Why I Quit the News-Press

Thursday, July 13, 2006

By Barney Brantingham (Contact)

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During the past week, The Independent offices have been inundated with letters, phone calls, and emails, all concerning recent events unfolding at the Santa Barbara News-Press. In this issue, we have printed a few of these, including a most informative letter to that paper’s acting publisher written by one of America’s preeminent journalists, Lou Cannon. A complete posting of all letters and emails can be found on The Indy’s Web site (independent.com). Nick Welsh has compiled a timeline which will explain the who, what, when, and where of why six of the daily’s most senior editors, including Executive Editor Jerry Roberts, resigned. But the most powerful report is that by Barney Brantingham, perhaps Santa Barbara’s most beloved writer. He explains in great detail why he decided to leave a newspaper where he has worked for almost half a century; it is a great honor for The Independent to publish this moving article. For us, here at The Independent, it is an even greater honor to announce that Barney Brantingham has agreed to become our newest columnist. And everyone in Santa Barbara will be happy to learn that this year’s Grand Marshal of the Old Spanish Days Parade, Mr. Brantingham himself, will be continuing to report on his adventures as he, once again, eats his way through Fiesta.

Click HERE for NEWS-PRESS COVERAGE | LETTERS

Santa Barbara’s Beloved Columnist Tells His Story

by Barney Brantingham

I quit the Santa Barbara News-Press last week after more than 46 years because I couldn’t bear to watch the destruction of a fine newspaper. And it was too painful to see the destruction of the lives of dedicated staffers whose only crime was publishing the news. And I could not continue to work at a paper that had lost its credibility and its soul.

Barney Brantingham in the '70s.

In a bizarre Kafkaesque/Castro twist, a story about suppression of the news was suppressed. Last Friday, a news account written for that day’s paper describing the biggest story in town — the resignation of five editors (now seven, including myself) — was killed. About 150 newspapers from the U.K. to India ran the story, along with the L.A. Times — but not the News-Press. Even News-Press employees outside the newsroom were shocked and upset. One executive told fellow staffers: “Wendy McCaw may own the paper, but she doesn’t own the news.”

I’ve always hated the expression “News-Suppress,” but now, to my pain, I must admit it fits.

Ironically, until the last few months, these years working under the highly respected Editor Jerry Roberts and the great Managing Editor George Foulsham have been my best, my happiest, at the paper. And, even more ironically in view of the current travesty that has befallen the News-Press, this was during the ownership of Wendy McCaw. To her credit, she has always given me complete freedom to write. She has never interfered with my column.

But this idyllic time all came crashing down on July 6, last Thursday morning. Roberts arrived back from vacation to find his job as editor had been usurped by Travis Armstrong, the editorial writer and editor of the opinion pages of the paper. Roberts couldn’t ethically run a news department that was controlled by the opinion side of the paper, and so he submitted his resignation to be effective in 30 days. Always the professional, he was willing to stay on the job to assure that the paper would continue to get out and that the transition would be as smooth as possible. No way.

Instead, McCaw, with her fiancé and co-publisher Arthur von Wiesenberger, decamped in her private jet to areas unknown, leaving behind broken lives, a mangled paper, and Travis Armstrong as the acting publisher. Now Armstrong has the upper hand.

Armstrong, as many know, is a court favorite of McCaw and, as many have learned, is a dangerous man to anger. The author of countless poison-pen attacks on public figures out of favor with McCaw, he has become increasingly contentious and imperious. Now the time of reckoning came for the news desk. Hadn’t Roberts run a prominent story about Armstrong’s recent drunken driving arrest, when he had been stopped by police driving down Santa Barbara Street going in the wrong direction, with a blood alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit? But when Armstrong was sentenced a few weeks later, the News-Press account of that story never saw the light of day. Only The Independent printed the information. Scooped again!

Last Thursday, I watched in dismay as Roberts was escorted out of his office by Armstrong. According to one witness, Armstrong barged into Roberts’s office saying, “I want you out of here now,” or words to that effect. This was quite a spectacle: A longtime San Francisco reporter and editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, a journalist of the highest reputation in the nation, kicked out by Mr. Poison Pen.

Many of us in the newsroom that day shook Jerry’s hand. Staffers rushed up, women were in tears, Metro Editor Jane Hulse threw her arms around Roberts, sobbing. Armstrong, widely despised in the community and clearly uncomfortable with the love and respect being shown the editor, growled, “Come on, Jerry, you have to leave the building now.”

As he hustled Roberts down the hall and toward the door flanked by Human Resources Director Yolanda Apodaca, sorrow turned to anger. Hulse yelled, “Fuck you, Travis. Haven’t you done enough?” The gathered staffers took up the chorus: “Fuck you!”

Then Hulse quit. Foulsham, it turned out, had already given notice and Deputy Managing Editor Don Murphy, a soft-spoken, 19-year News-Press editor, had cleared out his desk and was gone. Business Editor Michael Todd, known for working night and day, was already on suspension, his days clearly numbered after daring to explain to McCaw journalism’s tradition of separating an owner’s whim and opinion from the responsibility of keeping the news as objective as humanly possible. I resigned in protest that afternoon and Sports Editor Gerry Spratt quit the next day.

This was the breaking point of intolerable tensions that had built up regarding front office meddling with the news. The beginning of the end came after publisher Joe Cole, a longtime business associate of McCaw and a moderating influence, left more than a month ago. It’s not clear whether Cole was pushed out or if he had just had enough. It was announced that he had “retired,” though at 50 years old, Cole is far from Social Security age. Cole, a well-known lawyer with a friendly, diplomatic style, was seen as a buffer between McCaw and Armstrong, and the newsroom. At that time, von Wiesenberger, who is the paper’s restaurant reviewer, was named co-publisher with McCaw. Amateur Hour was in full swing.

One of the most difficult parts of this story for me is that Arthur von Wiesenberger had been my longtime friend. He was the best man at my wedding to my wife Sue DeLapa. We traveled around the world together and co-hosted a weekly radio show. When he became engaged to McCaw on Valentine’s Day a few years ago, I was happy for him. Just a couple of weeks ago, before Armstrong began to take control of the newsroom, I had lunch with Arthur and warned him that Travis Armstrong was a growing cancer on the News-Press, that his extremely vitriolic columns and editorials were alienating the paper from the community at large. And though I have not heard from either von Wiesenberger or McCaw since I sent in my resignation, it seems clear that my warning had gone unheeded.

Instead, the tragedy ended with more bodies strewn around than the last act of Hamlet. Russian playwrights couldn’t have written anything sadder. The mass resignations were probably inevitable, but what apparently triggered the big blowup was the Rob Lowe Incident. The West Wing actor wants to build a Montecito mega-mansion, and he’s certainly not the first to want his own castle there. At a hearing, one of his neighbors objected to losing his view. Commissioners gave Lowe a split decision. Lowe was then interviewed by News-Press reporter Camilla Cohee but made no request that the address of the vacant lot not be mentioned. However, later that day, Lowe reportedly phoned Armstrong and asked that the address not be used, even though it was prominently mentioned at the hearing which was shown on cable TV for hours, published on many documents, and was the actual title of the case. But his message apparently never got through to the newsroom. Had it, perhaps some accommodation could have been made. Like “somewhere in Montecito.”

But the story made the front page, with the address included. Then hell broke loose. Lowe or his representative complained. Cohee said she received a call from von Wiesenberger in France — a prior trip — quizzing her about the story. This was a Journalism 101 no-no. Publishers are not supposed to lean on reporters, grill them, or try to influence the news, present or future. If a publisher has a problem, he or she deals with the top editors about it.

You can’t do good journalism if you’re worried about offending someone “important.” This, coupled with pressure from the business side, has a chilling, intimidating effect. But no one could have expected the surreal chain of events this set in motion.

Soon Cohee and three editors got letters of reprimand from McCaw regarding the Great Vacant Lot Address Problem, including one editor who didn’t even have anything to do with the piece. They all replied to McCaw, but Todd’s reply strongly raised these “church/state” separation issues, and he was slapped with a two-week suspension without pay. This was supposedly due to a joking remark he’d made to another staffer on the street more than a month prior. Many suspect that the suspension was really due to his objecting to the reprimand.

To Todd, McCaw’s letter made it clear that he had no future at the paper.

