More Mess at the News Press

I assume this is a rumor and breaking news page, but I appreciate the effort in keeping us informed.

--Not a real person, but a reader none-the-less.

With all that vacant office space at the News-Press, why can't the cubicles be inhabited by a cadre of Santa Cruz Island pigs, the better to listen to the diatribes of Travis Armstrong and the bland columns of Scott Stapleton.
I can't help thinking of ancient history in Pasadena, where a free weekly eventually took over the stuffy venerable daily newspaper.One can dream!

I have long been wondering waz up with the newspress ever since I noticed Wendy, the owner, made her fiance (former foodie editor) the "co-publisher". What a laugh. That must have really hurt moral at the newspaper. Anyone seen that movie "The Devil Wears Prada"? By the way, is that his real name Author Von SomethingorOther. Sound a little fake to me.

What a sad story! This is being brought to us by the Wendy McC. who wrote that heart-warming letter telling us what great buddies she had been with LA Times great Otis Chandler. Obviously, she didn't pay much attention to the qualities that made him such a great publisher!

Travisty will not be able to handle the wish that he has been granted. Watch for his inevitable implosion!

The Independent can take over the credible news in this town. Just divert some of that heavy profit from the owner and raid some top talent at the daily, and then publish a fatter (or twice-weekly?) issue full of deep news and exclusive interviews that could become THE source instead of the now-tainted and suspect content at the News-Press.
This is a fantastic business opportunity and INVESTMENT to gobble up their market share, advertisers, and reputation, especially now that News-Press has fallen and may not get up unless Indy gets some cajones and kicks the Gray Lady of the West in the head while she's down. Go ahead and kick a few times, instead of just pissing on her by Trixie, which is fun, but not mortal. Will the Indy let Daily Sound take advantage of the situation instead?

I, too, was sickened by her cuddly letter honoring the late Otis Chandler, someone who took a one-sided rag and made it the likely best source of unbiased quality reporting in the nation. Hers is still a lopsided rag that could never get close to what the LA Times stands for. Yet this town takes it day in and day out. I say the time is now to swoop in, steal their top reporters and advertisers and produce a quality daily that trounces the propaganda machine at De La Guerra.

Well, the best South Coast daily and true carrier of Thomas Storke's legacy has been, for quite some time, the Daily Nexus at UCSB, in the Storke publishing complex under Storke tower. The Daily Sound ain't bad, but it has a ways to go. The Santa Maria Times is quite good, but doesn't cover the South Coast enough. Of course the Independent is fantastic... but now the Goleta Valley Voice is a (after acquisition by McCaw) a pale shadow of its former pale shadow.

You article refers to stories that Mr. Armstrong would influence. We in the Santa Ynez Valley certainly know of one such story, anything critical of the Chumash expansion plans or is critical of the Chumash leadership has oft been sanitized so as not to offend Tribal Chair Armenta. Clearly a pet project of Pro-gambling Armstrong. While harranging the supervisors for apparent hypocrisy towards the Tribe, Armstrong consistently condones Tribal development while excoriating anyone else who would dare propose a building of any kind!

For SYV Reader: do you mean "sanitized" as in the actual EDITORIALS have that bad position, which has been painfully obvious; or do you mean "sanitized" in that an actual news reporter did or wanted to write up the story one way, but the Ownership Travisty there made sure the story got changed so the original work of the reporter was changed without his or her agreement (or at least agreement with no overhanging threat)?

This is an important distinction that must not get lost in this post-massacre, post-meltdown analysis of the News-Press carnage. Everyone should be clear about the desired separation of the Opinion Church and the News State. Although Pro-Chumash gambling is fine for the Opinion content of the newspaper (despite personal dislikes of that position), but breaking through the firewall between Church and State is the problem, per the carnage yesterday.

Anyway, the comment posted by SYV Reader was a bit unclear about what was being influenced. If a news reporter was influenced or threatened or whatever, more details on that would be good to know. Anyone can call Nick Welsh at the Indy with those details, or post something here. I expect a lot of revelations will be forthcoming about crossing the border into the News State, and in the wireless broadband Internet Age, revealing those details is easy to maintain confidentiality.

Wendy O. All we need is the Plasmatics.

Gazing into the clandestine stare of a harsh reality, filled with luke warm hate, it is unclear how we handle this debacle? Is full-out debauchery the only acceptable solution in this environment of Bush's America? Only you can decide.

This is about the Chumash-friendly observations of SYV Reader earlier today:

Are you and other readers aware that Travis Armstrong is Native American? It's been some time since he identified himself as such in a column that he wrote in the News-Press (not an editorial). That self-identification was done only a couple of times, and it has gone unmentioned for a long time. In the abstract, or course, his heritage is his heritage, just as mine is Northern European-Scandinavian. His is just as valid, and just as irrelevant to most things he does, as mine. But in view of his almost unquestioning defense and support of all things Chumash, I wonder if we have adequate disclosure and impartiality here since the issues associated with that tribe's land usage have such great relevance to many SB County citizens?

The grabbing hands
Grab all they can
All for themselves
After all...

I wonder if Ol' Travis-ty realizes the he personally is the reason that abortion is and will always be legal. Just a thought

If folks decided to form a kind of citizens commission on newspaper ethics and practices and to hold public hearings to consider and evaluate, among other things, circumstances at the News-Press, would the proceedings be considered newsworthy by those who now control News-Press decisionmaking?

My anxious and close scrutiny of today's (Saturday) News-Press reveals only two items re: the bloodbath -- Gerry Spratt's resignation in the Sports Section, and on page A-2 in the staff box the following lines:

Wendy McCaw .... Co-Publisher
Arthur Von Wiesenberger .... Co-Publisher
"Overall responsibility for news and opinion pages and all business activities"

------------------------------

Travis Armstrong ... Editorial Page Editor
"Responsible for editorial/opinion pages"

It must be me, because I can't understand what any of that means.

This is unique in the pub biz to identify and define with such pain-staking vagueness.

I can only imagine the seat under Mr. Armstrong's bum is a bit warm at the moment.
And Ms.(if I may call her that)Apodaca's workload has been heavy the past few days.

--A not-real reader who is fortunate to have local ownership

and what about Rob Lowe? He complains to the Nutpress that a writer published his address in Montecito on Picacho lane! This is not a privacy issue. It's a stupidity issue. You gotta be a moron to think your efforts to build a mega-mansion in the middle of Montecito's famed Picacho Lane would go unnoticed! Celebrities..geez

The Rob Lowe angle really takes the cake and makes this story one for the "let them eat cake" history books. The gall of a celebrity using his celeb status to complain about reporters doing their jobs and then causing those hard working people any grief--when he, the celeb, has used the Planning Commission--a Brown Act regulated body--to get his way for his vanity mansion. Rob, go back to where you're from--Charlottesville, Va, and leave our free press alone.

Let's be honest, the NP has been a train-wreck in waiting since she bought the paper from the NYT. Let's echo the newsroom chant of "Fuck You Travis" with a chant from the community that goes like this: "SELL THE PAPER WENDY" "SELL THE PAPER WENDY" "SELL THE PAPER WENDY"

WE CANCELLED OUR SUBSCRIPTION FRIDAY MORNING AND URGE EVERYONE WHO WANTS CHANGE AT THE NEWS-PRESS TO DO SO AS WELL.

Not only did Travis alter his reporters' stories, he altered letters to the editor! and without any notification to the writer. After a complaint by this writer, his further letters were not published at all. The News-Press editorial section received four first place and 1 second place awards 1998-2002, but since Travis took over, there have been no editorial awards. Small wonder!

Oooo..Yeah..a community rally next Saturday at De La Guerra plaza with signs saying "WENDY"S GOTTA GO" and "SELL THE PAPER" ..that would be cool!!

Keep those ideas coming about a public rally at De La Guerra Plaza, and I heard a rally is being planned, but probably not until Monday or Tuesday the week after next on July 17 or 18.

This needs time to organize and also will get better news coverage by the other media if held on those days. This also will allow more time for the tales to come forward about the unethical and unprofessional interference by the newspaper owners and Travisty

The meltdown at the NewsPress is just a damn shame. I've had my differences with the paper over the years, but in spite of that I've always thought it was a pretty good little paper most of the time. What in the world Mr. Armstrong thought he was doing is just beyond imagination …… aside from the damage his spoiled kid antics brought to the paper and the community, doesn't he realize that his career is now toast?? He and his boss Wendy are objects of rudicule all over the country and I believe, even in London.

Just do a google news search on "santa barbara" and you'll see the results: yeah, it looks like the story is being picked up across the country, and even in the guardian over in london.

Nice going, Wendy.

Someone should print up a bunch of tee shirts with "Fuck You Travis" and sell them during Fiesta at De La Guerra Plaza. Wouldn't that be a sight?

Regarding t-shirts: I also had that idea, and posted it on the first day the Angry Poodle was published (quote below)t the Poodle Blog. Good to see a the same idea, especially to focus on Fiesta.

"How soon will a street vendor at Storke Placita be selling t-shirts with a goofy face and the famous quote: "Fuck you, Travis!"?
Posted by First District Streetfighter | July 6, 2006 06:58 PM"

Something like this, perhaps?

http://www.cafepress.com/cp/prod.aspx?p=...

So the content-free, watered down rag McCaw made of the News-Press is now editor-free as well.

I am deeply saddened by the debacle at the NP with Travesty Armstrong & crew. They have ruined the NEWS paper of my childhood and replaced it with drivel and irrelevance.

Rather than the crude t-shirt proposed, I'd suggest WENDY GO HOME (and take Travis with you).

And a matching t-shirt which reads: WANTED: BILLIONAIRE:
BUY/SAVE OUR PAPER FROM MCCAW

anyone urging wendy mccaw to sell: remember, you'd likely get an owner like dean singleton who would lay off half the reporters, cut the salaries of the rest and demand a dumbed-down product that would insult the intelligence of santa barbara readers.

as bad as things may be under mccaw now, the news-press still may have a promising future under her and travis k. armstrong.

I see the Friend of Travisty and The Wendy is now posting comments here. This blog entry above for "still may have a future under her and travis k. armstong" is wishful.

And the other posting at Angry Poodle blog pertaining to the Rob Lowe address (700 Picacho Lane, Montecito) published in the article brings this comment: "it was unprofessional to publish an address even if it was publically available"

Please, explain how the future may be better, although hard to think how worse it could get now, with the inherint conflicts of the editorialist also telling the reporters what can be in or out of an article, and which articles get cut, and next no doubt will be who can be mentioned and quoted in an article. Melding the news and the opinion roles of a newspaper means that it is no longer any shred of a credible newspaper.

And what was "unprofessional" about reporting on the location of where a big project was under review by a government agency or planning commission? That would be the same address that was in the lower-third label constantly shown on the County government TV channel, because that was the same address on the planning commission agenda, and in the reports, all still at the government web site. What should the reporter have done, just wrote it like this: "a guy we cannot identify wants to build a huge wall that his neighbors are complaining about, but we cannot write about who they are, either, because then the identity of the guy on first would be revealed"?!?
Is that supposed to be news anymore?

SantaBDude - that t-shirt is scary - could you come up with something more people would actually buy AND wear?

Tee shirts gotta be subtle..like "TRAVIS 0.23"(blood alcohol level) or "FU TRAVIS" or 1-800-WENDYSUX

I find it fascinating that today's NewsPress letters section contained zero letters about the debacle. Another of Wendy's edicts? I've cancelled my subscription, will expand my LA Times subscription from Fri-Sat-Sun to 7 days, and start contacting NP advertisers about my subscription cancellation. If reader comments don't motivate Wendy, maybe a big sucking sound from their advertisers might help her reconsider her meddling in the world of real journalism. And mayber Travis can get a job worthy of this intellectual abilities as a parking valet at the Chumash Casino.

I'm curious to know how many people have actually cancelled their subcriptions in response to this mess. I don't suppose we'll be reading such results on the front page of the NEWSPRESS!

Nicky G...that last sentence is freakin' FUNNY!

