X-Dogs: The Last Stand

I can't believe it's actually getting worse. The mind boggles.

Good on ya Independent for having a weblog, with comments even! Yay!

I know you are a recovering Catholic, but thank gawd that someone has the verve and tenacity to topple that house of cards - it's about time. Keep on it!

Great article. There are more updates at this page on the Independent website:
http://www.independent.com/opinion/2006/...

or click HERE

--Not a real person.

Nick, that's an awesome write up. It gives a detailed history and understanding that the LA Times piece lacks. Props to the Indie for having it so soon.

This blog and Blogabarbara (just google [yes, declared a verb this week] it if you do not know it)
can be a venue for the surviving and emancipated News-Press staffers to post what really happened.
Commendations to Indy for having an Angry Poodle blog and a Media Watch blog, even an update post today!
The Palm just reported in his KETY live stand-up a few minutes ago that any NP staffers who talked with him would be terminated immediately. His personal wireless phone number is 452-5632 (you can look up his public-record address yourself). You also can call Matt Cota of KSBY; he even answers his office phone himself, especially between 9 and 10 mornings, at 963-7883.

But do not worry, Wendy and Travis, no one will talk, no way, no how. These things called pocket personal telephones, or email from computers actually in one's own home, and with free, web-based (no server to track) email accounts, nor (Heavens!) blogs with fake names as the author, do not exist here in the broadband 21st Century!!!!

How soon will a street vendor at Storke Placita be selling t-shirts with a goofy face and the famous quote: "Fuck you, Travis!"?

OMIGAWD!!! Travis is in the Bell Tower... run!!

Interesting to note in today's explanation of the N-P diaspora that Mr. Armstrong neglected to mention one of the News-Press forebearers also housed atop that lofty perch -- you guessed it -- the Santa Barbara Independent (no relation).

The "To Our Readers" note this morning was a very nice piece of preemptive journalism, but an impossible task none-the-less. Explaining the resignation of one key editorialist is easy. Two, not so bad. But five? Especially Barney -- so well known only one name is necessary -- of whom any reasonable person would view as removed from possible Court Intrigue.

-- Randy Campbell

The sad part of all of this is that the one daily in Santa Barbara now has all of the credibility of the New York Post. It seems McCaw has become Santa Barbara's version of Rupert Murdoch.

And though she'd probably take that as a compliment, I certainly didn't mean it as one.

The very same Rupert Murdoch who fired, upon multiple occasions, one Editor in Chief of the Village Voice, Marianne Partridge. Which resulted in a notorious boycott and walkout of the editorial staff. Murdoch was forced to reinstate Ms. Partridge or lose his paper. One of the few setbacks in the storied career of ostensibly the most powerful media mogul on the planet.

I wonder what ever happened to Partridge?

--not a real person, but can type 50 wpm

This is all so sad! What a way to self-destruct what should be, and once was, a great paper. I knew that the end was coming when Joe Cole resigned. No one mentions the simultaneous downfall of the once outstanding Valley Voice now owned by Wendy McC. Its editorials are "unsigned" and those before the election were carbon copies of Travisty's trash in the News-Press!

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.

that post by "ma" is me Mary-Alice Spaulding. don't know why it came out ma. Anyway, I am so tired of Wendy's editorials and the way she writes like she was born here. She is a newbie. I am thinking she's lived here less than 10 years and she should read the book "How to Santa Barbara" 10 years an't enough to try and take over a town like this. She is so awful and I feel sorry for her staff.

Spendy McFlaw has finally cracked the venerable News Suppress. Wrong way Armstrong is merely a tool breaking the wall between opinion and news. Spendy can't seem to keep her nepotism out of the equation by putting Nipper on the payroll. I guess his non-reviews of restaurants qualifies him for being publisher. It is also ironic that Nipper and Wendy are together as both have made and art for marrying into money. Tragic.

I called to cancel my subscription today. Perhaps if enough people do the same, Wendy will get tired of pouring "her" fortune into the deep, empty well that I fear is to be the fate of the News-Press.

The fallout continues. Sports editor Gerry Spratt resigned today...