In the meantime, according to Cohee, Armstrong was refusing to run her story about longtime Carpinteria City Councilmember Donna Jordan not planning to run again, wanting her to throw in more negative comments about Jordan, who backed several positions opposed by News-Press editorials. The Independent ran the story. Scooped again!

The virtual reign of terror shook the newsroom to its roots. I arrived back at my desk from vacation the Monday following the Lowe debacle. I began cleaning out my desk. Opinion was seeping onto the news pages and the paper was bleeding its best editors and its precious integrity.

In a New York Times story published July 10, a McCaw spokesperson said that the editors quit because they disagreed with her push for local news — an absurd assertion, since that was the very thing on which everyone in the newsroom was focused. In a word, the claim was baloney.

And while we’re setting straight the record, let’s point out that the News-Press's front-page claim that the paper is in its 151st year is bogus. Since T.M. Storke, my first owner/publisher, didn’t found what became the News-Press until 1901, where did they come up with those other 50 years? And while I’m on the subject of T.M. Storke, let me just say: He was a tough boss, but he could take the heat. No one who ever knew him could imagine that in the middle of a crisis as great as the News-Press currently faces, T.M. Storke would leave the building, let alone fly off on a vacation. He would face the music; he would see the paper though to safety. And why? Because whether you liked Storke or not, whether you agreed with his editorials or not, T.M. Storke was a journalist, a real newspaper man.

I profoundly regret all that has come to pass in this sad mess, but I don’t regret my years with the paper. I’ve worked nights and weekends and covered tedious City Hall nighttime meetings, wildfires where I almost got killed, angry Goleta water wars, Vietnam War peace rallies, the I.V. riots, the 1969 oil spill, rock concerts, the courts, and police beats. I met wonderful people, friends for life in some cases.

Then, a kid from the streets of Chicago’s Southside, who just wanted to sit in the back of the room and take notes, got a column. It’s one of those remarkable facets of American journalism where someone is allowed to give his or her honest opinion and take on life. It’s a unique, independent view, not an editorial reflecting the newspaper’s official position or a straight news story where the writer’s opinions aren’t allowed.

It’s a privilege I’ve enjoyed and honored at the News-Press since 1977, when I took over from the late Tom Kleveland. Some have disagreed with my opinions, but that’s to be expected. It was my job to raise issues and stimulate discussion of controversial issues.

Now I’m gone, after 46 years and three months. Look, the day had to come at some point. I had my time and at least I didn’t go out feet-first.

What is important is a newspaper’s credibility, and the News-Press’s credibility is in tatters. Brave souls in the newsroom are doing their best, managing under intense pressure, fearing for their jobs if they somehow happen to displease Armstrong. It’s sad, but I can no longer believe what I read in the News-Press because I have to wonder whether the dark shadow of meddling hands are censoring or suppressing the news.

FOUR•ONE•ONE A rally will be held on Tuesday, July 18, for advertisers and readers to demand the News-Press “build back the wall” between news and opinion content. Meet at noon at De la Guerra Plaza in front of the News-Press building.

Click HERE for NEWS-PRESS COVERAGE | LETTERS

News-Press Timeline

by Nick Welsh

April 24, 2006: Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum and Supervisor Susan Rose are barred from participating in a talk show hosted by a consortium of non-profit agencies on News-Press radio station KZSV 1290 AM, although the show sponsors paid for airtime.

April 27: Editorial page editor and columnist Travis Armstrong, in a News-Press interview, said station policy prohibited people from appearing as guests on one show — even if leased by a separate entity — if they’d declined invitations to appear on other programs. Sponsors privately expressed shock at such a policy. Mayor Blum said she’d been on his show once, and that she had never committed to being on a program discussing June elections. Armstrong responded by writing that Blum had a “sense of entitlement,” and that her attitude was akin “to something out of a former Communist bloc.”

April 27: Publisher Joe Cole announced he was leaving the newspaper and severed all professional associations with owner Wendy P. McCaw so he could spend more time with his family. Cole’s announcement ignited a firestorm of speculation whether he quit or was fired. One of Santa Barbara’s most successful business attorneys, Cole also had served as legal counsel to McCaw and her Ampersand Holdings Co. He is credited with hiring Jerry Roberts — former executive editor of the San Francisco Chronicle — as executive editor of the News-Press.

April 27: On the same day, McCaw announced she was appointing herself and her fiancé, Arthur von Wiesenberger, as publishers. The News-Press reported that von Wiesenberger — a bon vivant, food writer, travel critic, bottled water expert, and owner of the once-famous Montecito nightclub Nippers — edited his high school newspaper in Switzerland.

May 6: Armstrong bestowed the Goleta Chamber of Commerce’s “Goleta’s Finest Award” at the Bacara Hotel.

May 7: At 2:45 a.m., police officers spotted Armstrong driving the wrong way down Santa Barbara Street, arrested him for drunken driving, impounded his car, and booked him into county jail.

May 9: The daily ran an interview with Armstrong, who said he had arranged to be driven back from the Bacara, knowing that he might be drinking, but then had a few more glasses of wine at home. Upset with thoughts about work, he went for a late night drive to clear his head. According to newsroom insiders, von Wiesenberger tried to kill the story.

May 25: After The Independent reported that News-Press staffers initiated “The Jerry Watch,” to see how long Roberts would continue working for the daily, some employees were questioned privately by management to determine whether they had spoken to Independent reporters.

June 9: Armstrong pleaded guilty to driving with nearly three times the legal blood-alcohol limit, was fined, and sentenced to four days’ jail time. A News-Press article describing the court action was killed, reportedly at the insistence of the publishers.

June 20: Roberts left on holiday. Armstrong started attending news meetings, and was accompanied by a human relations officer who took notes. The meetings no longer were held in Roberts’s office.

June 21: Despite the objections of a neighbor, the Montecito Planning Commission approved actor Rob Lowe’s proposed 14,000-square-foot house to be built on a now-vacant lot at 7000 Picacho Lane. Reporter Camilla Cohee included the address in a story about the proceedings. Responding to a call from Lowe asking that the address be withheld, Armstrong emailed two editors. But by then, the article had been printed.

June 22: The employee handbook was officially revised to warn that employees who talk about internal matters with other news organizations face immediate termination.

June 23: Though addresses are commonly included in land planning stories and the daily has had no prior written policy on withholding addresses, McCaw issued letters of reprimand to Cohee and three editors: Jane Hulse, George Foulsham, and Michael Todd, all believed to have reviewed the story. The letter to business editor Todd stated: “Lowe’s address has damaged our credibility with the Lowe family and potentially damaged relations with other high-profile readers. … As a result of this error, the Lowe family canceled their subscription.” McCaw concluded: “It is now company policy that no addresses are to be published” without the publishers’ approval.

June 28: All four news staffers sent letters of protest. Todd wrote that the address was necessary to the story, that punishing reporters for violating policies that did not exist before publication to “border on the malicious and defamatory,” and that to give special treatment to “high-profile” residents like Lowe violated the doctrine set down by former News-Press owner and publisher T.M. Storke: “Publish the news that is public property without fear or favor of friend or foe.”

June 29: McCaw dismissed Todd’s arguments about journalistic ethics as “specious,” and that it should be “a matter of common sense and decency” not to publish the actor’s address. “This is sensationalism, it is unethical, it is not the kind of paper I intend to run,” McCaw wrote. As his tone was “argumentative” and “blatantly disrespectful,” according to McCaw, Todd was placed on indefinite unpaid leave pending the outcome of an investigation into a non-sexual remark that offended another employee six weeks prior. He was then escorted from the building.

June 30: McCaw and von Wiesenberger left on vacation. Armstrong was named acting publisher for reportedly three months. He was given unprecedented authority to alter news articles. When Cohee filed a story about Carpinteria City Councilmember Donna Jordan’s decision not to seek re-election after 16 years in office, according to News-Press sources, Armstrong instructed Cohee to include more negative information. Thus far, the article has not run. July 2: Jerry Roberts returned.

July 5: Deputy Managing Editor Don Murphy, a 19-year veteran of the paper, resigned. Iconic columnist Barney Brantingham, after 46 years in the newsroom, submitted his resignation.