I'd have to agree with Bones' idea of T-shirt message subtlety. I'm liking the Travis 0.23 idea because it not only makes people think, but it also makes him sound like some kind of evil robot. Me thinks that drunken drive to clear his thoughts actually erased the whole damn thing!

Can we see what reporters think of "the mess."

Finally, it all came tumblin' down...The incredible lack of journalistic ethics of WMcC & ta have come home to roost in a big way...they earned every bit of their troubles and more.
First--subscribers need to cancel-big time-by the thousands-whether you've paid for the next 2 months or not. Advertisers are wasting their $...who wants to spend money with someone who'll give money to the McC?
Guess now the np will have even more copies to give away free at the car wash...good for drying windows, too.

TRAVIS: EVIL ROBOT!! HA HA HA

Maybe the rally could include stacks of postcards with pre-written "cancel my subscription" messages on them and we could all come to the rally, fill out the postcard and drop them into a big giant mail box and thus cancel all at once. Not sure what to do about stamps, though. Just an idea.

A friend of mine who is a News Press reporter said they wrote a story about the firings,etc. but were not allowed to publish it. Makes you think about what else doesn't get in the paper because of the bias of an editor or in this case an owner. Good time to think about ownership of the media and how dangerous it is for a company to own both print and broadcast media in a small town. Where does one get the story of what is happening in the community if the paper/station refuses to present it? At least we have the Independent to speak up. Keep at it. You should publish information about this site so people can get more than a weekly update on breaking news. I just stumbled upon this site.
Thank you.
Lee B

Writing of what does NOT get into the News-Press, this below was posted at Blogabarbara under the "VC Star" topic. The next step would be to delete the entire article from the archives, especially troubling now that archive files at web sites is becoming the standard expection for where to find such records. Stalinist purges indeed.

"Glowegal said... The suppression has already started. The 22 June article on Rob Lowe's residence contained the addresses of all the property owners mentioned in the piece. I just accessed an archived copy and the addresses that were in it at the time of publication have since been removed. This is, quite simply, grassroots revisionism. Any thoughts as to when McCaw & Co began working for Bush?"

"Sell Wendy, Sell!" is the new chant at The N-P. F-U Travis is a bit too harsh. This is, afterall, Santa Barbara. God help those reporters though. I cancelled my sub and will contact advertisers over the next week (a very good idea) to pull their advertising. The biggest thing that corporations fear is a BOYCOTT. Perhaps it is pressure from that business end that will bring ethos back into the picture (and the newsroom).
Sigh...

Does Wendy have a communist red chinese dictator jones?

No News Allowed

Published: July 4, 2006
News has always been a tough nut for Communist dictators. It happens unexpectedly, giving bureaucrats precious little time to prepare the correct ideological explanation; it often undermines whatever propaganda line the state is pushing, and if it happens to involve embarrassing events like riots, strikes, accidents or outbreaks of disease, it can make the party bosses look less than perfect.

The Soviet Union dealt with the problem with the infamous Article 70 of the penal code, which basically defined anything the state didn't want people to hear as "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda." Now China proposes to take the art of censorship a step higher with a bill that would severely fine news media outlets if they report on "sudden incidents" without prior authorization.

"Sudden incidents" sounds awfully similar to what most of the world knows better as "breaking news," and in most countries it's considered a core function of the news media.

The trouble with suppressing reports of sudden incidents is that they usually emerge anyway, in a form even more damaging to the state. That happened when the Soviet Union tried to play down the Chernobyl disaster 20 years ago; China's cover-up of the SARS epidemic in 2003 only made the outbreak of the disease more severe.

The draft law says that newspapers, magazines, Web sites and television stations would face fines up to $12,500 each time they published information about a sudden incident "without authorization." It is, of course, a horrible idea that strips away any pretense China might have of political openness or modernity.

This Independence Day seems like a good day to point out that no country does itself any credit when it tries to control the free flow of news. In the case of China, it's also probably futile. Nothing produces the cachet and credibility that censorship does, and the Internet has made the job of controlling information far more difficult. Billing a story as an "unauthorized sudden incident" could become the Chinese equivalent of the old, seductive "banned in Boston."

Blogabarbara this morning shows some research on Spinner Singer, who is the only one doing news (real news) interviews for The Wendy.

To hone the point about an alleged disinterest of the ousted editors to focus on local news, here is an actual quote by Spinner Singer, from one of the two the AP articles that have run around the world:
quote
McCaw "wants stronger and more local news coverage," Singer said. "They had different interests and chose to resign."
end-quote
LOL

I think Roberts and the others purged also wanted integrity and credibility, too as their "different interests". As if the leadership of the outsted editors somehow was lacking in local coverage!

Daily Sound today includes a weekly columnist who has spoken directly with Barney Brantingham, who said that the political retirement of Carpinteria council member was not reported for some reason. Also, Barney will have a big piece in the Indy about why he resigned.

Not only is Mr. Armstrong (who changed is name in the 90s from Travis Kaminsky)a native american, but he used to receive money from his tribe. Not sure whether or not he still does.

Former NP editors and Barney speak in E&P today:

http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/arti...

I cancelled my subscription to the NewsSuppress this morning. I was paid up until October, and they will be sending me a refund. I was asked for my specific reason for cancelling, and was told by the polite person on the phone that they had been instructed to document the exact reason for cancellations, word for word, and the reason would be forwarded to the editors. What Editors??? Interestingly, I had been out of town over the past several days and knew more about what was going on here than some friends who had stayed in the area.
I would attend a public rally. I would also encourage advertising boycotts. I have no desire to support businesses that support this phony excuse for a NEWSpaper. Write on.

Travis created an embarassing "Hall of Shame" for those who are trying to rid Santa Cruz island of feral pigs. After his DUI, I was waiting to see if he was going to put himself there too...but apparently Ms. MaCawCawCaw spared him that shame. To heck with the NP, it's a rag anyways and not to be trusted. Please step up, Independent! By the way, the Carp Coastal View is a great paper too!

Cancel your subscription. Encourage others to do likewise. Attend any public rallies. Support those who value the principles of honest and unbiased news coverage, and have lost their employment because of their integrity. We need more like them!

Hey...Travis was right about the pigs..the Nature Con and Parks Service are native- only cultists..university cloned "biologists" who poison and kill and have infected the islands with the false science of bionativism..shameful! However, that does not excuse Wendy's pitiful leadership at the NewsPress!
www.carpinteriacoyotereview.com

Anyone started a support fund for those who quit? I'd send some checks for sure.

Travis Kaminsky? My goodness. Sure would be notable if some of the primary documents, like his mugshot and police report, as well as Ms. McCaw's divorce papers with Craig McCaw, and the Coastal Commission appeals about Ms. McCaw's property found their way onto the Web.

I'd like to know where on the Hope Ranch beach to avoid stepping, so I won't end up in court!

even with many of its editors out the door, the news-press is still a much better newspaper than many others its size, and one of which the santa barbara community should remain proud. the new york times co. built a strong foundation for journalistic excellence in santa barbara, and wendy mccaw has largely perpetuated that. people are overreacting to minor things - blonde vs. blond, for example - and inflating that to a major crisis of the free press. the real crisis would be for the paper to be sold and the editorial budget slashed, leaving no resources to cover local news intelligently and thoroughly.

Actually, the pigs on Santa Cruz suck. But anyways, what I want to know is...How come KEY3 NEWS hasn't said anything about this Travisty? If they did, I musta missed it....

To Rabbit Ears!

I was wondering about KEYT myself. They in fact broke the story with an on-site piece by John Palmentari on the day it all happened last week. But then SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE!

Could it be that Spendy or von Sleazenberg has friends at KEYT?

I seriously doubt that Travisty is their buddy. Has someone squelched their stories as well?

Enquiring minds do want to know!

And BTW, Nelville, the truth is that Spendy only kept some of the NY Times stuff because she hadn't yet learned enough about being a newspaper owner to make trouble.

Read Jerry Roberts interview today with Editor and Publisher. The link is several blogs above.

Neville: The FCC is doing an investigation. Obviously there is more to it than how to spell blonde. See today's Sound.

Thanks to all who pointed out the Chumash gambling connection to Travis (he ain't necessarily Sioux) Armstrong

KEYT says Barney will be interviewed today during the 6:00 news hour.

KEYT led the 6:00 news hour with excerpts from the Barney interview.

Hard hitting and devastating.

Barney says he's never going back to the NP.

Nice job by KEYT and John Palminteri.

Hopefully KEYT will post the vid, perhaps even the entire interview, on their website

http://www.keyt.com/

The Newpress is starting to resemble the Miramar...a ship drifting on an ink-black sea.. casting quiet, ghostly shadows...pretty poetic, huh!

Contributors and readers of this site may be as discouraged as I was to learn that Craig's List seems to be refusing to post submissions critical of the News Press. A friend who had posted what seemed to me to be a thoughtful and tactfully worded piece was "delisted" by the keeper of Craig's List on the premise that it was "inappropriate as posted." I would copy the piece here so readers could judge for themselves, but I haven't asked my friend's permission to do so.

Can anyone offer any insights about why censorship seems to have permeated even what I thought was a place where diverse opinions were encouraged?

Bud Laurent (also a former N-P subscriber as of this morning)

Bud:

Your friend may want to post in the "rants and raves section": plenty of openly expressed opinions there:

http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/rnr/

I'd appreciate hearing more about the possible rally at De la Guerra plaza, or other opportunities for Santa Barbarans to show up and support those brave journalists who stood up for the public's right to know. I hope they know they are missed by all of us.

I echo Fran's request. Also, does anyone know where one can get "Boycott the News-Press" bumper stickers? Thanks.

Keep your eyes and ears open about the rally...something is in the works..meanwhile..you can call the Newspress News hotline at 564-5273 and tell them to do a real story on the editor exodus (leave a message!) Maybe they don't know it's a story, yet!!

Bumper Sticker:
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/members/prod...

Just a quick note Edhat has started to do local news updates to help fill the void. It was nice to see the new editors and publisher at the NP got beat by the crew over at Edhat on the fishing boat going down off Santa Cruz Island story. Edhat had the story up before them (also keyt did to)

Also could the indy start to update a bit more?

What is Edhat? (referred to in message from mickeyM)

Marc, Marc, Marc... and you call yourself a Santa Barbaran? www.edhat.com is a daily, quirky site with extremely local news and views and fun polls and obscure data collection.
Importantly, Edhat can be yet another alternative venue for news, besides the now-tainted and in-credible News-Suppress.

Here is a July 10th letter in Ventura County Star about their recent editorial (posted here somewhere). Now we know a classic film to look up at Schmideo (can look up Schmideo at EdHat).

Re: your July 8 editorial, "Journalism 101 in S. Barbara":

For all the pricey estates that overlook Santa Barbara County's environs, the one with the loftiest vantage point is its fourth estate: the Santa Barbara News-Press. It seems it has swapped its mission as a higher authority with that of holding sway (and swag) as the higher authority.

In reading The Star editorial of the abdication of basic journalistic principles by the News-Press ownership and management, I recall a similar theme dramatized in the 1952 film classic, "Deadline-U.S.A." While attending a "wake" of the paper's more seasoned reporters and editors, Humphrey Bogart, as managing editor Ed Hutcheson, delivers the following observation of the changing dynamic between readers and the new publishing breed that now threatens the legacy of the once-storied paper on the eve of its sale:

"It's not enough any more to give 'em just news. They want comics, contests, puzzles. They want to know how to bake a cake, win friends, and influence the future. Ergo, horoscopes, tips on the horses, interpretation of dreams so they can win on the numbers lottery. And, if they accidentally stumble on the first page ... news!"

That Bogart and writer/director Richard Brooks put the onus on the readers is vital to this conversation.

How much trust can $100 million buy? If it's treated as a commodity, like real estate, well, there's your answer.
— Kevin Gillogly,Thousand Oaks

Finally, an announcement of the RALLY

July 18th rally will happen to BUILD BACK THAT WALL between the News and Opinion content of Santa Barbara News-(Sup)Press, and to cancel subscriptions and demand a refund for the remaining prepaid amount. Advertisers also can be informed about this growing public concern.