This is why we call it the News Suppress.

The L.A. Times picked up the story today:

It's also listed on the front page of the L.A. Times website under the "Most Viewed Stories" heading. Amazing...

I, too, read the "To Our Readers" section of the News-Press today regarding this situation. It was like someone standing in front of the smoldering ruins of their house while acting like they only burned some leaves.

I have little hope McCaw will ever get rid of the paper. Whether the Independent can expand its operations, or a having a successful alternative daily to the News-Press are the only the options I see realistically happening. Even then...

Maybe if the community supports the remaining News-Press employees who are committed to doing good work, then McCaw's hand can be forced. But with her billions... who knows.

Oh my gawd. I just read the tag "Spendy McFlaw." Priceless.

I knew the paper was in trouble last year. I canceled the paper in early winter. I live in Lompoc. The paper ALWAYS treated this lovely town like DIRT!!! The Lompoc Record is a MUCH better paper. The News Press was once a wonderful paper.

"Henceforth, we are told, the word “blond” will always be spelled “blonde” (either as noun or adjective) when applied to females."

Well, not to be a spoilsport or anything, but that's Associated Press style and has been for a long time. There's nothing "henceforth" about it.

OK, I see the split hair: AP says use blond as an adjective in all cases, she wants them, apparently, to use blonde as an adjective for women's hair, not just as a noun. Now I find her annoying. :-)

...and now I hear that advertising reps are walking out as well. I always did refer to it as the news mess.

Well, it looks like it is time for Marianne, Randy, Rick to buy the NP. Can we look forward to seeing Barney in the indy? Has a nice ring to it. Good job Nick

Thanks for the insights!

Lee: Randy is rich, but not that rich to buy out the whole News-Press, especially from someone not willing to sell it. But, Indy could hire some of the martyr editors and Barney Brantingham, and easily woo away quite a few of their top talent reporters, all per my INVESTMENT suggestion in the Indy Media Blog comments (copy and paste the URL): http://www.independent.com/opinion/santa...

Based on the inflated price paid for the very profitable N-P, it would be difficult to buy it unless the current owner was open to a fire sale. The local rumor is the price was a huge multiple of earnings. Do I smell smoke?

--I'm just sayin'

Well, as for Wendy's requests not spell blond without the e and not to use Ms unless requested, I say Ms. Blond Blondshellshock shows money can't buy the town's respect. She and bought man friend should leave for parts unknown.

My God, is that her lastest picture at the top of this story?

This is what I sent to the SB News-Press:

"I’m sure you probably won’t print this letter because you never print anything inflammatory to your paper. However, it’s about time that the true leadership of the Santa Barbara New-Press, the editors, have left your organization willingly or not be supported in their actions. I have been dismayed over your “yellow journalism” for quite some time. It’s a shame that local news cannot be reported without the micro management of its owner, publisher, and acting publisher skewing the facts to their distorted libertarian beliefs. They definitely do not represent my beliefs or most of the people who live in Santa Barbara County. In solidarity with the editors and the beleaguered workers of the Santa Barbara New-Press, I cannot in clear conscience financially support your newspaper any longer. I will cancel my subscription immediately and urge others who support freedom of the press and of the workers to do the same."

It's interesting that Ms. Wendy and her boy toy have gone off on vacation while all of this is going on. I hope more people cancel their subscriptions to the N-P rag and The Independent becomes the true voice of Santa Barbara as it has been for all these many years.

I was fortunate enought to read the 'to our readers' letter in the NP today. The first paragraph gave me hope, thinking that for once the NP would have the balls enough to be up front about their current situation. Further reading however, confirmed my original prediction - that they would beat-around-the-bush - and avoid any blame whatsoever. The letter was a completely spinless excuse for their current problems, claiming that this sort of thing happens to every company, no matter what their product - I'm sorry, but any company where a majority of their senior employees walk out the door, has a serious problem. Also, the statement made about how an independently owned newspaper adds certain personal and community-geared element, is totally true, but anyone who has read the NP in recent history will realize that it is based almost entirely on syndicated articles from the AP. Finally, my favorite part of the letter, is the sugar-coated-cuddly part about the quaint history of the Bell Tower, and how amazing July 4th was on Centenial Year of the USA in 1876. Wow. Ok, NOW we like you again. Good job.