July 6: At 9:45 a.m., Jerry Roberts submitted his resignation along with those of Metro Editor Hulse and managing editor George Foulsham. The human relations director escorted out Roberts. He stopped to hug some tearful colleagues. Armstrong showed up, took Roberts by the arm, and said, “You have to leave now, Jerry.” This elicited a chorus of profanity from those assembled. “Fuck you, Travis,” shouted Hulse. “Haven’t you done enough?” Others expressed similar sentiments. Armstrong next told Hulse to leave. At her house, her husband, a reporter for the L.A. Times, presented her with a cheesecake bearing the inscription, “F&%$ Travis.” Later that day, Sports Editor Gerry Spratt also quit.

July 6: The upheaval made the front page of the Los Angeles Times. A News-Press spokesman, Sam Singer, a San Francisco-based consultant specializing in crisis management, was quoted as saying that the editors left due to a disagreement in editorial direction. McCaw, Singer explained, wanted more local news. Reporter Scott Hadley wrote a story for the News-Press detailing the resignations, but it has yet to appear.

July 7: In a front-page editorial, Armstrong compared the struggle between the newsroom and McCaw to a family dispute. Briefly acknowledging the unprecedented exodus, he confirmed the paper’s commitment to excellence. No letters to the editor on the subject were published. Employees reported that hard drives from computers used by five of the six editors who resigned were removed to Ampersand headquarters. Unconfirmed reports suggested the administration had hired an agency to track employee phone calls.

July 8: Jerry Roberts tried to retrieve the contents of his desk from the News-Press, but security guards won’t let him in the building.

July 9: The paper announced the appointment of four replacement editors; all but one were hired internally.

July 11: At the Board of Supervisors meeting, a homeless man who goes by the name Lazarus said that McCaw and Armstrong were in need of county mental health and alcohol services, and that people with their problems should not be allowed in positions of power or importance.

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Comments

Discussion Guidelines

finally the truth comes out...ouch

LOL
July 13, 2006 at 10:27 a.m.

Wow! This doesn't seem to agree at all with what Mrs. McCaw described in the News-Press this morning.

Hmmmm! Who are we to believe?

Good work, Independent!
Good work, Nick Welch!
Good work, Barney Brantingham!

This town is unique! I am excited about what may develop from this debacle. When it does, I hope that it can help restore journalistic freedom in Santa Barbara, and also the careers of those who have sacrificed them for their principles!

boB
July 13, 2006 at 11:06 a.m.

RE: Arthur von Wiesenberger.... amazing how a little "relationship" changes one's style, conscience, loyalty, etc.

Susan
July 13, 2006 at 11:12 a.m.

Delighted Barney has a new home! And his article
was refreshing and enlightning - telling the Truth.
thank you, Independent, for being there....

Gene
July 13, 2006 at 11:23 a.m.

TIME FOR ANOTHER HOME DELIVERED DAILY SB NEWS PAPER.

Greg N
July 13, 2006 at 11:47 a.m.

My humble apology to Nick WelSh for that misspelling!

You may zing me by spelling my name "Bob" instead of "boB.

boB
July 13, 2006 at 12:14 p.m.

I've heard that Switzerland has some of the finest high school newspapers in the world.

Steve
July 13, 2006 at 12:55 p.m.

Looks like the News Press is still bleeding. Quick, Wendy, publish another note before the Sharks smell more blood!

From the an AP aritlce: "Following McCaw's letter, another staffer quit. Reporter Scott Hadly, an eight-year veteran, said his decision was based on the letter and the paper's refusal to print his story on last week's resignations."

Source: AP article in the SJ Mercury

SteelJ
July 13, 2006 at 1:13 p.m.

Support the Independent and the SB Daily Sound so the city can enjoy quality journalism both weekly AND daily.

Stevej
July 13, 2006 at 1:14 p.m.

Sad, sad, sad.

Wendy McCaw is taking 75% of the blame on the poll posted on Santa Barbara's blog. And rightfully so.

http://www.tagworld.com/birdsblog

I have yet to see anything of quality from the new Santa Barbara Sound; however, I expect the Independent to get a nice boost.

tom
July 13, 2006 at 1:19 p.m.

Why hasn't Wendy done a background check on "Nipper"? I'm sure some "interesting stories" from is former restaurant will come to light.

Bob
July 13, 2006 at 1:40 p.m.

The Daily Sound's current business model prevents it from becoming a quality newspaper. The majority of its content comes from wire services, it has one, maybe two full time reporters who are asked to cover all of Santa Barbara. The Sound is a newspaper created solely for profit. It's cheaper to buy wire stories than to pay a full-time reporter. So if they only have two reporters and a lot of ads, that adds up to a lot of profits.

Also, it's coverage of local issues is shallow. When you have one reporter writing three to four stories every day for five days a week, it's difficult to give any depth or perspective on any one story.

Finally, the Daily Sound's layout is a little over dramatic. I mean come on, banner headlines everyday in 28pt Arial Black?

SteelJ
July 13, 2006 at 1:45 p.m.

After reading the Indy today, I wondered about Scott Hadly... a tip of the hat to him for resigning too!

Thanks Barney... you have been an acquired taste for me... at first your columns seemed too simple, but gradually I realized that was your style, not your nature. Your columns on Isla Vista... about Patty Laney and the Juggling Festival, the Magic Lantern, and generally about the misundertanding of IV by the larger South Coast community have been gems. I look forward to reading you more in the Indy.

Isla Vistan
July 13, 2006 at 2:10 p.m.

The saddest part is for all the people who would like to depart the paper and preserve their credibility... but with the price of living in Santa Barbara, and the scarcity of decent reporting jobs, who can? My heart goes out to everyone on the receiving end of McCaw's broomstick.

ryder
July 13, 2006 at 2:30 p.m.

A fascinating piece.

I worked briefly at the Santa Barbara New-Press some twenty years ago, and now teach in the NYU journalism department. Barney Brantingham confirms that The Santa Barbara Seven made the right choice in exiting considering the nature of the meddling by Wendy McCaw, the owner, and her proxies.
Pressuring journalists to suppress news, whether it is the address of a celebrity or the DUI arrest of a colleague, is beyond the pale and attacks the basis of a newspaper's credibility.

McCaw has the legal right to run her newspaper any way she sees fit; principled journalists have the obligation to refuse to stick around for that sort of sausage-making; readers and advertisers have the right to look elsewhere for their news.

I've written more on this at:

http://jeffersonflanders.wordpress.com/2...

Jefferson Flanders
July 13, 2006 at 2:35 p.m.

Good for Hadley.

This last piece in todays paper actually had me laughing. She expects us to side with her for an unbiased paper after the public row with Rob Lowe's address and radio problems with Travis Armstrong?

She wants me to believe her, yet in so many words calls Barney and Roberts biased? Who have I "known" longer, her or Barney? Whose columns did I go to when I needed to research public reaction in the 1970 IV Riots?

She can not expect us to believe her when she does not have the public trust.

I would cancel my sub if I had one, but since all I read is Barney I cancelled the NP a long time ago.

SBNative
July 13, 2006 at 2:37 p.m.

Let's face it; it's McCaw's paper and she can do any dang legal thing she wants with it. She paid for it, it's hers.

But that doesn't mean anyone should actually believe what they read. I never believed much of Armstrong's writing anyway, and now it's clear sensible readers should regard the paper and its advertising like Armstrong as "Wendy's wrong Way."

Homie
July 13, 2006 at 3:15 p.m.

Barney has pissed me off, made me laugh, inspired me to write, but today was a first; he made me cry.
I don't want to go drama queen here but I just can't get The Chimes of Freedom to stop playing in my head. Barney admits in so many words that this is just a good time to go for him but I am sure he would have liked to make his golden anniversary and get a gold watch or something. But this is cooler in many ways.
I just think about the folks who left their jobs that have dependent children, mortgages, etc. and it makes me really respect their courage. I hope that there is a big turn out and show of support at the ralley.
Thanks Barney. Awesome article.

SYV Zevonfan
July 13, 2006 at 3:50 p.m.

Another alternative is SB Indymedia

http://sbindymedia.org/

BE THE MEDIA! Screw these capitalist pigs to the wall. Report your own news at this website run by local Santa Barbarans who are committed to the larger struggle for social and media justice.

There IS more than one news option available for those interested enough to look. Report the news that even the Independent may be wary of!

Join us at our monthly meeting tonight July 13th, 7:30pm at the Coffee Cat downtown on Anacapa & Anapamu.

Thank you to the Independent for posting these letters!