Rally at Noon, Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Location: De La Guerra Plaza, in front of News-Press building, downtown Santa Barbara
(in public park near City Hall, on De la Guerra St. between State St. and Anacapa St.)

This is an ultra-grassroots event with none of the usual suspects as organizer or sponsor, because the credibility of the daily newspaper affects everyone, from radical activists to the stodgy business establishment. Nobody has to pick sides or feel uncomfortable by association about who is or is not the lead on this rally, as everybody needs a credible daily newspaper.

Although this rally may be considered too far off for the pent-up demand, it still needs some advance time to find and invite the Credibility Heroes of the ousted News-Press editors and writers, as well as to confirm some other speakers with schedules to accommodate. As speakers are confirmed during the next few days, look to fresh postings at the various blogs on the topic, as well as some email lists.

Even a week away, this rally will continue to be a fresh and timely issue then, with more news articles anticipated nationwide (New York Times apparently is doing yet another article), and an expose by Barney Brantingham in Santa Barbara Independent on July 13. All this is in addition to his blistering comments in the three TV news interviews, plus his long expose in Santa Barbara Independent on July 13, plus anything else juicy in the Independent and elsewhere about the News-Press meltdown and Credibility Crisis. See these TV news links on the story:
http://www.keyt.com/news/local/3322881.h... video
http://www.ksby.com/news/headlines/33239... text

Unfortunately, the usual Wall separating the Opinion Church from the News State has now crumbled with the purges on Bloody Thursday (July 6, 2006), when the 6 (yes, 6) top editors and the legendary columnist Barney Brantingham were pushed out of their jobs or resigned in disgust. As a result, no clear boundary remains between who controls the editorial or opinion content, versus what goes in a news article. That's a problem.

As a result, the newspaper has lost its credibility, and people and organizations that effectively have been black-listed from the Opinion pages now may be, or already are, black-listed from the news articles and other public-serving venues in the newspaper. That is going too far and breaks the bounds of standard professional standards and ethics.

"Black-listed" from the Opinion pages means they cannot get letters published (no matter how pertinent), and/or they are the consistent targets of criticism, no matter how trivial or repetitive. Conversely, public officials and others also may be praised or sugar-coated too much in news articles because the Wall has crumbled that should separate the Opinion Church from the News State. Black-listed from the Opinion pages is annoying and unfair, and reflects more on the writer than the subject, but black-listed from the News content is selective and smells of reverse-censorship.

The editorial opinions of the newspaper owners and publishers already are interweaving with the straight news content, thereby blowing the credibility so readers do not know what to believe as fact, selective omission, or melded opinion. "Happy news, ads, and opinion all smooshed together." The readers and the whole community need a credible record of the news held up to the highest professional and ethical standards. Such credibility includes an impermeable wall separating the Opinion pages from the News pages.

To paraphrase President Reagan: Mrs. McCaw, Build Back That Wall!

The new news editors hired either will be total Yes-men (yes, they all are men), or they will be intimidated or terrified and be unable to resist the meddling into the news content. After the raw power purges on Bloody Thursday, why should anyone expect the new news editors to do anything contrary to the wishes of the Ownership? Those new editors were hired for a reason, further feeding that Elephant in the Newsroom.

Everyone who cares about credibility and believability for what should be the local "News of Record" should come to the half-hour rally at noon on Tuesday, July 18th.

To cancel your subscriptions and get a refund for what is prepaid-paid, call them at 805-966-7171. A blog commenter noted they said a refund would be made.

Send me ideas for the rally, or post them at the Indy Media Blog. The attachments (via the email version) is an editorial cartoon from Ventura County Star. Print it and bring it to the rally.

remaining anonymous to avoid the Black-list,
the Church/State Separatist
buildbackthatwall@yahoo.com

Church...GOOD JOB! and... if you are sick of a billionaire using an established Newspaper to bore us with her petty concerns..like trying to stop the public beach access below her Hope Ranch mansion; or her snit with Susan Rose..played out in repeated editorials; or her flunkies trying to go after retirement benefits of city workers; or her monumental hypocrisy...then come to the rally and tell this woman and her little monkey Travis what Santa Barbara is made of!

An obscure blog entry by a LA-LA-Land commenter, this notes some reports from NewsPress staff to him:

http://mattwelch.com/archives/week_2006_...

More on the News-Press Bidness: As I mentioned in my rambling, counterpuntal post below, "McCaw is probably crazy, and it's possible both she and her publisher are totally impossible humans to work for. I'm sure my Santa Barbara pals will soon tell me exactly that."
Cue an e-mail from a Santa Barbara pal, who painted a picture ... a good deal more dire than spelling "blonde" with an "e." Wacky, ah, favoritism in managerial decisions, explicit don't-mess-with-who-pays-your-bills instructions to the newsroom, and so on. I thought about excerpting the e-mail, but I don't need any hassles. I still, however, think it's a good idea for crazy people to own newspapers.
07/09/2006 08:05 PM

Welch made some good points... in particular that an appearance of objectivity is mainly a good business ploy... he discussed Otis Chandler in this regard. I couldn't characterize the alternative press, with its origins in some pretty darned left-biased rags of the 1960's and 1970's, as objective, even today. The Independent seems to me to play the game... a KTYD puff-piece, the society-picture-glam page, etc, so that they can slip in, every few weeks, consciousness-raising articles from their viewpoint, like Kettman on Uganda. Fair enough.

But Wendy has violated one of the 48 rules of power: Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others. She's made the implementation of her viewpoint so damned obvious and clumsy that her supporters constitute a very small slice of the market. And that is rotten business. But there is a certain anarchic allure of seeing the venerable buildings, the solid credentials of a newspaper brought to prominence by the scion of a pre-US sovereignty family and a Pulitzer-winner no less, and the off-scale good staff decimated by an owner intent on running the place like a junior-high school newspaper.

Wendy is really a rebel and iconoclast. I don't want to read her newspaper, nevertheless.

And she put pelicans on the front page above the fold three days in two weeks. There may not be a law against that, but there oughta!

Travis is on the radio right now once again presenting only one side of an issue. I'm counting the um's - 5 mins. into it we're over 100. Give him a call at the station at 564-1290 if you want to hear another POV.

Here is a business article today by a very junior reporter for Ventura County Star. The hired flak, Sam Singer (who boasts at his firm web site that he wins awards called "Spin Doctor"), claims to know all about the inner workings and staff mood at News-press safely from his San Francisco office where he is well paid to do more than spin. Here in Santa Barbara we cannot see his nose grow and the lightening strike him.

----------
Santa Barbara News-Press names 4 new editors

By Jenni Mintz, jmintz@VenturaCountyStar.com
July 11, 2006

In an effort to restore normalcy to its newsroom after six editors and a columnist resigned last week, the Santa Barbara News-Press has appointed four new editors, the newspaper announced Tuesday.

Staff members who quit cited ongoing disputes over ethics and administration, and left the company's management scrambling to fill four vacancies within a few days, with plans to fill two more positions in the next few weeks.

Three of the four spots were filled in-house, leaving other vacancies within the paper.

Former Nation and World Editor Charles Bucher was appointed assistant managing editor; Scott Steepleton, former senior writer, was named city editor; Tony Peck, formerly an associate editorial page editor, was named interim sports editor.

Brian Banmiller was appointed contributing business editor, and started this week at the News-Press. Until last year, Banmiller was business editor at KTVU Channel 2 News in the San Francisco Bay Area for 16 years.

News-Press spokesman Sam Singer said that despite concern among employees, the newsroom is operating smoothly now, and staffers are "highly respectful of their peers."

Last week, editors walked out and staff members close to tears purportedly directed profane statements to Acting Publisher Travis Armstrong.

"This is a step to taking the newsroom back to business as usual," Singer said. "The paper is on the road to returning to a calm atmosphere."

Though many predicted subscribers and advertisers would withdraw their support, Singer says the News-Press has sustained minimal impact.

"The changes have not had any significant impact on the subscriptions, the readers or the advertising at the News-Press," he said.

He said through the highly publicized upheaval, the News-Press has lost about 100 subscriptions out of its 41,000 circulation, he said.

Singer added the News-Press has not lost any advertising accounts.

Founded in 1855, the News-Press is locally owned by billionaire Wendy McCaw, who purchased it in 2000 through Ampersand Publishing LLC from the New York Times Co.

From John Stodder's blog

"The Real McCaw"