OK, as for Wendy McCaw. Quite an interesting peson. I do respect her community activism - her generous donation to the SB Wildlife Care Network (where I volunteer) has helped immensley - perhaps she should have chosen a different pet-project than the newspaper business...

I admit, I do purchase a copy of the NP here and there, but it's only becaue The Independent hasn't started publishing 'Soduku' yet.

I was on the verge of cancelling my subscription anyway after Travis Armstrong called my co-worker to berate her for her (very mild) letter to the editor, even going so far as to snap that "she had a history" of negative letter writing (she'd written ONE other.) Now I'm done. She cancelled today, I'm cancelling tomorrow. Join Us - do not support this paper any longer. The lunatics have taken over the asylum.

Salary usually trumps principle in these matters. Folks still have to make a living, lunatic owner or not. If the newsroom is not unionized, look for action there soon. Dealing with the Newspaper Guild will give this blond or blonde a few gray hairs. She sounds like a bitch with oak leaf clusters. Yes ma'am, sir!

For Blake: By Travis's standards he should have known he was paying your coworker a compliment for being having a "history" of negative letter writing. I stopped reading the "Our Opinion" where Wendy and her staff pitched a bitch about everything. Anyway, editorials are supposed to express strong opinions. None of us should have to make nice for people like Wendy and Travis.

Hey! I hear there's job openings, at the News Press, for editors. No experience necessary!

The Ventura Star editorial (text below) reveals this new issue not so far in any of the chatter:

"The editor was also criticized for publishing legitimate news articles on a vehicle dealership and housing-price dip that negatively affected advertising profits."

VENTURA COUNTY STAR
Editorial: Journalism 101 in S. Barbara

Newspaper owner doesn't get it

July 7, 2006

Somebody might think that if Wendy McCaw spent $100 million on The Santa Barbara News-Press, she should be able to do with it what she wants.

But newspapers are not mere commodities. When Ms. McCaw bought the 150-year-old newspaper from the New York Times Co. six years ago, she invested in a public trust.

It is a trust she has violated.

Six well-respected editors and a 46-year veteran Santa Barbara News-Press columnist don't throw away their livelihoods over "differences of opinion as to direction, goals and vision," as Travis Armstrong, acting publisher of the Santa Barbara News-Press, spun Thursday's newsroom meltdown, in a front-page "note to readers" Friday.

The editor, managing editor, deputy managing editor, metro editor, business editor, sports editor and longtime columnist left because they felt basic journalistic tenets were violated. They cite as examples the squelching of a second article on Mr. Armstrong's drunken-driving conviction after he was arrested in May; Mr. Armstrong's announced intention to directly oversee some news coverage at the same time he is running the business operation and serving as editorial page editor; and the official reprimand to editors for publishing the address of Rob Lowe's controversial house plan in Montecito, despite the absence of a newspaper policy on publishing addresses or the public nature of the house dispute.

The editor was also criticized for publishing legitimate news articles on a vehicle dealership and housing-price dip that negatively affected advertising profits.

Journalists felt in several instances their objective news judgment was being compromised to reflect the private owner's personal views.

Thus, resignations of top editors, then the surreal scene Thursday in the Santa Barbara newsroom of reporters crying and hurling obscenities at the publisher as Editor Jerry Roberts, former San Francisco Chronicle editor, was escorted out of the building.

Sometimes, news organizations make errors, but then acknowledge them and work to avoid repeating them in the future. The problem with the Santa Barbara News-Press is that neither the owner nor acting publisher realizes the newspaper has violated any journalistic principle.

An exodus of six newsroom leaders and a beloved institutional voice may not be enough to shake them from their stupor.

But most people get it: The moment a newspaper loses its credibility is the moment a $100 million investment is absolutely worthless.