Jon Sullivan
July 13, 2006 at 4:07 p.m.

The background of Mr. von Wiesenberger, co-publisher, may be a factor in the approach taken in the pieces authored by both Mr. Armstrong and Mrs. McCaw: that the remaining NewsPress readership is Evian spelled backwards.

Firebrand
July 13, 2006 at 4:22 p.m.

Wendy must think readers of her newspaper are really stupid. Does she believe readers believe her side of the story? I've been a bit slow cancelling my subscription to the NP but her obtuse comments in today's NP made me do it right away. Thank heavens for the Indy and for Barney. Great article! Thanks for the truth. I trust that the Indy will continue to report the NP meltdown. Wendy, her restaurant reviewer, and Travis need to get the hell out and Santa Barbara and give the NP back to the community where it belongs!

Nancy
July 13, 2006 at 5:07 p.m.

I disagree about the Daily Sound. Sure they aren't the most in-depth stories ever written, but they tell the story in not a lot of space.
And a quick survey of today's paper shows one (1) wire story in the 12 pages of paper, with everything else local news. Give it time, they may have something there. I'd assume if they don't sell ads, they can't hire more people.

Thanks Independent for scooping up Barney, and the truth.

jmo
July 13, 2006 at 5:14 p.m.

As a former High School Journalism teacher, I used to preach to my students over and over again, "We should report the news, not make it." I think Ms McGaw needs some of the same advice.

JohnM
July 13, 2006 at 5:21 p.m.

professional journalists (with young families and mortgages) don't resign unless they have no choice. hadly is leaving because he had to do the right thing as a professional journalist, despite the fact that he might have to leave santa barbara to earn a living.
what hadly did was the right thing!...
it took guts and it took integrity.
he had no choice after his publisher/owner essentially disavowed the objectivity of stories that ran in her paper for the six years of her ownership.
the question is not how could hadly jeopardize his career and his family, but how could wendy mccaw not recognize the damage she is doing to her most valuable asset (and to journalism).
she must not understand that she is priviliged to have a stake in the nation's watchdog, one that was so valued that the founding fathers protected it in the U.S. Constitution from the powers of government..

daryl kelley
July 13, 2006 at 5:45 p.m.

[I]A note to readers, Wendy McCaw :July 13, 2006 7:53 AM
"This past week there were some highly publicized changes at the News-Press."
This current article requires registration and login to view. You may also purchase the article without a general registration. Click here to proceed to the login, registration or article purchase page[/I] NewPress website.

I can't read the other side, but I know many of the former News Press staffers as well as Barnie. I trust his point of view.

The News Press is not doing anything to make it easy to counter the Independent's reporting.

As noted above. It's not 'our' paper. The owners can do what they want. It's out job to believe their stories, buy or not buy the paper, and support it's sponsors.

[B]The easiest way to change the paper would be to boycott both the paper and it's sponsors.[/B]

Are individuals willing to do that?

DeadWriter
July 13, 2006 at 5:52 p.m.

All I can say is that im trilled that the truth is coming out. There is such a thing as a kharma payment plan. I am a part of a much maligned group by wendy and her cronies. Some of the remaining reporters are a part of her bias and thus have lost credibility. We know who you are..... If you have the guts to get out now you can hide behind the others insinuating that she made you do it. The best that could come out of all this is that she will just sell out and move away.This is really a sordid ordeal.

ray-os
July 13, 2006 at 5:59 p.m.

Congratulations to the Independent for getting Barney. Great interview! Perhaps the remaining editors and reporters should be hired and the Independent change their focus to becoming a daily newspaper; one of which I would subscribe.

I've cancelled my subscription to the News "suppress" and hope all others follow suit. If the message doesn't get across to those "powers that be" during the upcoming rally, the message from the "wallets" certainly may convince them. If not, then McCaw can run the old press into the ground and it is time to start a new reporting tradition.

JMM
July 13, 2006 at 6:01 p.m.

Here is an update of the Restore the News-Press rally on Tuesday at noon. Will post another update when more speakers are confirmed.

Community leaders are organizing the Restore the News-Press rally in De La Guerra Plaza on Tuesday, 18th July, at 12 noon. The goal is to ask Santa Barbara News-Press ownership and management to operate the newspaper with a clear separation of news and opinion. We also want to honor the six editors, columnist, and senior reporter who resigned their jobs to stand up for journalistic integrity. And, we want to show support for the employees who remain, under siege, and cannot afford to leave. Finally, we are encouraging readers to cancel their subscriptions and to inform advertisers that the newspaper has lost credibility and the public’s trust. Call them at 966-7171 to cancel your subscription and get a refund.

We are working to invite some of the former newspaper staff to speak at the rally, as well as other speakers from business and civic groups. While the confirmed list of speakers is growing, these people have stepped up, as individuals, to endorse this rally: Mayor Marty Blum, Bud Laurent, Cheri Rae, Barbara Sachs, Marc Chytilo, Lee Heller, and others.

Participants are asked to bring noise-makers, and their loud voices, so that the newspaper owner and publisher will hear our message. Everyone who cares about having a credible and trustworthy daily newspaper should come and make some noise at this event. A big turnout will demonstrate community support and may inspire someone out there to purchase the New-Press from Ms. McCaw.

Credible news that can be believed requires a deliberate separation of powers between Opinion and News, consistent with standard professional ethics. A credible newspaper benefits everyone (left, right, rich, poor, renter, owner, etc.) and a trustworthy newspaper is a necessity for meaningful public debate and dialogue on a multitude of issues, as well the traditional role to keep the government honest. As the saying goes, a little sunshine is the best disinfectant... but the big daily newspaper usually is the one shining that light. Fiat lux.

Thanks! See you, and hear you, at the rally on Tuesday.
--David Pritchett, just an Average Joe from the Westside

(A previous announcement about this rally has been sent around under a pseudonym, out of concern for retaliation. I am now the principal contact for this rally.)

David Pritchett, an Average Joe
July 13, 2006 at 6:09 p.m.

It is about time! We commercial fishermen have been complaining since Macaw took over. The News Press has been systematic in suppressing any science contrary to Wendy's far left environmental agenda. Letters to the editor are ignored, oposing opinions ignored. Sad, that a self important person could have so much control over the desimination of info. Do people really believe the crap in that rag?

Michael Harrington
July 13, 2006 at 6:29 p.m.

This story is still unfolding, and I think there will be much, much more ahead.

A little birdy told me that Wendy's lawyers have unleashed her wrath on the "disgruntled ex-employees" by filing "cease and desist" suits on some (including Barney) and a restraining order on Michael Todd for terrorist threats or some BS like that.

It truly is the News-Supress...

We are a community of intelligent people and we must come together immediately to not let people with integrity go down to someone with a LOT of money which is being used for very bad purposes.

Artful Dodger
July 13, 2006 at 6:35 p.m.

My congrats to Scott Hadley and the others for having the courage to stand up for their convictions. Too bad it didn't happen sooner.

Michael Harrington
July 13, 2006 at 6:39 p.m.

Quoting from Ms. McCaw's statement in today's NP:

“When news articles became opinion pieces, reporting went unchecked and the paper was used as a personal arena..."

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

If ever there was a pot calling the kettle black...

This has TRAVIS tagged all over it. Is she kidding??

I feel for the people left behind at the NP who must somehow limp forward under these circumstances - presumably while they look for other jobs.

PAN
July 13, 2006 at 6:52 p.m.

Rumor has it that Gene Montesano will acquire SBNP as soon as he can find a chef to run it.

G. Breitweiser
July 13, 2006 at 6:53 p.m.

There is also interest from the Borgatellos and possibly BFI.

G. Breitweiser
July 13, 2006 at 7:11 p.m.

" Rumor has it that Gene Montesano will acquire SBNP as soon as he can find a chef to run it."

Well even a chef can do a better job than a food editor and a wino!

SYV Zevonfan
July 13, 2006 at 7:13 p.m.

Take to the Plaza, people!!!

Put these two actions in your calendar (or pocket pc):

--Friday, July 14 (yes, tomorrow!) at NOON in de la Guerra Plaza----attend a news conference featuring NewsPress reporters and staff!

--Tuesday, July 18 @ NOON in de la Guerra Plaza---attend a public rally, featuring elected officials, community members, business owners, and anyone offended by and concerned about the NewsPress publisher and owner's abuses

Paradise has its moments
July 13, 2006 at 7:16 p.m.