johnstodderinexile.wordpress.com

The soap opera at the Santa Barbara News-Press has been enjoyable reading. I’ve been following it via LA Observed and the LA Times. It’s hard to follow what the News-Press is saying about itself, because all of the relevant content is behind a pay barrier, but according to LA Observed, in the wake of reporters and editors quitting in protest, the News-Press’ spokesman issues anodyne public statements about differences of opinion being respected but sometimes requiring a parting of the ways. Classic spin, in other words, that makes the paper’s owner, Wendy McCaw and her new management look even worse.
The point has been made in many places that this kind of upheaval is what LA Times employees might get if a local plutocrat like Eli Broad, David Geffen or Richard Riordan buys the paper. Members of the journalistic fraternity apparently believed Wendy McCaw’s philanthropic commitments — the environment, animal rights — roughly equated to her agreement with traditional notions of journalistic independence. Thus, at first, her purchase of the News-Press from the New York Times Co. was hailed — just as a Riordan, Broad or Geffen purchase would be hailed here in LA.
It has come as both a shock and a disappointment to reporters in Southern California that McCaw would insert herself into the editorial process so aggressively, and on such eccentric matters like how the word “blonde” should be used. But Wendy McCaw is a human being, not a corporation. Corporations have policies that, for better or for worse, constrain emotions, interposing process between whim and act. Human beings, especially wealthy human beings, don’t have the same filters.
So when actor Rob Lowe called McCaw, allegedly to complain that the coverage of his planning commission fight to build a really big house in Montecito revealed his address, I imagine McCaw thought he had a point. Rich celebrities have special security needs. It’s not an unreasonable request, especially coming from a nice guy like Lowe who also supports the environment. So, henceforth, no more publication of Lowe’s address, no more publication of anyone’s address without her permission, lest another worthy millionaire be made to feel paranoid.
The newspaper’s staff objected, of course, that if you’re covering a planning commission controversy, the address is the point of the story. Zoning rules are address-specific. The main complaints about Lowe’s plans were coming from his neighbor. This was a public proceeding, and Lowe’s address was on all the public documents associated with it. Leaving out the address makes no sense, journalistically. If Lowe wanted to maintain his privacy, he should’ve settled with his neighbor quietly. But since he’s asking the local government to exercise discretion on his behalf, Lowe became fair game. At least, that’s how a typical editor would see things. McCaw disagreed, however, and she rocked some careers in the process — quite unfairly, it is clear.
Likewise with the coverage of her newly appointed publisher’s DUI; McCaw apparently believed one story about it was enough, and didn’t want to see a second. The newsroom took this as censorship. McCaw raised the stakes further by giving this same publisher authority to oversee editorial content. That triggered a series of principled resignations by some of the paper’s most respected editorial staff; and the organization of a pitchfork brigade to stand outside the McCaw castle, demanding a return to journalistic norms.
I was all ready to join this brigade, philosphically, until I got bugged by this comment by SF Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius:
The upshot? McCaw and the News-Press look like small time operators, who think they can turn a public trust into a country club newsletter. Roberts and the editors come across as paragons of journalism, standing up to bad bosses, censorship, and dumb editing. And everyone else around the country gets a good laugh.
Mr. Nevius: McCaw doesn’t just “think” she can turn the News-Press into a country club newsletter. She can. It’s hers. It’s not a “public trust.” A courtroom is a public trust. A national park is a public trust. The principle of press freedom is a public trust. But a newspaper will never be a public trust, not unless the government buys it — and I doubt any self-respecting reporter would want to work for a government-run newspaper, although I could be wrong about that.
Looking back at journalistic history, we’re taught to revere bold individuals like Otis Chandler who took control of news organizations and made them better. The bold individuals who take control of news organizations and make them worse tend to be forgotten, but there were probably more of them. The point is — Wendy McCaw’s got the right to choose what she wants to lose money doing. One person’s laughing stock is another person’s passion.
If Wendy McCaw wants to edit the News-Press herself, she can do that. If she wants to spike every story that makes a friend look bad, she can do that. If she wants to turn the front page over to the Audubon Society, that’s her right. If she wants to run weather reports that say it’s raining when the sun is shining, she can do that. McCaw didn’t use her billions to buy the paper and then turn it over to a foundation to run. That might’ve been a good idea, but she didn’t do that. She put herself in charge.
I believe one reason the media establishment has worked itself into such high dudgeon about the News-Press is, at first, McCaw played the dream date role to the hilt. When McCaw bought the paper, part of the appeal was, “She’s so rich, she won’t care if we lose money.” That’s nirvana to newspaper folk. It means they can hire the best — and the News-Press did that, bringing Jerry Roberts down from the San Francisco Chronicle. It means they can cover more stories. It might even mean they can get paid more. McCaw’s ownership initially provided a vision of salvation for other newspapers with hellhounds on their trails. Now, Wendy McCaw is being seen as a cautionary tale for those who pray for a wealthy knight to salvage the LA Times, the San Jose Mercury News or other important publications from the grip of cost-cutters.
So much of the coverage of News-Press turmoil is journalist-centric. Reporters are covering the story from the standpoint of what it would like to be a reporter employed by Wendy McCaw. But reporters aren’t the only stakeholders here. For readers — in Santa Barbara and elsewhere — this might be an opportunity. With falling circulation an almost universal condition for newspapers, many see the classic newspaper format fading into history. Maybe now that Wendy McCaw has dispelled any illusions that she’s planning on running a museum-quality publication, someone will talk her into doing something completely new and different.
Start with her environmentalism. There is so much significant environmental news that never gets covered in the mainstream press; news that, to my mind, transcends the stale dichotomies, business vs. nature, that inform most environmental stories. (If you read this blog regularly, you know I’m drawn to gee-whiz stories about how environmental imperatives might make the future more interesting. Kite-powered freighters anyone?)
If Wendy McCaw wanted to turn her newspaper brand (including its online version) into the world’s leading destination for the coverage of environmental issues, with an editorial policy that aggressively reflected her point of view, she’d have that niche almost to herself. “Santa Barbara” is the perfect name to associate with such a publication, given the historic significance of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill in galvanizing changes in environmental policies worldwide.
Another way to go would be to launch a laboratory for Citizen Journalism. That city must have the highest percentage of under-utilized intelligence of any city in America, with so many early retirees and their spouses and kids hanging out in ranchettes and seaside palaces, cashing their dividend checks instead of doing what made them rich in the first place. There must be at least a few such persons who would be fit the profile of the Citizen Journalist; talented writers who care enough about their communities to monitor local goverment and other institutions, and blog about what they learn. Another source of good minds with not enough to do is UCSB. The News-Press could give new writers an on-line home.
If there’s a market for the kind of coverage of Santa Barbara that the News-Press traditionally provided, it will be filled; either by the Santa Barbara Independent, or by a new venture. Or perhaps by the News-Press itself. Despite the personnel moves, has anyone noted a diminution of the newspaper’s quality since the uproar? I don’t read it, so I don’t know.
Anyway, this is Wendy McCaw’s moment in the spotlight. I hope she does something interesting with it. She might or might not have a master plan, but she’ll have time to develop one. After all, it’s her baby now, and she can do just what she wants with it.

*Apologies to Graham Parker. Also, edited 7/9 p.m.
(UPDATE 7/11. Life goes on for the News-Press, apparently.)

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 9th, 2006 at 3:25 pm and is filed under News Media, Southern California, Ethics in Journalism, Media & Journalism, Citizen Journalism, Creative Destruction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

nobody give's a rat's ass where Lowe lives! When he cried to Wendy, she should've told him to go to hell. Instead she reprimanded her reporter. You know why? cos she's a nitwit..and she made her nitwit boyfriend co-publisher..and all this nonsense on Craig mcCaw's dime from Wendy's d-i-v-o-r-c-e package! No wonder Travis drinks.... I'll mention all this to her if I see her at the RALLY

Published today, Daily Nexus interviewed one of the martyr editors pushed out:
http://www.dailynexus.com/news/2006/1191...

copy and paste the URL as needed

Hey Church..I think the rally needs a theme. How about "1st Annual Free Speech Blogger" rally or something. Let folks know it's not all about Wendy, but more about keeping free speech front and center.

What irony! How many letters to the Editor about this situation do you think have been writtten in the last week? And...how many have been published by the SBNP??? Today, there are three and---WOW!--they are letters affirming the "changes" at the paper. Incredible. She thinks the town is full of morons, who believe she is the victim in all of this. Anyone who really knows Ms. McCaw.... well, you know.

Today's note from Wendy is surreal. Maybe we should all write letters to the NP, seeing how far they will go in accepting praise, like:

Dear Editor,

Wendy McCaw deserves a Pulitzer Prize for her incredibly decisive leadership of the News-Press, and a Nobel Peace Prize for her defense of wildlife on our Channel Islands. Wendy, do you have time to mediate the Palestian-Israeli crisis, and to spearhead negotiations to end the violence in Iraq? And to all those slackers who want a living wage, Wendy, can't you print a little box every day that says: `Work makes you free.' Keep it up, Wendy.

Signed, Snug Spout
Mathilda Drive

If The Independent or The SB Sound or some regional edition of the LA Times would run all the local obits and sports news, there would be absolutely no reason to subscribe to the Noose Press... Speaking of eulogies, would it be fair to characterize the profound silence of Editor/Publisher/WhateverHeIs Armstrong as an auto-obituary?

After reading her note to readers,I am thinking the self-styled reformer of the NewsPress might be suffering from paranoid psychosis..dust off the old psych books..she's got it all..and she needs help..this is all fascinating..

These bloggy news analysis pieces enlarge the perspective. Some argue that News-Press does not have to maintain credibility or a Public Trust, although at least should admit it.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/07/11/news/com...
http://belowthefold.typepad.com/my_weblo...
http://www.dailynexus.com/news/2006/1191...
http://www.laist.com/archives/2006/07/13...
http://jeffersonflanders.wordpress.com/2...

"While we do not typically write about internal affairs..."

Holy cow is that the biggest load of crap I've ever heard! I've never seen a paper go out of its way as much as the SBNP to pat themselves on the back for every piddly little award. I forget what the last award they won was, but it apparently deserved about 10 column inches. Something like "Friends of the Fowl" or some such nonsense.

As insulting as the 'note to readers' and letters to the editor are, remember that there's a professional (and highly-paid) PR company advising the paper at the moment, the 'spokesman for the paper' in San Francisco that keeps getting quoted. The on-going discussion in the editing, publishing and journalists' circles - and among Internet users like all of us - will assure that, spin as they will, the spin-meisters won't be able to control the public's knowledge and interest in this drama. For more information on the PR firm, see their website, and one of their specialty pages:

http://www.singer-associates.com/pages/w...

http://www.singer-associates.com/pages/c...

though it is not posted yet here, better run and get a copy of this weeks indy - barney speeks out "why i left the news press"...ouch

Wendy needs to ask for her money back from that PR firm she hired, because just when the blogs were starting to tapper off, she wrote that "note to readers" thing today and renewed everyone's anger all over again. I do not believe that there is any amount of money or any genius PR firm that can pull this one out of the soup. People are not stupid. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but I think Wendy will eventually have to sell the paper and get out of Dodge. You can't buy off people who are as bright as her former staff. There's no brain washing, no f..ing PR firm, nothing that can "fix" this. Face it and sell the paper Wends and write on last article saying something about needing to spend time with family and GET OUT!! And take that blooming Author with you. Just GO!

Read Mrs. McCaw's piece in this morning's News-Press carefully. She says that "some" of the misguided editors who confuse news and opinion have left. That implies that some are still there. I seriously doubt that she thinks that Mr. Armstrong falls in that category. That means that there are evil-doers still on the payroll.

Her 180 degree twist of the facts is a bald-faced lie. I wonder if it borders on legal slander. Do the former staff have grounds for a lawsuit?

In any case, those journalists still on the payroll and hoping for things to settle down so they could continue to support their families without selling their souls must be crushed. Now they have to face the hard reality of just how bad their bosses are.

It would take extreme self-sacrificing for these lower level journalists to walk away from their livelihoods, but many of them must be wrestling with that choice this morning.

How incredibly sad this all is.

But sadly it is also a fact that as the owner of the newspaper, Mrs. McCaw can do whatever she wishes. We cannot expect that she has any obligation to do things differently. The ball is in our court now that the situation is clear.

Are we willing to stand up for our principles and for those who have stood up already for theirs? That Tuesday rally is important no matter what you feel about politics or politicians or the environment. It will be a demonstration of support for freedom of speech and for a free press! Even if you don't "do rallys", please do this one.

And by the way, the Daily Nexus story dated yesterday is an excellent one. The link to it is given above in an earlier blog. Check it out!

The NewsPress NEVER discloses their biggest conflict of interest: the advertising dollars they receive from the Chumash Casino.

I am a staunch conservative, as are many of my friends and neighbors in Santa Ynez, but the overwhelming opinion of the many people I have spoken with is outrage. There is such an obvious cover-up of the facts that it should be embarrassing to those who chose to remain.

I hope that the planned ralley reveals the broad politcal spectrum of those who support the departing Newspress writers and editors. I disagree with almost all of the political positions of the paper but I respected the presentation of facts and views. Now I feel like I am reading a paper written by a Stepford Wife.
I feel like such a pussy for not posting my real name but I am afaid the News Press will not allow my children's athletic achievements to be printed in the sports page if they discover I dared to cross Miss Wendy.

Now that I no longer read the NP, how will I EVER find out what is going on with the meerkats????

TODAY...FRIDAY THE 14TH....De la Guerra plaza at noon...there will be a rally to support the NP staff...Barney will be there in his new position with Independent. This is separate from the announced Tuesday rally.

MASS MEETING AND PRESS CONFERENCE today, July 14, at noon in De la Guerra plaza. Be there to support the NP workers who remain on staff.

The "Note to Our Readers" in yesterday's SBNP was deeply revealing about the writer's towering contempt for the truth and her readers. Thoroughly and chillingly Orwellian in its intent and execution. Challenges mightily my willingness to have compassion for her.

An informative story in today's Los Angeles Times can be found at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-...

More news here at LA Observed blog:

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2006/0...

"At 3:30 Thursday afternoon, about thirty of the remaining staff — including almost all reporters — stood up at their desks and walked silently to publisher Travis Armstrong's office to present him with a letter announcing that they are now represented by the Graphic Communications Conference of the Teamsters union. The letter demanded that Armstrong (right) observe journalism ethics, restore the traditional separation of news and opinion, and invite the six top editors who have resigned to return. The staffers requested an answer in writing by 5 pm Monday. Armstrong, described as shaken by the show of solidarity, called the action inappropriate and ordered them to return to their desks."

I smell a strike!

If the July 14th entry by DarkMarcsun can be verified, it may be the biggest story to emerge from these recent incidents. Obviously, it would not be reported in Wendy's paper, but the Los Angeles Times would love to hear about it. If anybody has definitive information, call Jim Rainey (of the Los Angeles Times) at (213) 237-5000.

to scotus:

I found some info here at Editor and Publisher

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/...

Sounds like good times.

The only things of value that are held by any newspaper are its capacity to convey advertising and its ability to tell objective truth. When any newspaper loses either of these things it is doomed. If it is only in business to convey ads it is rightfully referred to as a rag. When it loses its credibility it is rightfully referred to as a rag. As a former teacher of journalism, I tried to convey to my students the value of journalistic ethics, not just as a theoritical construct but as a living an breathing part of the day to day life of a newspaper. Without ethics, without the separation of opinion from objective reporting, then no one can or should believe anything printed by that paper, including the ads. If they will lie to you about the news, they'll lie to you about everything, including who is or is not an honest business. All for the allmighty dollar. A newpaper's greatest sin is to become the news rather than to report it.