For what it's worth, I worked at the News-Press for 10 years doing security. I was a contracted security guard and when I arrived there the person to whom I had to answer was David Harvey. After David Harvey it was Jeff Menard, and finally, it was Randy Alcorn. I have the highest praise for these three men and they ALWAYS treated me right. I also want to say how much I enjoyed the company of the rest of the people who worked there. So as one can see, I got out of there not because of the way I was being treated, (truth be told, I might have been treated better than I deserved to be treated) but because I couldn't stand to see people that I liked being fired, and having to live like mice who are scared to death because the cat might see them and this atmosphere did not exist before the advent of Wendy McCaw.

Although I was technically at the bottom rung of the hierarchy, being a security guard offers the vantage point of being in the center of everything, and also, being officially neutral, so you get to hear all the first-hand goings-on of the workplace.

When I started there in 1994, I felt like a kid that was adopted into a welcoming family. People would come up to me at the podium where I sat and introduce themselves, tell me about there lives, families, and so forth. This went on until after Wendy bought the place, and the change of atmosphere would happen soon enough.

Her opening salvo was to fire Allan Parsons. I remember coming to work that night and I felt like I walked into a funeral. Women were crying and men were speechless. Although I never talked much with Allen I made it a point to go up to his office and wish him well, at the end of the 2 or three minutes I was in there both of us had difficulty keeping our composure. I remember a similar experience when they got rid of Jesse Chavarria, another nice guy that I always observed living by the Golden Rule.

Over the next few years I'd watch the Stalinest-style purges. I use the analogy because just when everything seemed to be settled, the next bunch of people would be "Let go". I never learned exactly why this was the case, and while maybe Wendy bit off more than she could chew and had no choice but to fire them, the fact is while the New York Times owned the place, the feeling of insecurity did not exist that existes post-N.Y.T.

I finally left in December of 2004. By that time, it had been months since anyone had actually stopped to talk to me at the podium. Even the janitors would arrive, clock in, and leave. By that time the atmosphere was so fearful that no one felt like being social, so obviously, I didn't take this personally. What really got to me was the concentration camp psychology of the place. In the Nazi camps, prisonars would turn on each other for that extra piece of bread crumb. The same was happening at the News-Press. They would pull at my ear about how so and so would do this or that. Again, this was not the case pre-Wendy McCaw. Such is human nature.

The other thing I want to share is this: About a year ago the newsroom there published one of their "Our Opinion" pieces attacking Lois Capps. The issue was her having taken vacations funded by her church. (The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) According to the piece, these trips "Raise questions about the separation of Church and State". (Or similar wording) I wrote Travis and Jerry and explained to them that there was NO WAY this was the case. I explained that the very term "Separation of Church and State" was culled from a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote using the term "Wall of Separation". I only have a high school education but I explained to Travis/Jerry that the context of the 1st amendment was taken from a time when one denomination controlled the government and THAT was the thing from which our Founding Fathers were trying to escape. If either of them responded, the e-mail never got to me. Sadly, many liberals that would vote for Capps buy into the "Septation" argument to mean anything involving government and church, and most conservatives would probably be loath to defend Capps with a constuctionaist interpretation of the Constitution so the News-Press wins by divide in conquer in that case. In short, their article was Yellow Journalism par excellence and if they don't like Lois Capps, why don't they have the guts to just say so?

Another point: Wendy hates big government but the only reason big government exists is because people such as her that have all the $$$ won't part with it so therefore when private citizens such as her don't the masses call for government regulation and higher taxes. In other words, if the wealthy won't provide the safety net for the less fortunate, the government will have to do this.

What also gets me is how Travis said "I'm devastated" when he got busted for drunk driving. How about "Thank God I got pulled over before I could have killed someone" and of course "I'm sorry for what I've done and it won't happen again"? But of course, he's indicative of the mentality of the latter-day daily Fourth Estate of S.B. I pray for those who are left behind in that place, and yes, as a Christian, I pray for Wendy and Travis. And THAT sums up my account. -Bill Clausen- P.S. Per the Mike Todd controversy, while I wasn't there when the deed allegedly happened, I can't see Mike doing such a thing.