Rather than the Browning quote, Mrs. McCaw would have been much closer to the mark if she had quoted Roberto Duran in summing up the feeling of the disgruntled readership.

Craig Price
July 13, 2006 at 7:26 p.m.

The tactics and comments of Ms. McCaw, Mr. Armstrong et. al., would be laughable, if they involved any business other than the ownership and editorial control of a local newspaper. In short, their actions are despicable. I plan to enjoy the train ride from Los Angeles on Tuesday and then join the protest on the plaza.

Steve Grace
July 13, 2006 at 7:51 p.m.

Loved all the comments regarding the Wendy/Arie show. As a native of Santa Barbara, I totally resent the way they have drug the rag in to the gutter and injured some fine journalists along the way. And right on-Bob of July 13 at 1:40 PM. Check the history of Arthur and Nippers. Bad deal. Lee

lee mecham
July 13, 2006 at 8:03 p.m.

A newspaper belongs to the community. It is a public trust.
Those who have hijacked the Santa Barbar News Press must understand this and quickly: They have a right to buy a newspaper and print anything they want. We as a community have a right not to support those who advertise in that newspaer who enable them to do so.
Boycott the News Press advertisers. Once it starts to hemoorage financially, Wendy will want to quickly unload it.
If not, a newspaper publishing company will want to come into the area and fill the news void.
Then Wendy will take heavy financial losses.
The only way to get Wendy's attention is via the pocketbook.

Raul Hernandez

Raul Hernandez
July 13, 2006 at 8:32 p.m.

The day after the bloodbath at the News Press, I was especially aware of the importance of the press -- the 4th Estate -- to our system of government. When all else fails, we are supposed to have a free and independent press to tell us the stories that are being hidden by the powers-that-be. Santa Barbara now has only one such newspaper, the Independent, and it is a weekly. (I was horrified to discover that even the Valley Voice is owned by Wendy McCaw and run by Travis Armstrong.) It's a scary world in which all viewpoints can't be published and read.

Sarah Blackmun
July 13, 2006 at 8:36 p.m.

"Let them eat beans"
--Marie McCaw

PAN
July 13, 2006 at 9:04 p.m.

If all this news makes you want to work at the SB-NP, good news! They're hiring!!

http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listin...

It's hilarious that this want-ad went up on the same day at the "Note to Readers" and the "Why I quit the NP."

Jesse Fruhwirth
July 13, 2006 at 9:06 p.m.

As one of the 800 arrested in Sproul Hall in 1964, I am acutely aware of the way news stories can be manipulated (the fundamental issue was registering Blacks in Oakland, at least from my perspective. Only Newseek ran a balanced account that corresponded to my personal experience)

I am stunned and disgusted at Armstrong/McCaws' misrepresentation of events and motivations at the News-Press, and the lack of journalistic ethics in not separating news from editorial opinion. I will be searching for my local news elsewhere.... and I'll see you all on the 18th.

Chuck Keyser
July 13, 2006 at 10 p.m.

Dear Folks,
A career in journalism sounds exciting to many, but the reality is far different. The hours are long (I often worked from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. some days), the pay horrible (after 12 years, I was making a salary of $35,000-- how can anyone live in Santa Barbara County on that?) and the pressure immense.

Pressure to slant coverage by deciding what to cover and what to ignore can come from the publisher, advertisers and even internal ad sales representatives. While often these views concide with what should be covered anyway--Fiesta is one example--a strong editor knows when to fight. Jerry Roberts was a strong editor who will be missed.

I applaud Jerry Roberts, Scott Hadley and the other members of the "Santa Barbara Seven" for sticking to their ethics. I applaud them not for saying, but doing, what is right and proper.

I also commend those editorial staffers who stay on, knowing full well that every story is being scrutinized for perceived bias. As was so aptly but, these people have mortgages to pay and families to feed.
David B. Reynolds,
former community journalist

David Reynolds
July 13, 2006 at 10:09 p.m.

Finally, everyone else is finding out what I and many others in the scientific community have known for years: the SBNP has blatantly ignored our efforts to inform and educate the public about any topic or issue contrary to McCaw's agendas. Letters to the editor and scientific information all have been ignored. Experts in their field and our elected officials have been asassinated on the opinion pages. And the public that relies on this publication for its news and information has been duped into reading only one side of the story. I applaud those staffers who quit to stand up for their ethics. At least they have some. That's more than I can say about McCaw.

Robin
July 13, 2006 at 10:17 p.m.

I thought the public should be reminded of this interesting item featuring "Nipper" during his Fiance-hunt. It is copied, without permission, from Santa Barbara Magazine. Thus:

Arthur von Wiesenberger, 49
Profession: Author, Bottled Water Consultant, Co-Host of KEYT Radio show, "Around the World with Arthur and Barney."
Education: Brooks Institute of Photography
Hangout: Bora Bora

von Wiesenberger, better known as Nipper, walked into our photoshoot at Lucky's wearing a tux. All the other men were in suits and they stood aside as he moved past them. "He radiates an energy force that's so palpable, he almost glows," recalls one of the other men. "The guy has class. Nobody can touch Nipper."

He spent his formative years in Europe and arrived in Santa Barbara almost 30 years ago. "As a teenager in swinging London, I always fantasized about California girls. But the dating scene was very different when I arrived here in the 70's." Single again after a 13-year marriage, he finds "women today are bolder and smarter now, but I'm not sure the same femininity is still there."

One of the most effective tactics women can use to engage a man's attention "is her eyes," says von Wiesenberger. "If a woman looks at you the right way, it does more than just about anything. I also find it very seductive when a woman plays with her hair. It's great code. One thing she shouldn't do is come out of the gate asking what you do. Then it's a business conversation.

Clothes tell a man a lot about a woman; "She can come off as discreet and subdued, or wild and available. The right attire says it all. Good perfume can make all the difference."

Women looking to meet men can make it happen "if you relax and pace yourself." He recommends learning a male-oriented sport like golf or scuba diving. "When you find someone, don't try to rush things. Nothing makes a relationship more exciting than moving slowly, developing it over time, and not basing it on a home run, so to speak. It's a dance, a very fine line of finessing. When you get comfortable in a relationship, the dance changes but it doesn't end."

So that's what men want: Genuine compassion, good perfume and a good listener. "I'm at a point in my life where I want a companion, someone to share ideas, someone I can trust," says the local film executive, who once dated starlets. "Women may not realize it, but they have the upper hand now. The tide has turned in their favor. There aren't as many single women as there used to be, and a lot of the single men I know don't want to be bachelors anymore. They're not all looking for pretty women in their 20's either. Those women are looking for men their own age, and they lack the wisdom and experience that makes for a good partnership. Single women in their 30s, 40's, even 50's and 60's have never had it so good."

ThDirtDigger
July 13, 2006 at 10:25 p.m.

Wow, this is a wrenching article to read. It's heartbreaking to see any institution crumbling like this, let alone a cornerstone of democracy. I went back and looked at the first blog post where I criticized Travis' approach...

http://sbdems.blogspot.com/2003_12_01_sb...

It wasn't ever that I or anyone I was working with on the SBDems blog disagreed with him. Obviously disagreements are a part of public life. What motivated me to fight for change and spend so much time "obsessing" (Travis's word when I finally had attacked him long enough for him to return fire - of course, right before Jen and I moved away) was not just the approach he used or the nastiness and the vitriol. The big problem was the shoddy inconsistency of his thinking and the inability to think clearly about the ramifications of his words. Now it's clear he has the same deficiency when it comes to his actions.

We tried to take the high road on the sbdems weblog. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe we should've gotten personal and ugly and made a bigger stink and it wouldn't have ended this way, somehow. Or maybe a softer touch would've worked, I don't know.

To echo Daryl Kelly's comments (hi Daryl!) - major, major respect to all those who have stood up and left. I'm sorry we in the community couldn't have helped avert this disaster but I'm inspired by your courage.

The Travis and Wendy show reminds me of this smackdown that Juan Cole put on Jonah Goldberg towards the beginning of the latest war...

"But Goldberg is just a dime a dozen pundit. Cranky rich people hire sharp-tongued and relatively uninformed young people all the time and put them on the mass media to badmouth the poor, spread bigotry, exalt mindless militarism, promote anti-intellectualism, and ensure generally that rightwing views come to predominate even among people who are harmed by such policies."