Bulldog Reporter (Media PR Web) weighs in...
"Private Media Ownership Called To The Floor Following “Bloodbath” At Santa Barbara News-Press: Ex-Staffers Protest New Owner’s Editorial “Meddling”

http://www.bulldogreporter.com/dailydog/...

For such short notice, today's (Friday) rally at De la Guerra Plaza was impressive for the breadth and number of South Coast residents who showed up. Particularly moving was the appearance of most of the remaining news staff -- their act was one of great courage and should cayalyze even more public interest in showing up at next Tuesday's rally. They also provided one of the most tragic tableaus in my memory, standing with quiet dignity with tape over their mouths, symbolizing the "gag order" which has been placed on them by News Press management. This will (or should) be a shot heard around the world if it's picked up by other news agencies. It was a scene I thought I would never see in my lifetime on American soil, a tragedy to the heart and soul of democracy: a free and unfettered press. I don't expect to see the picture in the News Press, however.

I have one hope about next Tuesday's rally (and any subsequent events): while it's tempting to allow our individual and collective anger at this contemptable situation be expressed in rude comments and gestures to the paper's management (as a few did today), it's important to subdue those impulses and maintain the high ground. The News Press management's karmic trainwreck is occupying the low ground, and there's no need to join them there.

Today's crowd probably numbered 200 or more -- Tuesday's rally should be 5-10 times as large, so SPREAD THE WORD. The remaining news staff -- and the wider community -- deserves our support until this issue is resolved.

One final thought: in the event of further firings (or resignations of conscience), we might think about creating a fund to support ex-News Press staff so they might hang on here until the News Press straightens up and hires them back or another community news niche is established.

That was a damn good rally! The staff showed a lot of guts, while Wendy and Nipper hid and Travis looked just silly peering at the crowd thru the 2nd floor window cage! No backbone at all! and it was hard not to notice Starshine looking pretty fine!

From a News-Press commentary by Wendy McCaw, 9/30/01,
“…
Like anyone else, a newspaper is entitled to have an opinion. Starting with Noah Webster's delineated opinion published in 1783 in the Connecticut Courant, responsible newspapers have been careful to separate their own opinions from day-to-day newsgathering and advertising solicitation.

Our opinion pages are therefore physically separate from our news and advertising pages, and the News-Press' views are clearly marked with an "Our Opinion" heading.

We strive on our op-ed pages to provide you with a forum to voice your opinions, on all sides of an issue. Regular readers know that News-Press opinions sometimes clash with other views published in our Voices section.
…
One responsibility of a newspaper is to be fair to the public, and thus to earn and keep its trust.

When a newspaper loses that trust it loses its credibility. When newspapers censor, what remains could be unchecked propaganda.

Wendy McCaw is owner and chief executive officer for the News-Press.”

Just wondering why Wendy McCaw, the woman who purports to stand for truth in reporting, continues to require her newspaper to run a 6-year-old photo of her -- pearls and all -- whenever she shares a "message" with her readers. Kind of like the reverse of "The portrait of Dorian Grey."

Someone should perhaps give "Miss Wendy" a copy of Nan Mooney's book "I Can't believe she did that!..Why women betray other women at work...and
cc: one as well to the new art director "Miss Cline"

Miss Cline?

CHECKVAROIUSMASTHEADSNOTTHATHARDTOFIGUREOUT!

A note to Bud Laurent:

Is it possible that you and other "housing advocates" could kinda keep away from the spotlight through this crisis? you just fuel Travis's tendancy to point to the instigators as those he's railed against; and based on who spoke at the press conference on friday, other than the employees, he was correct.....you, Micky Flacks and susan rose.

Yeah Bud, you're a bad influence on Travis..that rally made me wanna go out and build a HOUSE!

Ha! thanks for the good laugh, Bones. As to the posting of Keeping it in Perspective Please, I can appreciate the advice, and, in fact, had already decided to not speak at Tuesday's rally. Not because I'm a housing advocate, though, but because in my judgment there are many other speakers who should be at the microphone - people with older and deeper roots in this community than I possess. Plus, I'm hoping that many who are not considered as being part of "the usual suspects" will decide to speak up -- we need fresh faces and new blood in our civic life, which this tempest could stimulate.

I decided to speak at Friday's rally only because after seeing the line of reporters gagged symbollically and in fact, I didn't have a choice. It had nothing to do with housing, or the many other things I'm deeply interested in -- it had to do with being a citizen, with all the rights and responsibilities attached thereto.

Politically incorrect it may be, but your photo of Wendy P. McCaw snapped to mind a reported H.L. Mencken quote: "I never met a newspaper woman but what she made me want to burn every bed in the world."

Bear in mind Henry L.'s time came before Brenda Starr, let alone... .

To this second-generation newspaperman, John Stoddar's piece should be read first, with a bromide kept in mind - the one about arguing with those who buy ink by the barrel.

Have your fun with Wendy & Travis but those who say this is an opportunity for more responsible adults to step in and create or expand another daily paper in paradise are right. The Ventura paper appears to have a fine opportunity to spread; the Independent too.

Former News-Press editors and scribes certainly have opportunity. It would seem a prime time for them to start their own daily, or aid in expanding an existing paper run by the sane, but it'll take heroic effort.

In pricy SB, it might mean editors and reporters eating beans and and rooming together in a big old house two or three to a room with foot lockers and personal labels in the `fridge, as my Nieman Fellow dad did in the `40s.

The promise of a free press never included rose gardens for its wretches.

Wendy has created opportunity. It's too early for the Intenet to provide all the news that's fit to print and the cocophony there is daunting. Newsprint and warm cup of coffee remain a comforting way to learn of our peril.

It's the only way to read the funnies.

With digital print-on-demand facilities, laptops and Wi-Fi, there's no reason on earth enterprising woman and man cannot create a paper to put the sod over Wendy's travesty. It might mean reporters and copy editors and city editors selling their Subarus, the M3 or Audi and riding a scooter, but what fun!

It would be noble, a rarity these days, and a societal service of the first water.

This is an opportunity where intellectual rigor and enterprise can trump mere wealth and stardom.

As my dad (the idiosyncratic but respected editor-in-chief Bill Townes) proved over an over in markets Santa Barbara-size, you create an elegant, egalitarian editorial product, you get readers, and then business will want to advertise, and before you know it you've got a going concern and your community is the better for it.

I hope the hand-wringing out there stops soon and enterprise begins.

~ Brooks Townes, Asheville, North Carolina

Bones: Starshine Roshell posing with a vintage typewriter?
http://sbstarfreepress.blogspot.com/
A blog for the Santa Barbara community and local reporters to interact virtually

Miss Cline..that was a cheap, titilating thing to do..wassa matter with you..show some respect, or in this case...mercy!

C'mon Bones...be more cre8tive....Starshine and Miss Cline...two totally different people down there...

Angeline, what the heller yoo talking about?? I know what I saw Friday!! If Travis mistreats her, there's gonna TROUBLE! and don't worrry STARSHINE, i'm not a stalker, just a boner (sorry!)

Sing along with BONES! here's a song I'm gonna sing at the rally called...

" Dont Worry Starshine"

Starshine came out to stand with her colleages
on a black day for journalism and freedom of speec
Wendy was hiding, like a witch in a tower
Travis was drinkin', more by the hour
and Nipper was trying to figure out how
to get into Wendy's big cash cow

CHORUS: DON'T WORRY STARSHINE, DON'T WORRY STARSHINE, IT'LL BE ALRIGHT!

300 people and more on the way
looking for journalistic justice on judgement day
and if Wendy's got nothing better to do
maybe she can tell us what the hell she's trying to prove
you owe it to Starshine and the rest of us ,too
'cos the mess that you made is coming back to you

CHORUS: DON'T WORRY STARSHINE, DON'T WORRY STARSHINE, IT'LL BE ALRIGHT!

copyright 2006 by BONES

Santa Barbarans frustrated with the goings-on at the News-Press aren't helpless. There are ways to put pressure on owner Wendy McCaw, and even to find a suitable alternative. A delegation of Santa Barbara County civic, political, community, and business leaders should try to convince the Ventura County Star, an E.W. Scripps-owned daily with a circulation over 100,000 (http://www.accessabc.com/reader/top150.h...), to expand its coverage of adjacent Santa Barbara County, or even start a Santa Barbara edition, and hire the former News-Press staffers to put out the edition. Readers will be familiar with these bylines, giving them confidence in the new enterprise. To make this most effective, they should also organize a sustained readers boycott against the newspaper, urging readers and advertisers to switch to the Star. Eventually, they should be able to persuade many of the News-Press' 42,000 readers (and advertisers) to switch to the Star. A loss of readership and ad revenue might even eventually force McCaw to sell the paper to a more responsible owner, perhaps the Star or a group of local owners (or perhaps the Independent itself, if it wants to become a daily), or to go out of business altogether. It would be sad to lose yet another daily paper, but Santa Barbarans who used to depend on the News-Press to find out about local civic and political issues no longer have confidence in the paper. The Independent is filling some of the void, but a weekly can't replace a daily. Santa Barbara County is split between the more liberal area around the City of Santa Barbara and the more conservative northern part of the county. The bulk of the New-Press circulation is in southern SB County, but the disaffection with McCaw is not a traditional left-right matter anyway, so a reader boycott of the paper should be effective across the political spectrum.

Bones...My friends and I would sing along with ya, but our sweet voice has been silenced with the knives in our backs!

Angeline dear..I can hear your sweet high voices anyway..and they compliment my froggy baritone

hmmm ya know what? I was just starting to think how great this new Indy blog-ability is, until I started seeing posts like the ones above, which really belong on some inane craigslist post.

Civil Debate...K--- M- A-- you little snob! I'm here to burst your little bubble!

The Independent also received a cease-and-desist letter this week, said its editor, Marianne Partridge, after it published Hadly's story about the demonstrations that the News-Press had killed. Partridge said she complied with the order on the advice of the Independent's lawyers.
Why does a Lawsuit turn the Indie into a jellyfish??

This is sooooo SAD! Not only does she want to Supress the news at her own paper, she now gets her attorneys to try and Supress other outlets from reporting the news about her Supressing the news.

I suggest we ALL start actively telling everyone we know about all of this and get them to STOP buying that paper (subsciptions or at the machine or store), and talking to the advertisers about future non-patronage of what they offer if they don't cancel their advertising contracts.

This CANNOT be allowed to continue or we're all going to be stuck being fed whatever BS they want us to hear, similar to Orwell's "1984" or probably the media the Iraqi people are getting from the SAIC run media outlets there.

Come on people, this is really serious and scary for our community, but also has serious precedent-setting implications for media around the country.

As far as the Indy goes, I'm shocked that they would listen to their attorneys and not immediately rebuke the cease and decist order. There will be a gaggle of prominent attorneys lined up to defend our 1st Amendment rights for free.

At least (for the time being)we have personal communication and the internet.

Remember this - it's true:

Money = Power
Power Corrupts
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely!

P.S. - Is it possible for someone to get hold of the list of top 10 or 20 NP advertisers and post it here?

Or, maybe someone would voluntarily do a research project and do a "best guess" estimate of the top advertisers by reviewing a week's worth of papers and counting the number and size of ads. That would also give us an idea who to talk to.

I feel that the advertising content may already be taking a hit. Sections are smaller, and smaller sections generally mean fewer ads. I have particularly noted that in Sports not neccesarily today, but overall since the old editor resigned.

Did I read a few days ago that there was an estimate of something like 3% drop in subscriptions by a NP spokesperson? That would mean 1,200 subscribers if my arithmetic is correct (and hopefully spelled right too!) :-) That is starting to sound serious! That lowers the cost of advertising which is based on numbers of subscribers. Now we are talking pocketbook issues here. What's Travis really worth to Wendy!