The LA Times has been the best chronicle of this local tragedy--a recent update:

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition...

Also, our site for some reason is not being picked up by Google searches on this matter. We are working with our developer to fix this.

--Randy Campbell

I did an editorial cartoon on the matter for today's Ventura County Star. You can view it at this URL:
http://www.cagle.com/politicalcartoons/P...

Thanks for the link, Mr. Greenberg. Very well done. I thought the editorial in the Star was spot on, although not without the faint echo of 'neener-neener.'

--if I'm not real, can you hear my laugh?

Cheers and best of luck to Barney and all the others who walked! I was on the copy desk at the NP back in the early '70s with Paul Veblen as publisher. He knew how to run a newspaper. So did Al Parsons, a brilliant colleague at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Isn't there some kind of skills test for publishers to weed out the dilettantes? :-)
Regards.
Sophie (formerly Pat) Jensen, now in Lake County

Wouldn't the "honorable" thing be for Travis to resign....save what vestiges--tattered no doubt---might remain of his own professional future (remember he has a LAW degree, maybe Bush could appoint him to the next SC vacancy or something) ..........thereby leaving the door open for Wendy to come to her senses (does she have any though?) and appoint a real Editor OR-- as we Santa Barbarians would prefer--for some noble news corporation (which sounds so cuddly at this moment comparatively) to step in and rescue the venerable N-P...come on Travy, have some decency-----quit!

Well, shouldn't we all comment to News-Press advertisers that we would prefer if they ceased to advertise in the News-Press? I'm sure the Daily Sound and the Independent would take their ads happily. I'd be happy if the Santa Maria Times expanded to the South Coast too. Of course, everyone should encourage cancellation of subscriptions to the News-Press.... I canceled years ago, but I have kept reading it at the Library, because I do need the information, although I've needed to make huge corrections for the bias in recent years (well, even before Spendy bought it the bias correction was appreciable... if you want to read the good News-Press, go back to the archives and read articles from 1970 or so).

Barney Brantingham is a legend, an institution in this town. The loss of such talent, all the people who, will be a severe blow to character, content and integrity of the paper. Travis is not honorable enough to re-sign, and Spendy McCaw is not smart enough to fire him....oh wait, didn't she fire her last publisher/boyfriend and get sued? This woman is seriously confused and should not own a paper. She is the stereotype of the dumb "BLONDE"......and where the hell did she come up with the idea to post her new man du jour, Arthur Von Sleazenberger, as CO-Publisher?!??!!

Dear Wendy: In my view, there can be no "careless" "error of judgment." Either you exercised your judgment or you did not.

NP subscription cancellations are great but not enough.

All NP advertisers should be put on notice that the community will boycott their businesses if they continue to supply advertising revenue to the paper.

Yes lets get the Newspress closes and punish those 250 some folks that work there and do not make over 90K a year. Get in touch people, blonde is spelled with an e and it was unprofessional to publish an address even if it was publically available.

Q: How many "Dream Houses" do the Lowes get to build? A: This is the four and counting.
Q: How many neighbors do they get to screw? A: All of them, so far.
This is a man who shows up at Affordable Housing Development meetings and screams "Socialism!" Of course he decries affordable housing - he's got Castles to moat, the hell with the rest of us! For a C-list actor, he sure has played Santa Barbara!

I would just like to say, "No Noose is Good Noose." By the way how old is Wendy McCaw? She looks approx. 85 or 90 years old. Also is a McCaw a bird???
In conclusion I enjoyed Nick's article.

Since we all know the News-Press will ignore any letters to the editor that are critical of the paper or the executive staff, perhaps The Independent would be willing to devote a page or two as a special Letters section in an upcoming issue for those who wish to speak their piece on the matter.

Hey Nick Welsh!! Where are you??!!!

No word from you in this blog or the “update to this story” section since your excellent work on July 6!!!

Why are we getting more news about the NP meltdown from the SF Chronicle, the LA Times and even from India!!

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003...

I hope you will give the former NP editors and Barney plenty of space in your next print edition. But why wait? How about online now??