Rob Lowe and Wendy McCaw are living, breathing examples of the tragedy of an economic and political system that allows the unchecked accumulation of wealth and power. What a depressing scene. Best of luck to all of you still there in digging out.

Dan Ancona
July 13, 2006 at 10:31 p.m.

Yes, Barney you have been truly the S.B. Newspress' backbone. You have made me mad also, made me laugh but I always read your column. I know that you had some real good years at the Newspress and I know that if it weren't for the Newspress you would have never met your beloved Sue. She is a gem and I know that because of the position you were in you met my best friend. The hell with all that has happened these last few months, it's the good memories from the S.B. NewsPress that will always be yours. So, congratulations about being Fiesta's Grand Marshall and I hope you will find that "best taco ever". Love ya JoAnn Schwendtner

JoAnn Schwendtner
July 13, 2006 at 10:48 p.m.

Well, Barney, I had the best time being the News-Press "waterfront" reporter whose desk was next to yours in the newsroom from 1981-1986, what wild & great years of news reporting where we were all writing anything and everything about the local scene. Knowing you, I realize it had to take ALOT to get you to leave; I am trying my hardest to imagine you mad enough to clear out your desk in the way you did, because you are the un-maddest guy in the world. And I know it was hugely difficult for you to write this farewell piece - it is ALWAYS difficult to stand up for one's convictions - all freedom fighters have had their heads on the block at one time or another, there is no other way to be a freedom fighter. So, in this strange and odd way, you have written your most powerful piece yet, and many of us are elated that we'll get to keep reading you. Your career, rather than being at the end, I think is just beginning. Love, Hillary

Hillary Hauser
July 14, 2006 at 7:12 a.m.

The Ballad of Yoko Von Weisenberger and Wendy
One of the saddest days of my life occurred when I learned my favorite local writer was leaving his position at the News Press, essentially forced out by circumstances that have left me confused, curled up in the proverbial fetal position, sucking my thumb and rocking back and forth. Every Friday I would wake up with the excitement of a young child anticipating Christmas morning in the form of the delivery of the News Press, and in particular, the Scene section of the new Press. I would race to down the hallway, dart through the front door and out on to the driveway in search of my beloved News Press. Looking left, and then right, checking the bushes, and under our vehicles, my eyes would eventually seize upon the object of my search. Once in my hands, I would rip and tear open the dolphin-choking, plastic news paper condom the billion-heiress insists on packaging her publication in, (rain or shine), in search of my weekly fix.
There, close to the final pages of the beloved Scene section of the Friday edition, I would find the latest restaurant critique artfully prepared by that literary giant and renowned bottled water expert, Arthur Von Weisenberger. Having read each and every restaurant review King Arthur has penned, I had become addicted to his unusual gift at taking something as mundane as say a pinto bean, and literally bringing it to life. It’s true! In a recent review of a favorite local Mexican eatery, Arturo’s insightful description of the popular legume left me stunned and confused the entire day. “I found the pinto beans tedious…” Yes, pinto bean and tedium expressed in the same sentence. I’ve actually made an effort throughout my life to pay special attention to comments related to legumes in general, and have had a particular penchant for the pinto bean, going back to my very first memory of Thanksgiving Litzer home. Being as my family had long ceased the barbaric and primitive ritual of sacrificing the endangered wild turkey as the focus of the hearty, late November feast, the pinto bean had become, well…, it had become part of our family so to speak.
Much to my shock and dismay, as the smoke from the most recent “different direction” News Press euphemism settled, I began to realize why Arthur was forced into servitude as co-publisher of the News Press. He wasn’t tapped for the position because of the incredible writing skills he displayed while reaping the many benefits of the cushy food critic job he managed to secure as a result of his relationship with the boss. Apparently, word of his award winning investigative piece about the use of what had been represented by the school administration as “meat substitute” in the sloppy Joe’s served at his high school cafeteria, resulted in his immediate jettison to the position of co-publisher at our local daily. Having recognized the breadth of his vast experience in the newspaper business, albeit exclusively limited to his year as editor of his high school weekly publication, Arthur bypassed the usual lengthy and arduous process involved in reaching such a lofty position. Now there, he seems to have succeeded in bringing to the News Press the same joy and camaraderie Yoko Ono brought to the Fab Four. As Yoko seemed to have brought out the best in her beloved John, Wendy and Arthur have seemed to have brought out the best in hatchet boy Travis Armstrong.
Pugh Litzer

pugh litzer
July 14, 2006 at 8:29 a.m.

Great article in LA Times today:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-...

Richard
July 14, 2006 at 9:18 a.m.

It wasn't just Wendy's letter that pushed me over the edge to cancel our subscription. It was the Letters to the Editor . .the place where everyones' views are heard. Funny no one was angry with the NP over the Editors leaving. WHAT WORLD ARE THEY REPORTING ON? Their own, obviously . .or their skewed view of things. How can I trust anything else they publish if they are lying about something that is so transparent? To restate someone else's post . how stupid do they think the people of Santa Barbara are? Great idea about boycotting the advertisers . Haywards, Home Improvement, LaSumida .... someone get a petition going, PLEASE! See you Tuesday .. I have alerted Keith Olberman and nominated Wendy as the 'worst person in the world. I would love to see more national coverage of this!

LindaB
July 14, 2006 at 9:22 a.m.

An open letter to MsMrsMiss. McCaw:

I can't believe the Newspress. There many points of entry that could serve as basis for a dissent, and here are a few: It printed your vacuous note yesterday, July 13, 2006, as well as an anti Barney Brantingham letter. The day after, more letters applauding the paper ran. Yet, the Newspress did not print even one of what I'm willing to bet were hundreds of letters like this one sent by readers fed up with the management's lack of thoughtfulness, journalistic professionalism, integrity, caring, couth, class...I could go on. You’ve gone much too far in many ways.

The letters of support for the paper could be taken seriously if you had also published other opinions – not just your own. A journalist - heck, even your average self-respecting adult – seeks fairness and truth, MsMissMrs. McCaw. But journalists have a special relationship to these virtues because of the role information plays in a free society. I don’t think you understand this. The day after you and the yes-men you've chosen to surround yourself with destroyed the Newspress's credibility, its opinion page exclusively ran letters on the topic of global warming. Isn't that a pet issue of yours? The biggest story in town was about the Newspress, yet that paper killed the story as it happened.

You and Mis-managing Editor Travis Armstrong must have thought your notes to readers would suffice, but what you believe does not become truth by virtue of its publication. The truth - your absolute incompetence as news people - in this case is as plain as your big blonde mane, another pet issue that the Newspress takes more seriously than its own demise.

Your revision of this truth cast no veil over the new management's lack of skill as thinkers, writers, journalists, and publishers. Instead, your transparent hogwash cast an even brighter light on the truth - that the content of the Newspress now runs through the filter of a woman whose greatest accomplishment in life thus far has been getting divorced and who is clearly out of touch with people who understand what it takes to do good work in society. This leads me to my real concern:

I'm friends with people who work at the Newspress - hard working people who put in an honest day just to get by. Often, this day extends well past the 8 hour working day. For months, these friends have smelled the souring of the Newspress management and the sewage spilling from the owner and onto her spineless cast of lapdogs. My friends have feared for their jobs. With the respected and qualified editors - who wouldn't satisfy the rambling desires of ignorant hacks who fancy themselves journalists and publishers - pressured out of their jobs, the staff's stress has multiplied 100 fold. And how do these hacks react? By promoting more lapdogs to posts with authority and lying, boldfaced, to the public about the whole story.

This is not just about news, MrsMlleSrta. McCaw. Peoples’ livelihood also hangs in the heavily tilted balance of your buffoonery.

MrSraMiss. McCaw, you have every right to do as you please with the Newspress, that includes ruining it. You have every right to lie about why you do what you do. But you have no right to be respected. After the lies, the total disregard for process or debate, the bullyboy yes-men running turds on the front page of a real paper and calling it news, and the complete disregard for the skilled, educated, intelligent and hardworking people who generously lend you their talent - after all that, I for one have exactly zero respect for you. I suppose you do have the right to spit out peoples' lives like MrSr.Von Wiesenberger spits out fine wine at a tasting. But the public has a right to call you on it in complete disgust. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Justin Dullum
July 14, 2006 at 9:51 a.m.