Anyway, send them U.S. Post Office letters. Send many and send them often. Fill them with your feelings, but don't put your return address on the envelope so that they can profile them and dump them. Force them to sort them and open them.

Address them to real people like Travis and Randy Alcorn and Yoland Apodaca. Ask them about their principles!

Email is easily deleted. But not U.S. post office mail! Yeah for the good old days!

prin·ci·ple A basic truth, law, or assumption: the principles of democracy.

A rule or standard, especially of good behavior: a man of principle.
The collectivity of moral or ethical standards or judgments: a decision based on principle rather than expediency.

Since this is the media blog, it is the best place to mention: it is pretty clear now how the News-Press fudged its age to claim it is the oldest newspaper in Southern California.

First, in the 1870's and 1880's, the early Santa Barbara Press wedged in a lot more volume numbers then years... later, people assumed there was one year per volume and deduced an inapproopriately early founding date for the Press. Then, in 1952, the News-Press itself fudged its age back to 1855 from 1863.

Of course this does not really speak to the current issues, and the age fudging happened under two or three different pre-Wendy owners of the paper.

On the other hand, no-one at the News-Press seems to have done due diligence on their own creation myth... they just go on using some old hearsay to add false weightiness to their paper.

Some links...
Neal Graffy's article
my blog

CONGRATULATIOS! to the Independent on now being the ONLY reliable news source in town!! -- P.S. wha do we have to do to SUBSCRIBE?? (I looked on your home page--??)

For those who have abandoned their subscriptions to what (even with the self-mutilation) is still the best local news source, here is a column from deep within the News-Press. It is by Randy Alcorn, the business manager. Balanced, logical, factual, and the best piece of thinking so far of what should be done, how fast, and by whom.

Opinion: Observations on News-Press controversy
RIGHT ON TARGET: Randy Alcorn

July 23, 2006 9:11 AM

Recent tumultuous events at the News-Press involving the emotional departure of newsroom management and some staff are by now familiar to most readers of this newspaper, as well as to readers of many other newspapers and Web sites across the country.

Wholesale resignations of management in any company are uncommon, and the News-Press resignations have generated a swirl of controversy and conjecture penetrating both the community and the industry.

The reason presented for the resignations, and for the subsequent decision by many of the remaining newsroom staff to seek union representation, is the alleged assault on news integrity by the publishers of the News-Press, who are accused of interfering with the selection and presentation of news.

Each side in this conflict is making this same accusation against the other, and each side claims to be seeking the same goals of quality journalism and accurate, unbiased news reporting. Each side alleges the other has some personal agenda that has been allowed to seep into what should be objective news reporting.

Understandably, most members of the community concerned about their local newspaper are uncertain about what is happening with it. Others have been quick to choose sides in this conflict.

Among the partisans are many social-political ideologues whose objectivity has long been incinerated by the heat of their political passions. Other critics are those who have an ax to grind with the newspaper and its current owner, and take delight in any turmoil at the News-Press.

Over the years, charges of biased news reporting have always been predictably subjective. Not infrequently, the same reporting is condemned as biased by opposing sides of the social-political spectrum. Liberals accuse the newspaper of being right wing, while conservatives attack the newspaper for a perceived leftist agenda. Sometimes, criticism of the newspaper is incoherent. Recently, one reader vitriolicly expressed disgust at the alleged affinity the News-Press has for George Bush and the Christian right. That same week, another reader damned the newspaper for being anti-Christian and a godless, liberal rag.

Apparently, those tricky News-Press editors are successfully confusing readers as to what are the newspaper's true prejudices.

Unless, over a long period of time, a reader reads every word of every story of every edition of the newspaper, how can he or she honestly evaluate that newspaper for bias?

The fact is, newspapers are written, edited and read by human beings. It is next to impossible for humans to be purely objective and, regrettably, for many of them to be consistently logical or logical at all. For some people, if a newspaper does not unswervingly reflect their particular ideologies, that newspaper is condemned as biased.

Yes, bias can creep into news reporting, but dedicated, diligent editors strive to eliminate as much of it as possible. When a newspaper consistently endures charges of bias from many different and opposing sectors of the community, it is usually indicative of the journalistic integrity of the newspaper -- "without fear or favor of friend or foe.''

The current indignation and alarm over a publisher influencing news decisions is a bit disingenuous in as much as several News-Press publishers have held the dual title and responsibilities of editor and publisher, including Dale Davis and the recently departed Jerry Roberts.

The venerated founder of this newspaper, Thomas Storke, certainly did not shy away from using this newspaper to influence public opinion to favor his agenda for Bradbury Dam and UCSB or to condemn the John Birch Society -- his attacks on the latter earned the newspaper a Pulitzer Prize.

The current unsettling imbroglio at the News-Press may derive less from genuine concerns over journalistic integrity than it does from strained relationships among the key players, and from the perceptions of those players by News-Press employees and by the community.

This has become a battle of wills with no winners, but with plenty of collateral damage. Among the damage are the majority of dedicated News-Press employees, many of whom have served the newspaper for decades and have been proud to be part of what has long been one of the most prominent institutions in the community. Now many of them work in saddened silence wrestling with their own conflicted emotions and stunned by the disruptive controversy swirling around their newspaper.

Passions have run high in this controversy. Some of the more vocal partisans have asked me how anyone can choose to remain at this newspaper, and have questioned the integrity of those who do so. My response to them is that if they want to pay the mortgages of the folks who work here, and provide them with medical benefits, and find full scholarships for their children's college educations, these folks may be willing to retire from their jobs here or anywhere. Otherwise, expectations that any employee of this newspaper should abandon it to comply with ill-informed notions of personal integrity are smugly self-righteous.

For over a century, through four owners and numerous publishers, the Santa Barbara News-Press has persevered. In the 23 years I have been with the newspaper there have been three owners, 11 publishers, and eight executive editors. While some of them have been better than others and some more capable than others, I have learned not to get too excited one way or the other about any of them; because the one truth that pertains to all of them, and to anyone in any institution, is that they eventually move on.

Meanwhile, the institution and its mission must endure beyond ephemeral regencies. As newspapers across the country struggle with ever evolving demographic and technological forces that are transforming the business into unfamiliar forms in an uncertain future, the News-Press needs to focus on meeting these challenges, and not be distracted or weakened by self-inflicted wounds.

The current unfortunate disruption must be quickly resolved. The key players need to put aside personal issues and step up to the plate to preserve this institution. And, because the players swinging the heaviest bats have the greatest opportunity to make this happen, they have the greatest responsibility to do so.

Randy Alcorn is the director of operations & CFO of the News-Press. The opinions in this column are Mr. Alcorn's and not those of the newspaper. E-mail: ralcorn@newspress.com.

Randy Alcorn's writing is clear, if not entirely without self-interest.

This imbroglio began with a defining moment of self-sacrifice and truth to power; the walk off of highly placed employees standing up for what they believe is the best interests of the institution they loved, the New-Press.

That the opening smear was leveled by the owner at these people, falsely branding their action as somehow a partisan act of politics, does not cover the News-Press management with glory.

Alcorn's apologia presents it all as an either/or proposition when the issues are transparency and integrity in the final product.

Also, the long view suggested by Alcorn is preposterous -- it is entirely reasonable to demand of Santa Barbara's dominant medium to improve now and set the highest standards today, no matter how difficult or unobtainable.

--As real as I want to be.

That opinion essay by the N-P business manager Randy Alcorn, who works directly for the Publisher now, is their latest spin, essentially saying that both sides have drastically different opinions, so thus the actual truth must be in the middle, where the newspaper wants to be and thinks it is if they keep writing about it repeatedly.

One more time: the nine top editors and writers all left suddenly for a reason, and the editors and cub reporters hired to replace them have been hired and more will be hired for a specific reason as well. We all know what those reasons are, and so does Alcorn.

Please don't confuse Alcorn with a real writer. His verbosity is second only to Wendy's pomposity! His Sunday opinions basically say the same thing...anti-gov't, anti-worker..but now he's changing his tune while trying not to offend his boss! Why isn't he calling the Newspress staffers who protested the same thing he called the city workers who protested when their contract talks deadlocked? Why..because he's a coward and a hypocrite, that's why!!

the nipper fights back! by the co-publisher himself, from his nipper's food website earlier during the car wreck:

Food For Thought
There has been a tidal wave of misrepresentations, personal attacks and lies over the past few weeks and at some point the record will get straight. In the meantime a blog written by an LA Times Editor took a more objective approach (than some of the other media covering the story) even though he had not heard the other side. From a newspaper and historical News-Press perspective, it is interesting. I do not however concur with his characterizations of Wendy etal. http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2006/0...

NIPPER RESPONDS on July 22!

To clarify the comment above, Nipper himself posted that comment at his own web site on July 22 at 11:45 am). His site largely is about restaurant stuff, which is all fine and perhaps what he should stick to instead of pretending to be a newspaper editor telling the pros what should or should not be published about his other rich friends and the newspaper advertisers.

In Nipper's comment, he notes: "at some point the record will get straight." Well, go ahead, Nipper, and straighten out the record. That "point is now". Do an interview or ten with the news media and TELL YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY. Tell the world how the editors who resigned were just interjecting their own personal biases, and how they were not interested in covering local news, and how it is all just a personnel dispute by disgruntled employees, all according to your own statements and those by The Wendy (or paid to be a statement by The Wendy).

The world indeed wants to know your side of the story. Do tell. We don't bite. Please, tell us all about how it is just lies and personal attacks, and the nine top editors were just crazy to resign out of spite with no other reason, but how the new editors hired somehow will be different, somehow have credibility, and have no biases or be beholden to the personal whims of the troika of publishers.

Nipper or Travis can come to the forum on Wednesday and explain themselves. Then all will be better because now the world will know the real side of the story to get the record straight.

Here is the link to Nipper's own comment:
http://nippers.sbwh.com/topic.asp?whichp...

Wendy's third attempt to explain this fiasco in Tuesday's NP opinion was full of the same BS..who does she think she's kidding...go back and read your own paper and you'll get a clue why you are where you are today, honey

I agree - c'mon, a net gain of 406 paper subscriptions - who does she think she's kidding? And as far as the cease and desist letters being sent out for disclosing "proprietary information", I'm curious, Wendy, what's so proprietary about how to run a paper into the ground?

Do you think Wendy will come to the Town Hall meeting on Wednesday..this would be an excellent opportunity to mix it up with real folks, some who are still subscribers! Do ya think she'll show up? NAAH!

Seems like Vanity Fair magazine now has a unique angle to investigate: the continual denial (this seems like the fifth statement by one of the 3 publishers) about why the top editors and writers resigned, and how a net gain of subscriptions really is the freebie ones that are given out aggressively. Those are not PAID subscriptions for the net gain alleged.

And why does this newspaper now need a "buffer" but since Thursday, Bloody Thursday, it has not needed a buffer between news and opinion.

Again, the former publishers (Fleet, Cole, etc.) and the top editors and writers resigned for a reason. All the deflective statements by The Wendy are not going to change that, and now the Company Line is simply to keep ignoring those reasons.

The editoral piece called "Our Opinion" or "What we Think" should be retitled "HER Opinion" or "What She Thinks" Every day I check out page two of the newspaper showing the current editors and "responsiblity". It's interesting. Travis has lost his "responsiblity" line that was under his name so that's a bit telling. Wendy and Arthur are apparently responsible for everything according to the line under their name. But it's like if you have to spell it out, you probably don't have a good enough handle on it. Similar to: if you have to ask the price, you probabaly can't afford it. Anyway, see ya'allll Wednesday nite at the town meeting.

I'm thinking of voting for all the politicans that the Newspress keeps trashing or at least give them a second look. Maybe they are doing something right afterall!

Je pense que Wendy est une dame malheureuse, même avec tout son argent. ..she besoins de regarder des choses dans une lumière réaliste !