The Independent should be helping to fill the news reporting vacuum in this town.

Many of us would now like to see the Independent print edition published at least twice a week or even daily. But the silence and stagnation in the online edition is not a good sign of your commitment to your readers and the community.

This is probably the biggest SB story since the earthquake in ’25. As we cancel subscriptions to the NP, where are we supposed to go for news on this and other important stories in this county?? The fluff of KEYT?

Yes, I know you are probably digging and plotting, and probably not working on another lengthy piece about a road trip in Slobovia. But, this is the historical moment for the Independent and web based reporting in SB. So, what’s up?? What’s going on with the NP and other important stories in the county?? Let’s hear from you and the Independent!!

Richard: Rest assured, we at the Indy are always trying to plan ahead! This blog we are using is still quite new, and I just gave the first of several training sessions this past Friday so the editors and writers can personally update information on the website...

Well, I think I get it as far as the "media-shy" goes. And, Rob Lowe, too bad we all know the address of your future home. I guess you'll have to scratch the plan and build somewhere else. Might I suggest Rancho Cucamonga? Get off your high-horse; I remember that video. Wasn't she underage?

This sad tale began with A List and the yacht interior decorators and celeb eyebrows. Then there was The Dish from a woman with a drink in her hand and her tongue hanging out, eager to clue us in about the "beautiful people" in our midst. Now we have liquor how-to's in the Scene (entertainment?) and a DUI in-house. I spot a pattern here.

N-P has been close to my heart from the time of my family's move here in the '50s. The oil spill, the Burning Bank and IV riots, and that piranha in Keck pond. I totally understand the walk outs. We can hope that The Queen will have a dream, wake up a changed woman, apologize to Santa Barbara, and her sterling staff, former and present. Life as we knew it returns! Oh, joy! Or, as the Navy League lady did after the chaos wore on her nerves, she could also pack up her riches, lock, stock, and barrel, and split this town.

The lessons: As above, so below, from Washington DC to Santa Barbara. Although one can try, money can't buy you love, or guarantee success.

Well, gosh, if we stop patronizing SB News Press advertisers, and the NP loses revenue, it will be up to Wendy to decide whether she should change her ways to restore journalistic ethics and her revenue stream... should she choose to lay off employees, that is *her evil choice*, not the choice of the marketplace, which I believe should punish the News Press with a loss of bid'ness.

Any business that advertises in the NP now is simply unethical, but I'm sure they need a reminder, preferably very politely.

The NP story has great legs, not only among journalists but also in the business community.
What's an owner to do??

nytimes Monday editions:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/10/busine...

What is next with the destruction of the Wall between Opinion and News? Certain people or organizations definitely no longer can get published on the Opinion pages because they dare to criticize the Editorial position of the News-Press or support different positions; letters or other contributed material is never published from them, and not because of length or poor writing or too frequently contributing.

Obviously, certain people or organizations are banned from the Opinion pages under the control of Travisty, so will these same people and organizations now be banned from news articles too, because The Wall between Church and State is now gone with all the editors pushed out and the Travisty from inflammatory Opinion Editor now is in charge of the news as "acting publisher"

All of the news content now will be suspect, except for maybe On The Town or Take A Bow, and anything by Starshine Roshell. A bit too much Grrrl Power always there with Starshine for the new Acting Publisher perhaps, but her piece today about the evils of animal products in cosmetics still makes me think of some outside influence in her article to please the Owner, or maybe she was being proactively preventive to kiss up?

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

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

My wife sent me this link this morning. It's from a blog last year (link below) and is "Travis' take on Bloggers"

(from <http://doc.weblogs.com/2005/04/10>)

"There's a debate in media circles of what to make of the trend of people keeping journals on Web sites. Are bloggers a breed of citizen journalists or just people with a computer and Internet access who rant day in and out?"

"One of my former bosses drew blogger wrath when he pointed out that these writers aren't disinterested observers, but readers believe them because what's blogged conforms to the political points of view of those looking at the sites."