I have not been a big fan of the NewsPress in the past 11 years I’ve been here as I know from personal experience they have always suppressed news stories. However, I did always turn to Barney’s column as he is a real highlight to the day. His changing to the Independent is not only a smack in the face to that overpriced, worthless paper but to Wendy McCaw and her elitist, new money antics like attempting to privatize the beach we all should be allowed to enjoy. I’m glad people were courageous enough to stand up to her and her quisling. Money shouldn’t be able to buy everything.

M Knop
July 14, 2006 at 9:59 a.m.

Dear Travis-ty:
I hope you have a life contract with Ms. McCaw because after reading what Lou Cannon and others have written, there isn't a reputable news organization that would hire you to deliver papers.

LindaS
July 14, 2006 at 10:08 a.m.

Finally someone is telling the community what is really going on! Thanks to the Indepenent. McCaw has been supressing news and micromanaging the NP since the beginning.

We knew first hand that it was only a matter of time before it reached this point. McCaw and her hubby need to get the hell out of the newspaper business and stick to giving tours of their historical NP building and consider running a daily soap opera.

McCaw is a disgrace to the newspaper industry!
The community of SB deserves to hear the news as it unfolds. McCaw has no right to determine what news the community should hear or when it should hear it.

This is censorship at its worse! A gastapo approach! Get out of town McCaw and sell that paper to someone who will give the community what it deserves. Real news!

ERC
July 14, 2006 at 10:26 a.m.

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!

Ima Nobody
July 14, 2006 at 11:15 a.m.

What absolutely amazes me is that Wendy & Thugs Inc. seem to think that the people of Santa Barbara are clueless or just plain stupid. As I take that as a personal insult I cancelled our subscription this morning. I'm glad I'll still get my Barney fix, thanks Independent.

Suzen
July 14, 2006 at 11:49 a.m.

I'm pretty sure Wendy will eventually do a bunch of mea culpas, fire Travis, and hire back Jerry Roberts, who will get an ironclad contract and a nice raise. Maybe all 8 will get treated like that. What's to lose? Billionaires have infinite ability to cut and run.

IslaVistan
July 14, 2006 at 12:44 p.m.

Is it true that De La Guerra Plazza is to be renamed Pyongyang Square? For I have heard that working at NP is Paradise. And, hey - dont look up at the bell tower, folks; Travis-ty is trying out his new camera.

FreeloaderWatcher
July 14, 2006 at 12:50 p.m.

I, too, admire the editors and reporters who are staying true to their journalistic ethics. It can be a hard choice to make when faced with the "What do I do for a living now" question. I sincerely hope that all of you are in negotiatons for other genuinely good possibilities.

As for Travis and the new editors--remember me, Charles?--just a bit of adviceP: watch your own backs. You have a job now. You'll have a job as long as this crisis continues and probably for some time after that (assuming the paper isn't killed). But it will come to a nasty end for you too. Don't think that your loyalty to the owner will give you any future credit. It won't. And very few people here will mourn your loss.

Lauren Roberts
July 14, 2006 at 1:23 p.m.

Good accounting of a desperate situation, Mr. B. My sister's a journalist and I'm a former Santa Barbaran, so your truth was especially meaningful. Ms. McCaw needs to get a clue, methinks.

Mike Austin
July 14, 2006 at 2:08 p.m.

Yep, I also heard from Reliable Sources that Vanity Fair will make a story of this.

Vanity Faire
July 14, 2006 at 3:11 p.m.

All or any of the local papers should have a larger Comic Section. That's about all that's interesting.

Hans Off
July 14, 2006 at 3:52 p.m.

Edhat has the scoop on today's rally, with photos:
http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=...

Hattie
July 14, 2006 at 4:38 p.m.

KCSB-FM is streaming the audio from today's (July 14th) rally on their website, including the speeches and some interviews.

http://www.kcsb.org

iTunes or WinAmp recommended.

BD Brown
July 14, 2006 at 6:27 p.m.

Travis told the AP he watched the protest from his office. He blamed the protest on the paper's "enemies" including "developers and politicians"

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercuryne...

Richard
July 14, 2006 at 7:19 p.m.

The AP story about the protest and Travis:

Fri, Jul. 14, 2006

Santa Barbara newspaper staff, supporters rally over resignations
JEFF WILSON
Associated Press

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Dressed in black and their mouths taped shut, reporters and staff of the Santa Barbara News-Press staged a boisterous Friday protest over a recent wave of resignations at the newspaper.

A crowd of more than 300 supporters roared with applause and shouts when about 25 News-Press employees emerged from the 151-year-old newspaper's Spanish-style landmark building and walked to a microphone in an adjacent park.

The protest was the latest public display of newsroom tension that began when staff accused the daily's owner of meddling in coverage. Nine employees have resigned - copy editor Colin Powers quit Friday, joining six top editors and two writers who left earlier in the two-week-old dispute.

Newspaper staffers have been ordered not to speak about internal operations, reporter Melinda Burns said, adding they were threatened with being fired if they did.

"We are very sorry we can't speak, but thank you for coming," Burns said, stepping away from the microphone as members of the group put duct tape over their mouths.

"What happened to freedom of the press? Behind me are reporters with gags over their mouths," said a tearful Barney Brantingham, a long time News-Press columnist who resigned last week.

Many in the crowd hoisted signs reading "Free the News," "No More News Suppress" and "Stop the Travesty," the latter a reference to interim publisher Travis Armstrong.

Armstrong said he watched from his office part of the protest, which he blamed partly on the paper's enemies, among them developers and politicians.

"I do recognize that some of the people who attended the rally had political axes to grind with the News-Press editorial page," said Armstrong, who was editorial page editor before being named interim publisher.

He said employees who protested would not be disciplined, adding he was disappointed by how the newspaper's order not to discuss internal operations had been portrayed.

"We do have personnel policies about talking to the media, just as other companies do," Armstrong said.

One of those who resigned, reporter Scott Hadly, said a list of demands was presented to management Thursday. He said employees want restoration of journalistic ethics, reinstatement of editors who were forced to resign, negotiation of a new contract and recognition of the Teamsters union as their exclusive bargaining unit.

Those who quit have said owner Wendy McCaw has interfered with their journalistic work.

They say that among other things she killed a story reporting on Armstrong's recent sentencing for drunken driving. The newspaper had previously reported on his arrest. They said she also reprimanded staffers for publishing the address where actor Rob Lowe plans to build a mansion.

In a note to readers published Thursday, McCaw said the resignations were prompted by her unwillingness to let editors and reporters "flavor the news with their personal opinions."

Armstrong said fewer than 2 percent of the News-Press' 41,000 subscribers have canceled the paper over the dispute, adding many who did "were people involved in different political groups."

Among those who canceled was Ronald Reagan biographer and former Washington Post reporter Lou Cannon. He wrote a scathing indictment of the News-Press that was published in a letter to the weekly Santa Barbara Independent.

"Eventually," Cannon wrote, "your owner might realize that she's unlikely to find a real newspaper person to run her paper until she decides to follow ethical journalist practices."

Richard
July 14, 2006 at 7:33 p.m.

What in the world is going on in Santa Barbara? Can someone tell me?

Vanessa Somerville
July 14, 2006 at 7:47 p.m.

One other thing. The day of the mass exodus, I tuned in KEYT Ch3 for the story. They had a feature along the line of how to comb your hair, Nat and international news, but NOT A WORD on the NP Massacre!

I remembered why I haven't watch local TV news for the past 10 years. Perhaps they managed to run the press conference....

R. Renfew
July 14, 2006 at 7:50 p.m.

KEYT did an excellent job covering the rally today.

The vid is on their website:

http://www.keyt.com/news/local/3353846.h...

Richard
July 14, 2006 at 8:11 p.m.

here's the Sound's take on it. with one pic at least

http://forum.santabarbarafree.com/2006/0...

flojo
July 14, 2006 at 8:11 p.m.

Read all about it on: laobserved.com and craigsmithsblog.com

TMS
July 14, 2006 at 8:35 p.m.

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.”

Tom Storke
July 14, 2006 at 9:09 p.m.