Just read yesterday's rebuttal piece in the SBNP, signed by Wendy McCaw but done by the new PR firm from LA. It was still full of "policy
speak" and obfuscation. The claim that their circulation has grown by 400+ rather than diminished by 3% feels like "spin", and was a major tactical error, since trust is the core issue here. "Spin" is exactly what I detest - in the media, coming out of corporations, politicians, the government, you name it! Abe Lincoln's timeless wisdom rings true, you can't fool all the people all the time, and it is insulting to see this repeatedly. It appears that a lot of Santa Barbara agrees.

Our family has dropped our subscription, although as a native Santa Barbaran it was wrenching to me to have done so. Instead, we've picked up a subscription to the LA Times, are going on-line more, following the Independent, the Daily Sound, EdHat and various blogs. In other words, we are broadening our media consumption, looking at all the competition and liking what we are seeing. The truly local news is still an issue which the other sources don't handle well yet - the obituaries, who's married, who's divorced, photos of local interest, shop closings, new restaurants, etc. Home delivery is an issue, too - for the elderly or others it is challenging to get papers off the rack everyday. I look forward to the townhall discussion tonight to hear about possible solutions to these dilemmas.

These are hard times for newspapers, with so many choices for alternative news sources, the loss of income from classifieds due to craigslist and other forces, and an increasingly savvy audience. If the key players at the SBNP had been less focused on silence, denial and spin during the critical early moments of this implosion, maybe my family would have hung in there longer, because we are loyal to our community and our paper. This was exactly the time when honesty, humility and self-awareness would have saved the day, and that is not what we got. An opposite example, of someone who personally handled a disaster with grace, is Carpinteria City Councilmember Joe Armendariz. After his DUI this past Spring, he apologized with great honesty and humility, thereby salvaging his career and reputation. And he didn't hire a crisis management firm, either.

See you all at the townhall meeting tonight at Victoria Hall.

Armendariz "salvaged" his career?
He chose to drive drunk and by random luck he smashed his leg and his own car instead of van full of Soccer Moms and kids on the freeway instead.

No political recovery from that. He is toast trying to run for re-election, even in 2008. And getting special favorable coverage in Newspress does not help him. Notice how many times either Armendariz was mentioned favorably in Newspress during the 4 weeks after his drunken driving crash. I counted at least 6 times.

Would have been more if the article about the other Carpinteria councilmembers included the fabricated stuff that Donna Jordan attacked Armendariz. That is the infamous article that was not published because it "did not meet our standards" as Travisty Factswrong tried to spin it in several news interviews with reporters not under his boot.

Travisty and his buddy Armendariz are in the thick of this, especially since the only people who will talk with Travisty are Armendariz, Andy COLAB Caldwell, Lanny Ebenstein, and Gary Earle.

Hey, I heard Gary Earle yesterday on "The Travis Armstrong Hour"! Now, I'm no fan of Suze, but all they did was trash Rose and Wolfe and praise Centeno, who's a moron and Joni Gray, who's butt-ugly... How about the "Travis Armstrong "HAPPY" hour!!

I am away from Santa Barbara for the week, and so could not attend the forum. How did it go?

Easy to imagine how the event might get spun in the SBNP, but I won't see it, since I no longer subscribe. Story not yet posted on Indy website.

Would truly appreciate perspectives of folks who have posted here.

Last night's Free Press Forum at the victoria ROCKED!

SRO crowd, and not just the usual suspects.

Standing ovations for the 25+ reporters wearing black who filed in after the crowd was seated.

Intelligent, brief, and witty remarks, all pertinent to the overarching issue of editorial interference in the news/journalism from a list panel---Lou Cannon, Ann Bardach.

Led off by Jerry Roberts, succinctly and specifically citing the ethics code violations which led to his resignation.

More and more but Marc, thats it in a nutshell.

here's the News-Press article--pg 4--on the forum by their newest cub reporter, just hired out of UC San Diego school newspaper-land. His name is Vlad, and he seems to miss a few salient details in his valiant effort to make Travis like him; but Vlad, in true Murdoch-like fashion, managed to find a comment dismissing all this fuss about the wall between news and editorial in "the media of the past"...hey, welcome to Santa Barbara, Vlad...:

from today's News-Press:

Forum takes on News-Press controversy
VLADIMIR KOGAN, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

July 27, 2006
The criticism of News-Press owner Wendy McCaw and her top executive continued Wednesday night as a panel of past and current employees, journalists from other publications and community activists spoke before a crowd of about 300 people at Victoria Hall.

"Tonight, I'm here to tell you that I, and I believe the others, left for one reason: journalistic ethics," said former Executive Editor Jerry Roberts, one of nine newsroom employees to resign since early July.

Met with applause from audience members -- including about 25 newsroom employees seeking union representation, among other demands -- Mr. Roberts and others criticized the way the paper covered the drunken-driving conviction of Editorial Page Editor Travis Armstrong, who is serving as acting publisher; a development project involving actor Rob Lowe; and the drama that has unfolded in the newsroom.

"The once-proud institution of the News-Press, as it has been for over 100 years, is in danger," News-Press Senior Writer Melinda Burns told the audience.

Ms. Burns said the paper's reporters were "under assault from management," a reference to Mr. Armstrong, who has been accused of wielding undue influence over both the opinion and news sections.

Mr. Armstrong did not return calls seeking comment. A spokeswoman said he stands by earlier comments that outside critics were targeting the News-Press because they disagree with its editorial positions.

Forum organizers included Mary O'Gorman, executive director of the Santa Barbara County Action Network, who has been a target of criticism in the paper's editorial pages.

But she said that had nothing to do with her group getting involved.

"Santa Barbara is a community that values free and open expression, whether it's in the press or in the community," she said. "The primary issue in this whole dialogue is having some wall between opinion and news."

The forum featured no one from News-Press management, Ms. O'Gorman said, because no one from management ranks was invited.

On Tuesday, the News-Press published a commentary from Mrs. McCaw defending the paper and saying, "Violations of our paper's policies and standards are what brought on this conflict."

"I support and understand the need for separation between the editorial, news and advertising pages," she wrote. "There is no place for personal opinion or agendas in news coverage."

Kenneth Harwood, UCSB communications professor and an expert on media ethics, said many of the conventions and habits of the media of the past are now up for re-evaluation, thanks to the rise of new technology and the Internet.

"A lot of the formal rules about news and opinion are in the midst of great change," he said.

The professor added that having Mr. Armstrong as editorial page editor, publisher and the subject of news stories was "unusual," but it was not necessarily unethical, as some of the panelists argued.

e-mail: vkogan@newspress.com

Thank you, Paradise . . .

Here is the schedule for the forum on NewsPressMess (as we learned it is now one word)

SB Channels 17, community access cable TV:

Saturday, July 29th, 7 PM
Sunday, July 30th, 7AM and 9 PM
Tuesday, August 1, at 6 PM
Thursday, August 3, at 11 AM and 8 PM
Friday, August 4, at 2 PM
Saturday, August 5, at 3 AM
Sunday, August 6, at 10 PM

just published today in nick's favorite, forbes. brady i think was the information officer for reagan injured in the assasination attempt.

Brady On Media

'Front Page' Revisited
James Brady, 07.27.06, 6:00 AM ET

There hasn't been a screwball comedy this sweet about the newspaper biz since Hecht & MacArthur first staged "The Front Page." And this one is set not in big cities but in a lovely seaside town in California.

If you've never seen Santa Barbara, you're missing something--nice, vaguely Spanish architecture sloping down to the golden Pacific beaches from green uplands, splendid homes, a charming downtown, tall palms and rich evergreens. It seems to have everything: the hot sun, cool breeze, verdant growth and--until about yesterday--one of the best small daily papers in the country, the News-Press, with one Pulitzer and a collection of California general excellence awards.

There's even Fred C. Dobbs, one of my favorite watering places (I hope it's still there), named for Humphrey Bogart's sour, grasping and memorable character in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. But at Santa Barbara's very good local paper, the amateurs have taken over, and the children are running the sandbox.

Maybe you've been following the story in Editor & Publisher or from Sharon Waxman's dandy reporting in The New York Times--which, coincidentally, used to own the News-Press until selling it to the current management in 2000 for a reported $100 million.

The new owner is a sleek, attractive blonde named Wendy McCaw, whose fortune derives from a divorce settlement with cellphone mogul Craig McCaw.

With all that dough, Wendy thought it might be fun to be a publisher. Just think of all the good she could do on behalf of her various causes (vegetarianism and the wild pigs of the Channel Islands being among her special concerns). She hired a San Francisco newspaper pro, Jerry Roberts from the Chronicle, and installed him as executive editor with a mandate to improve the paper.

Things went smoothly at first. Wendy continued to travel to Europe; she dropped by the city room from time to time; she even read the newspaper "occasionally," Waxman reported.

Then Wendy started to throw around her owner's weight, pushing pet stories--one about a lawsuit she won against a local architect. More deliciously, she played up the restaurant reviews of her boyfriend (now fiancé), critic Arthur von Wiesenberger, giving his stuff "prominent placement."

By that point, she and Roberts had stopped speaking, communicating through Wiesenberger, whom she eventually promoted to share the masthead with her as "co-publisher." Publisher Joe Cole quit, and Wendy made one Travis Armstrong her deputy, along with a plethora of other titles.

The real jollity began when the News-Press published the home address of movie star Rob Lowe. Lowe screeched "invasion of privacy," and instead of backing her newsroom, Wendy sided with Lowe and reprimanded the reporter and several editors.

This spring, Travis Armstrong was arrested for alleged drunk driving, and a brief appeared on page 3. Armstrong cried foul and accused Roberts of running a vendetta. No such thing, said Roberts: Armstrong was a public figure, a person of standing in the community, and the arrest was news. When Armstrong was sentenced, a story was written, but on orders from the top, it was killed.

Roberts and five editors resigned in protest; so did a columnist who'd been writing for the paper for 46 years, and other resignations were said to be coming.

Wendy struck back. In a front-page publisher's note, illustrated by a nifty photo of her smiling graciously--and looking very toothsome indeed--she attacked her own staff and accused "disgruntled ex-employees" of misconduct.

Then, in the best of traditions, she retained a "crisis specialist in public relations." Armstrong insisted to Waxman that everything had been done "within [a] publisher's privilege."

Santa Barbara mayor Marty Blum said she was concerned, and she disclosed that local investors were considering the prospect of starting up an alternative daily. Townspeople chanted "Shame!" and employees paraded through town in mourning clothes, most with duct tape sealing their mouths, a symbolic protest against a company gag order. Columnist Barney Brantingham addressed the gathering, wept publicly and declared, "I love that paper."

On Tuesday of this week, Wendy (or her crisis specialist?) issued an editorial-page denial that this was a "freedom of the press issue." Instead, she said, it involved "personal attacks and outright lies." She also claimed circulation was increasing. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times got into the act, reporting Wendy's counterattack and the latest staff riposte.

There hasn't been so much fun since W.R. Hearst launched the Spanish-American war for his yellow tabloids.

What are we to make of all this? First, amateurs--no matter how rich, blonde or well-intentioned--may dictate editorials, but they shouldn't edit good newspapers. Second, the latest career advice for the ambitious, wishing one day to become publisher: write good restaurant reviews. Third, didn't Rob Lowe some time back abdicate his rights of privacy? Fourth, I guess Joe Liebling was right when he wrote years ago that freedom of the press belongs to the man (or woman) who owns one.

Whoa, Mr. Brady needs to get out of the Forbes tower and do some legwork! Fred C. Dobbs? I'm surprised anyone is still alive who remembers the place (other than myself, of course). Is this where flat-tax demagoguery leads?

I mean really, it's kind of fun to kick this corpse while it's wriggling on the ground, but this "report" gets the main points but undercuts itself by the coalition of inaccuracies. Pure puerile punditry at its finest.

--Get real, cuz I ain't

and the band plays on, nationally. this from 'editor and publisher'

'Santa Barbara News-Press' Employees Launch Cancellation Campaign

By Joe Strupp

Published: July 27, 2006 6:15 PM ET

NEW YORK Newsroom employees of the Santa Barbara News-Press who are seeking union representation in the wake of the recent editor resignations have launched a campaign asking subscribers to cancel their subscriptions if the union is not recognized.