""It is an increasing burden," Dennis Ryerson, now editor of the Indianapolis Star, told Editor & Publisher magazine. "It hurts because now anyone can publish on the Web. You have people who are politically aligned raising questions about our standards, but there is no attention given to their standards.""

"I think it would be great if blogs became a challenge to journalists in Santa Barbara. It's all the better to have more people interested in public life in Santa Barbara and civilly debating ideas through varying outlets."

"But in scanning the Internet last week, I grew disappointed that the blog phenomena hasn't really taken off in Santa Barbara."

"The county Democratic Central Committee has one that could become an interesting read if some of the party higher-ups, rather than the hangers-on, begin contributing. Right now, it's mostly postings by the News-Press-obsessed Dan Ancona, the committee's media guy."

"Did I miss some great Santa Barbara blogs during my Web surf? The ones I've seen so far are like Fox News, all opinion and reacting but no reporting. They just tell people what they want to hear. E-mail the Web addresses of other blogs to me..."

Be sure to read how much Travis wants people to blog about SB journalists above!!!!

The link got lost! Sorry! It's

http://doc.weblogs.com/2005/04/10

I'm not sure how it was that you failed to appreciate your Catholic upbringing, but the "theological pessimism" you found so unappealing was certainly not invented by the Roman church. Nevertheless it is time for pessimism. Now that Wendy McCaw's overwhelming and influence on the editorial page has been firmly established, the publication of articles by that most odious anti-Christian bigot, William Edelen, makes all the more sense. To the best of my knowledge, the NewsPress is the only paper in the County that publishes his mean spirted rants. Imagine someone writing about Jews or blacks the way Edelen writes about Christians. I trust your recovery hasn't left you incapable of asking why such injustice is tolerated.

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

Sweet! Barney is to give a full report in The Independent.

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/

It looks like Wendy McCaw is taking the brunt of the criticism in this local poll:

http://tagworld.com/birdsblog/

It will be interesting to see how this shakes out - but with only 100 subscribers canceling so far, and a readership of 45,000... I imagine it will blow over.

I lived in S.B. 30 years ago and just came across this news. Yeppers, Lompoc has a great paper and Santa Barbara was always too snooty for words. No wonder everyone is quitting the S.B. paper. They are better off anywhere else.

With the World Wide Web being what it is today, don't you think Wendy and Sir Arthur are reading this while on vacation? Hi Wendy! Hi Arthur! Having a great time, wish you were here to splain yourselves. Just goes to show ya, money can't buy everything when it comes to good editors.

A friend saw a car with a "Boycott the News-Press" bumper sticker. Does anyone know where these can be purchased?

This is going to sound completely unsubstantiated, but I was told by a NP employee that they've received 15 cancellations an hour since Friday. Even if it's half that, the "100" they're reporting is waaay off.

Bravo to Edhat for also joining the Sound and stepping up to fill the void. They are now putting top local stories in the daily hat. And they (very small staff right) beat the newspress and its crack new editoria team on the fishing boat going down off Santa Cruz Island. (Keyt did also)

All these new choices to get local news to us, very nice!

inally, 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

Can't wait to see what Barney writes... He was a good man when he first started with me. And, yes, I'm spinning in my grave.

call the sb zoo to put mccaw back in her cage

Since I've been seeing people grabbing my editorial cartoon rather indiscriminately, and many wish to print it out, you can at least find a decent version of it online at: http://www.cagle.com/news/blog/

Steve Greenberg, Editorial cartoonist
Ventura County Star

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.

Yet another article on the mess. And still, no real article in the News-Press.
http://www.dailynexus.com/news/2006/1191...

Perhaps the greatest irony of this fiasco is the fact that Rob Lowe's address has now been publicized to a far greater audience than it ever would have if he'd only kept his big mouth shut.

I join the angry and disappointed News-Press readers, but I'm not going to cancel. They are not delivering to me the unbiased news product they promised, so I will just stop paying their bill. If 5,000 of us did that, they would notice!
Congratulations on snaring Barney. Now if you can just get "Peanuts," I'll forget about the
Mews-Press forever.

I only wish I hadn't already canceled a couple of months ago, so I could do it now and make it count.

