it really happened. What a refreshing concept.

T0J0 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 15, 2006, 10:55:27 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by FUNKED1
"Santa Barbara News-Press owner Wendy McCaw told readers Thursday that the resignations of nearly all her top editors were prompted by her unwillingness to let them "flavor the news with their personal opinions.""

Or maybe her willingness to require them to flavor the news with HER personal opinions?

Subscriptions are down in all fish wrapper markets, complaints of bias are the number one polled answer.

Not many stock analysts favor a buy on newsrag stocks just for the drop in subscriptions being as ample as they are in the last couple of years..

My local NYT sub has stooped to giving papers away to boost subscriptions numbers, never in 30 years do I remember free papers 3 days a week..

This wont be the last time this happens, expect to see the NYT do a similar revamp soon... My money is bet on it...

TJ

culero · « **Reply #7 on:** July 15, 2006, 11:34:06 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Shuckins
snip

Hundreds of subscribers have been lost but newsstand sales are up?!

Wow. I'd like to see THAT explained.

That's actually very believable, as its normal that when newspaper subscriptions are down single copy sales are up. Folks who are subscribers often cancel subscriptions when something happens to make them unhappy subscribers, but still want the newspaper for the same reasons that prompted them to subscribe....so, they buy single copies at newsstands.

culero

Sandman · « **Reply #8 on:** July 15, 2006, 11:52:44 AM »

"Sports Editor Gerry Spratt became the seventh prominent News-Press staffer to quit this week when he dropped off his letter of resignation at the human resources department Friday morning. In the previous two days, five other editors and a popular columnist quit, saying that owner Wendy McCaw and her newly appointed interim publisher, former editorial writer Travis Armstrong, had censored or killed news stories over editors' objections."

Source

Newspapers are more than "just the facts, ma'am." There is typically an opinion section and a news gathering section and AFAIK most papers try to keep them separate. According to the editors that left, McCaw wasn't going along with this separation and they left because of it.

http://ktla.trb.com/news/la-na-newspress7jul07,0,7706691.story?coll=ktla-news-1
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-na-newspress7jul07,0,4396797.story?coll=la-story-footer

Mini D · « **Reply #9 on:** July 15, 2006, 11:59:06 AM »

It used to be that the news paper was the medium for intelligent reporting while the television was the source for superficial reporting.

I don't know that things have changed as much as resources are available to better evaluate the truth/accuracy of reports. The truth is, very little in print stands up to scrutiny these days. Oppinions aren't facts. Data is seldomely conclusive. There are no absolutes.

As I've watched the internet grow, I've wondered how it would impact the media, buisness, real-estate, consumerism, auto sales and so on. I think the far reaching impacts of the internet have been underestimated by pretty much everyone for the last 10 years.