The cancellation campaign is being waged by the same group of editorial employees who have asked to be represented by the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The group began handing out postcards last weekend to local readers that ask the paper to cancel their subscription if the union is not recognized and a contract is not negotiated.

"We have handed out probably 8,000 postcards," said Melinda Burns, a 20-year staff writer and one of the campaign's leaders. "Some people have just signed them on the spot. We don't know how many we have gotten, but it is hundreds, we are hoping to get thousands."

Organizers are asking subscribers to fill out the cards and send them to the would-be union group. Burns said they plan to collect as many of the cancellation cards as possible by Sept. 5, then turn them in to the newspaper.

Each card states that the person filling it out supports the "Santa Barbara News-Press newsroom staff in its effort to restore journalistic integrity to the paper, obtain union recognition and negotiate a fair employment contract. Cancel my subscription on Sept. 5, 2006 if the employees' demands have not been met to their satisfaction."

The postcard image also is available on a Web site the group has created.

Hundreds of subscribers have cancelled subscriptions since the mass resignation of editors that began July 6, newspaper executives have said. Those quitting included former editor Jerry Roberts, five lower editors, and a longtime columnist and investigative reporter. The resignations were in response to accusations of meddling by owner Wendy McCaw and publisher Travis Armstrong, and have received national interest.

McCaw has since denied the complaints of meddling and stated that some staffers left over a difference in news judgment. She also has said that bias had crept into some reporting.

The GCC wing of the Teamsters, which also represents editorial employees at Newsday in Melville, N.Y., has not received any response from the News-Press indicating it plans to recognize the union, Burns said. That, she said, has prompted the cancellation campaign.

"I don't know whether we have a goal," Burns said about the number of cancellations sought. "I think the advertisers might be interested if we have a lot of cards."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is a senior editor at E&P.

Regarding the opinion essay in Forbes today. Nope, a different James Brady. See the author's picture here:
http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2006/07...

Go ahead "Biff"... what are the inaccuracies except the name of a long-gone bar?
And mentioning it by name in the essay does not make that reference incorrect.

If only The Wendy were (your metaphor) just a corpse on the ground, wriggling or not. This hardly is a dead issue being kicked while down. The Teamsters have a very long fight ahead. And The Wendy hardly is wriggling while continually publishing denial, disparaging libel, and threats.

The Wendy McCaw you read in the News-Press is my android clone double (aka Travis Armstrong). For the real take, check out my updated and uncensored blog at:

http://www.myspace.com/wendymccaw
(and you don't have to belong to myspace to see the blog etc)

It's a busy day today (I'm learning how to ram and sink smaller boats with my yacht) but if I have time after that I might add some stuff the clone left out in my 'article' today. Otherwise first thing tomorrow before my calisthenics.

TTFN!!

Biff, Wend hasn't even returned from vacation, tanned, rested and ready to rumble. We're not even through the second round of a 15-rounder.

From a post today on blogabarbara:

word from the montecito dinner party circuit is the incredibly bad decisions by wendy are the invisible handiwork of the nipper. travis takes the hits and the nipper hides behind wnedy's skirts.

even the friendly to nipper montecito journal damns him with faint praise in this weeks letter to readers by a fellow publisher: "Much has been made of the recently-elevated-to-co-publisher Mr. von Wiesenberger’s inexperience, and certainly there’s truth to it, but people should remember that he has written books, produced a lively and informative Santa Barbara website (nippers.com), co-hosted a syndicated radio show (“Travels with Arthur & Barney”), and is an acknowledged expert on food, wine, water, and who knows what else. Those are not the credentials of a bona fide publisher, perhaps, but his résumé does bespeak of accomplishment."

the mj unfortunately left out nip's experience in editing his high school newspaper in switzerland. also forgot to mention nailing down support from rich blondEs.

why let nick welsh and vanity faire have all of the fun. what does anyone remember about our new expert in newspaper publishing (along with food, wine, and water) during the good ole nipper's nightclub daze??

7/27/2006 12:19 PM

Friend of Truth: Your challenge to Biff above,
"Go ahead "Biff"... what are the inaccuracies except the name of a long-gone bar?"

Easy. You think The Wendy is "sleek"?

Compare her "toothsome" NP photo (how many years old?) with the Indy's recent photo, side by side at: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2006/0...

LA Observed: "Her commitment to the veracity of news is on display in her choice of photo that runs with the note. It is, shall we say delicately, a tad misleading. Compare to the (much) more recent picture the Independent uses."

What is going on here? "Meddling" in the Indy's Santa Barbara Media Blog?!?

Earlier today, a new subject was started in the SB Media Blog, entitled "The Truth Business". The new subject was the full text of the remarks by Jerry Roberts, including an excellent portrait photo apparently from the forum. Now, that subject entry is gone, and my comment about it now appears at this original subject posting. Then someone else found the text with a separate Google search and pasted that Roberts remarks into a comment for this original blog subject.

Is the speech by Roberts during the forum now too hot and under Cease and Decist, just like the orginal text of the spiked article by Scott Hadly?
Will the coverage by Channels TV-17 be next to edit out that speech given to 350 people?

"Sleek": The comment by "Biff" was challenging the facts or conclusions in the opinion essay in Forbes (text above as a different comment posted). I was challenging Biffy to identify inaccuracies in that Forbes opinion essay. We all know the dated photos is misleading, but that is not part of the opinion essay in Forbes.

The new NEWSMESS staff reporter, VLAD KOGAN in his introductory article today firmly establishes him as a TRAVIS LAPDOG. Gee Vlad, your crack ace student newspaper experience (google VLAD KOGAN to find his recent bylines) didn't teach ya that maybe including the biggest names at the Forum (Bardach, Cannon) might have been fitting in your piece. You are a pariah, in other industries perhaps a scab. Either way, good luck establishing rapport with the community leaders. All were at that forum last night, at least the ones who were in town. AFter reading your version of events, you left few to wonder about your version of journalistic ethics.

Hi Folks:

The Jerry Robert's speech was here, but was put up prematurely, and without a supporting context. We will be (re)posting it Friday, July 28.

--Randy Campbell

Hi Randy: Too late. I read it on Blogabarbara and saw it still on google. Welcome to electronic media.

Wendy's myspace thing was funny, but FOR THE LAST TIME FOLKS, stop blaming the channel island pigs for her lameness!
speaking of stupid!!!
CHANNEL ISLANDS SAGA..the restoration charade by the "native-only" cult continues
SPECIES Cleansing on Santa Cruz Island Almost Complete..
now all you little tourists can go camp on the blood of 1000's of pigs that were slaughtered needlessly!  wait.... 
just learned the real reason for the killing.. so Russell Galipeau, park superintendent, can have a lifetime supply of..BACON! 
 That's also the reason they moved 40,000 refrigerators to the park.. He's a big, fat dude with triple chins! No respect for his own body, let alone all the wildlife he and his cohorts have been killing and harassing...and he's running a nature park! It's obscene...
To Review: in order to "save" the island fox, the park biologists have killed, poisoned and harassed golden eagles, pigs, rats, non- target species, mice, horses, goats, and sheep..the very heart and soul of the old islands!! 
Native-only cult members ( university cloned "biologists") remove last golden eagles from island..they shot a net over the birds from a helicopter! INSANE!! I hope and know the eagles will outsmart the cult and be back soon...imagine, a "no-fly" zone for golden eagles!
GOT IT??

Yes, I Got It. Feral pigs are better than Island Foxes. Because that fox species can be found and thrives in any barnyard swine swill throughout the world, right?

Looks like The Wendy (is that the name, now?) is posting comments here as Sol.

It seems to me that the past repeats itself more often than not. Both Travis and Author are bound to come to some sort of major conflict with Wendy and turn on her for her money. It is not always good to have tons of money lying around like we would imagine. I'm not going to read about it in the newspress though. From another "reclusive thousands-air".

NITWIT! your universities have been spoon-feeding you nativism..an irrational fear of aliens,invaders, non-natives who are "insidious, "pervasive" and whatever else your poor little psyche can conjure up..and wasting tons of money to remove these "threats"! First things first: separate the myths from the reality. Second, the cult likes to use drama: look for bywords like exotic, insidious, evil, noxious, chokes, crowds-out, alien, devastating invasions..and one more.."barnyard swine" ..and if you have any observational skills, you will start to see who the real invaders are...the fox already knows this and doesn't need you to survive!!

now, now Sol. Lets keep it cival. I kinda like to read an open forum and would hate to see this blog to begin to be edited any more than it is. I tend to agree with you to a point. I seem to remember from my high school Cal history class that the early explorers introduced the pigs on the islands so that they had fresh meat to hunt while exploring the coast - though I could be wrong. As for the eagles, I say let them soar!

LOL..by "civil" you mean "polite" which is the "most acceptable hypocrisy" according to the "Devil's Dictionary! I can't so let 'em censor me! How do you think the poor little piggies feel before a non-native bullet smashes into their brains?? aba dee..that's all folks!!

OPRAH WINFREY IN DEAL TO PURCHASE EMBATTLED CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPER

Santa Barbara CA (Special) Talk show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions will purchase the Santa Barbara News-Press from embattled Wendy McCaw. Winfrey's representatives confirmed that Philip McGraw will be named editor and publisher. The most interesting development is that the entire operation will be featured in a new reality television program Stop the Presses!! that is slated to premiere on Oxygen in September

Yet another blunder in public relations and any attempt to restore their credibility: Hire a homophobe and sexist as a columnist!!

from their news release:
Dr. Laura Schlessinger Joins Santa Barbara News-Press as Columnist

The popular "Dr. Laura" Schlessinger joins the Santa Barbara News-Press as columnist on Sundays and Thursdays. A well-known best selling author, Dr. Laura will bring an engaging commentary and perspective to News-Press readers. For more information, visit the web site at www.newspress.com. (Photo: Business Wire)

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 2006--Wildly popular syndicated radio personality, New York Times best-selling author and Santa Barbara community member Dr. Laura Schlessinger has joined the Santa Barbara News-Press as a columnist on Sundays and Thursdays.

"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Laura as the newest addition to our paper," said News-Press Acting Publisher Travis Armstrong. "As a well-known broadcast personality and longtime successful author, she has established a dedicated audience throughout her career, many of whom are Santa Barbara residents. With her extensive career and achievements, we very much look forward to providing our readers with a local outlet for the voice of one of its most popular community members," he added.

After spending more than a decade as a family therapist, Dr. Laura Schlessinger began her career in radio in 1975 as a regular call-in guest. After earning her own radio therapy program, she has gone on to become one of the most popular radio personalities in the U.S. Long known simply as "Dr. Laura," she is also the author of nine best selling books offering relationship advice and social commentary and four children's books. Dr. Laura is also the recipient of several media awards, including the Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year, an American Women in Radio & Television's Genii Award for contributions to the industry as well as the Chairman's Award from the National Religious Broadcasters.

The "dumbing down" of the NewsPress continues with the addition of Dr. Laura, who's no more a doctor than porky pig. Her first column had her concerned about her book reviews, her boat and how the people of Santa Barbara treat her! We can all relate to that! Good job, Wendy and Nipper..I can't wait to read her next piece..and thanks for turning the NewsPress into the biggest joke in California...

Whoa..just got warned by Nipper not to "attack" people at his Nippers.com site! I told him he's confusing sarcasm and criticism with personal attacks and that given his present situation, it's quite understandable..rick folk..they're so touchy!

Viva Fiesta rodeo!!
The rodeo is back in town! Have some fun and watch the ridin' and ropin' and the spirited sport of man, woman and animal competing together! Wave to the silly protesters outside the Earl Warren showgrounds as they cry "animal cruelty" to the passersby.. the rodeo is no more cruel to animals than Dr. Laura is a real doctor! Get a grip! It's just good, old fashioned American fun!

To Hell with Rob Lowe--he has to GO!
And i thought i wanted to live in MOntecito!
Santa Barbara is way cooler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!