You've got to give Barney credit for doing an excellent job detailing this disaster at the NP.
But was this an epiphany?
Where was his backbone over the last five years, when he cozied up to Wendy and her henchmen? He and Nipper were like peas in a pod.
A lot of good folks were chewed up by this venal woman and her entourage with nary a word from BB.
I'm glad he wised up, but as was typical, he was a follower not a leader. Roberts, et al., and those who fell before them, are the real heroes.

ElephantMan
July 14, 2006 at 11:33 p.m.

Per the complaint above by Mr./Ms./Miss/Mrs. (just to be sure) Renfew, the coverage by KEYT that Thursday, Bloody Thursday, indeed was lacking substance for the 1.5 hours after the opening of the news show at 5pm that day. However, the opening of the news that day featured a long, blistering report by The Palm, in which he documented the ousting of the Newspress editors and Brantingham and included an interview with the Mayor. The strawberry on the frosting was the closing stand-up remarks by Palminteri, where he said that three Newspress staffers told him, under condition of confidentiality, that they could not say anything or be terminated from their jobs. Just that fact told the story there.

Then they lost the tape, and the long version of the story never played again. Their web site video file, which will expire into the ether in a couple of days as new videos rotate in, is the shorter version that played in the morning show:
http://www.keyt.com/news/local/3292631.h...

First District Streetfighter
July 14, 2006 at 11:59 p.m.

The News-Press actually reported on itself today, Saturday. It looks like a straight news story, although lite. Molina today also has an article about the police union negotiations, or lack thereof.

Now, of course, readers may wonder what may have got left out of the articles, either out of inexperience or by design. Notice the obscure comment by one of the speakers is not so obscure about urging people not to cancel newspaper subscriptions.

Full text of the articles is below, perhaps out of concern this text at the web site will be changed later.

The author so far has written only four other News-Press pieces that appear just to be long versions of a calendar listing. She has been a reporter for SB City College Channels newspaper for nine months. Will Bethany Hopkins also cover the much larger rally on Tuesday?

Considering the statement from simultaneous Publisher and Editor Travis Armstrong noted in the article, this article indeed seems NOT to have been subject to meddling, because that statement by Armstrong shows the how delusional and a bit tetched from reality he is, trying to make that newspaper out as the victim.

----------------
News-Press employees, past and present, protest changes
BETHANY HOPKINS, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
July 15, 2006 12:00 AM

More than 20 Santa Barbara News-Press employees held a news conference Friday where former colleagues spoke about recent losses among the reporting and editing ranks and the formation of a union.

At 12:20 p.m. the employees, most dressed in black, gathered at De la Guerra Plaza, where Senior Writer Melinda Burns addressed more than 200 spectators and media representatives.

"We are united and working together to make the News-Press a better paper," she said.

"We can't speak today," she added, the crowd booing as she explained that they were now forbidden to talk to the media about internal affairs of the News-Press. "But we want to thank you for coming."

The newsroom employees then placed pieces of duct tape over their mouths.

The news conference was called in response to recent changes at the paper. In the past two weeks, nine newsroom employees have announced their resignations, including Editor Jerry Roberts, Managing Editor George Foulsham, Deputy Managing Editor Don Murphy, Metro Editor Jane Hulse, Business Editor Michael Todd, Sports Editor Gerry Spratt and longtime columnist Barney Brantingham.

On Thursday, Senior Writer Scott Hadly resigned. Presentation Editor Colin Powers left the following day.

Former employees said their resignations were in protest to what they saw as editorial interference in news stories.

A July 13 note to readers from owner Wendy McCaw said that some newsroom employees left because they were no longer able to "flavor the news with their personal opinions."

Speaking on behalf of his former colleagues, Mr. Hadly said Friday that a majority of the editorial staff had committed to forming a union and had given a list of four demands to Acting Publisher Travis Armstrong: maintaining a clear separation between opinion and news, inviting the editors who resigned to return to their jobs, negotiating a contract with the employees and recognizing the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters as their bargaining representative.

Mr. Brantingham then took the microphone.

"I can't speak because I have tears," he said, confirming to the crowd that he was wearing a News-Press hat. "I love that paper. This hurts me so much."

Mr. Brantingham said he is a columnist at the Santa Barbara Independent now, but added that he still wants to see someone calm the waters at the News-Press.

"What they need is community support -- that means you," he said. Mr. Brantingham then invited others to come up and speak.

Community activist Mickey Flacks told the crowd that Santa Barbara County Action Network will sponsor a town hall meeting regarding the paper on Wednesday. She also discouraged readers from canceling their subscriptions, saying that it wasn't necessarily the best strategy.

Another speaker announced that a rally would be held at noon Tuesday in the plaza, with the theme "restoring the wall between opinion and the news."

Second District Supervisor Susan Rose shook each employee's hand, saying she was proud of them all.

Bud Laurent called the recent events at the paper "an American tragedy" and led the crowd in a chant of "Shame!"

About 20 minutes after the event began, Mr. Brantingham said the staff had to go back to work. "Let's give them a round of applause."

Mr. Armstrong, the target of a chant of "Armstrong resign," said in a written statement that the rally "indicates how much Santa Barbara cares about the News-Press."

"It's unfortunate that some of the leaders behind the rally are politicians trying to silence an independent media voice because the paper has worked to hold them accountable," Mr. Armstrong said. "Others are high-density development interests criticized by our editorial pages on environmental grounds. They've latched onto the resignations as part of a political power play to chill dissent from a locally owned newspaper."

Mr. Armstrong is on leave from his role of editorial page editor while serving as acting publisher on a temporary basis.

One woman in the plaza said the news conference was an important community event.

"I want journalistic integrity in the newspaper," said longtime local resident Patti Thurston, who heard about the gathering on National Public Radio and came out of curiosity.

"If the owner and present editors have something to say, I want to hear that also," she said.

e-mail: bhopkins@newspress.com
-----

First District Streetfighter
July 15, 2006 at 1:40 a.m.

I got intrigued by Barney's comment that the News-Press is not 151 years old... so I dusted off TM Storke's `California Editor' to trace its history....

Storke bought the Daily News in March, 1913; the Morning Press in September, 1932. The two papers were published separately after 1932 on all days but Sunday; the Sunday edition (presumably starting in 1932) was called the News-Press. Starting in 1938, the two were merged into one paper published all 7 days, the `News-Press'.

Barney's 1901 date must come from Storke's earlier purchase of the (then) Santa Barbara Independent, which he purchased in December of 1900 and published his first edition on January 2, 1901. But he sold this paper in 1909 or 1910, mistakenly, Storke said, to someone who was secretly doing the bidding of the local gas (natural gas I guess) monopoly. Storke then moved to Bakersfield.

The News-Press dates at earliest from 1932, so has been under this name at most 73 years. But the Daily News or the Morning Press might have been founded in 1855.

Skimming `California Editor' here are some nice quotes: (pp. 84-85) when Storke was working as a cub reporter for the Morning Press... it was maybe 1899 and he was 22 or so...

`The paper I was working for, the Morning Press, controlled circulation, news, advertising, and prestige. We published seven days a week. The Press was owned by a small group of bankers and others with allied interests, including public utilities. Not one was a professional newspaperman; not one appreciated, or even recognized, the basic responsibility which I believed a newspaper owed its readers and its community. Their only reason for ownership of a newspaper was for the protection and advancement it could give their own selfish interests. The public weal was of little if any concern to these men, especially if it happened to conflict with their personal interests.

I hasten to add that these men were fine gentleman, of high standing in Santa Barbara. I was proud to call any one of them my friend. But I felt then--as I feel today--that the interests of the people must come before those of the publisher and his newspaper. To me it is a fact that if the public benefits, so does the newspaper.

It was at this early stage of my newspaper career that I was fast becoming conscious of the obligations of an editor and publisher to the people served by his newspaper. I felt the power of the press was being abused in Santa Barbara.

What could I do about it?

The only answer, of course, was that I had either to own or control a newspaper of my own. But such a dream, in a small town already over-crowded with daily newspapers, was fantastic for a $12-a-week cub reporter even to think about.

Just the same, I did think about it. At age 22, I set myself a goal and started working toward it: a paper of my own, free of the control of the monopolistic interests which ruled Santa Barbara's destiny.

Then on page 340, his guiding policy for the nw News-Press formed by merger in 1938:

1. Keep the news clean and fair.
2. Play no favorites, never mix business and editorial policy.
3. Do not let the news columns reflect editorial comment.