I am very happy to know Barney is now with the Independent. Miss McCaw, Ms. or Mrs. or whichever she prefers, has given us a magnified view of Bush's ownership society. I noticed that the Letters to Editor in the NP today, were mostly from the north county. I don't believe I've ever seen so many in one shot. Did anyone else have the idea that the letters were plants? Seems each letter addressed one of the points Mrs. McCaw has used in her defense.

Anyone heard the rumor that Vanity Fair is doing a piece on her? I wonder if it will be something along the lines of the kind of press Leona Helmsley got. Remember her? Well she got hers! See you today at the noon press conference and Tuesday at the rally!

In response to Ima Nobody's question, it was reported in the blog LA Observed, on Wednesday...

And the new editor, Von Whatever-isnt he a former food critic, like whatever! Why does Ms high and mighty think the paper will take a new turn with Mr. Gourmet??? I mean this Bird lady has some nerve to do this to SB. We may be small but at least we are HONEST. DUH, talk about the 1st ammendment!!!

Astounding. Wendy and her psuedo-Lord von whathisname have ruined the paper that I grew up on and are about to destroy a community resource that has chronicled our area for generations. When I first heard abou this I feared for three things: Barney, Mark Patton and Randy Alcorn. Barneys wife was my high school Spanish Teacher at Dos Pueblos. I played softball with Mark for years and Randy Alcorn should run for President INHO.

I go way back with the NP. My first real job was as paperboy for them in 1968. I was the first paperboy in the brand new housing tracts off Evergreen near Brandon School. My brother did another route off Calle Real. 59 cents per sub per month was my pay plus tips for running 150 subs every afternoon and early Sundays.

Now, I could care less about this paper. I hope the Indie becomes more powerfull locally. Travis Armstrong is a joke, a hatefull person who believes that our city is dieing for a rebirth of vicious personal attack stories and an expansion of Chumash activities beyond all common sense and decency.

I may just cancel the subscription but I like Mark and Randy too much...hope lives on...

it is absolutely inconceivable that Spendy and Sleaze have not come back from their cruise, to take care of the paper they "love."

Personally, I think we ought to get off of Wendy's case and move on with this. Let's face it, the News Press is Wendy's. She earned it fair and square being married to Craig all those years. And think about it, Wendy, bless her heart, was not blessed with high social standing or even a prestigious education. A simple young woman whose sole credentials to excellence consisted of an otherwise incomprehensible appeal to Craig McCaw. So, they marry, she endures and they divorce. She scores. A half billion dollars in cash and the jewels of the Santa Barbara coast await her. She plucks up the venerable News Press like a new Barbie and sets about to dress it up with all sorts of accessories; even a seemingly endless stream of Ken dolls to occupy this or that niche within the fusty old organ. But the fusty old organ is hers and hers alone. If she wants to make it into, as one correspondent suggested, a country club gossip sheet, then so be it. Santa Barbara will have yet another society tattler and vanity press for Wendy’s anointed and favored. So, that takes care of Wendy’s needs. Now, shouldn’t our energies be better directed in seeing what we can do for Santa Barbara’s needs? Clearly, this community needs and can support a local newspaper. In that context there are a number of options that we could explore. The most obvious is in encouraging the Independent to morph into a daily. Failing that, it is not unthinkable that The Los Angeles Times could open a local office, bring on some News Press alums, and publish a local Santa Barbara section as a supplement to the Times. Then, of course, there is the possibility of putting together some civic minded citizens who could fund a start up of a brand new paper largely made up of the now available cohort of former News Press staff. Let's leave Wendy be and build for a better tomorrow.

People sure have alot of time on their hands. Good old SB. Time to enjoy and pay the mortgage.

Geez, why does anyone in SB read the News-Press anymore? Every SB resident should ON PRINCIPLE boycott the newspaper. Cancel all subscriptions, leave the bins full of papers on unsold, to teach that horrible fucking bitch McCaw that money doesn't give her right to be such an ass!

Hey guys, this message board software this website runs on, is it something i can buy for my own website or is it propriatary?