Santa Barbara News-Press controversy

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Supporters of the newsroom staff, here Cedric Robinson, a UCSB political science professor, have spoken at public rallies.

The Santa Barbara News-Press Controversy refers to a series of events starting in 2000 after billionaire divorcee Wendy P. McCaw purchased the Santa Barbara News-Press. McCaw felt that as owner of the News-Press she had authority to choose its content, while the news editors and reporters felt her intervention unduly compromised the neutrality and credibility of the paper. The tensions between McCaw and the newsroom came to a head on July 6, 2006 when five editors and a long-time columnist abruptly resigned. The controversy has continued to the present, without resolution, and has illuminated issues of individual ownership of news outlets by the wealthy but inexperienced, the role of daily newspapers in contemporary communities, the modern role of unions, and the limits of corporate legal restrictions on reporters, employees, competing news outlets, and community members.

The July 6, 2006 incident

A number of minor disputes between McCaw and the News-Press newsroom pre-date the July 6, 2006 incident. In five years after McCaw purchased the paper in 2000, five publishers and several editors resigned or were fired. Newsroom staff felt that from the beginning of her ownership, she unduly influenced reporting of the news, while she felt she had authority as owner of the paper to decide on its content. Publisher and McCaw attorney Joe Cole, viewed by many as a moderating influence, resigned in late April, 2006.[1] Then, on July 6, 2006, the long-running squabble erupted with the simultaneous resignation of five editors and a long-time columnist, bringing international news coverage.[2]

When the Editor, Jerry Roberts, columnist Barney Brantingham, who had been with the paper for 46 years, and four other editors (Managing Editor George Foulsham, Deputy Managing Editor Don Murphy, Business Editor Michael Todd, and Metro Editor Jane Hulse) resigned from the paper, they blamed McCaw's editorial interference with news reporting. Roberts was escorted out of the building by the then-acting publisher Travis K. Armstrong. [3] McCaw's perspective was that the editors had allowed an intolerable level of personal opinion and agendas to influence their editorial choices,[2][4] and that only management had the power to decide on content, as she detailed in a December 2006 memo.

The proximate cause of the controversy included McCaw's intervention to stop the reporting of a drunk driving conviction of Armstrong,[5] although Armstrong's arrest had been reported in the pages of the News-Press; she had also expressed displeasure that editors and reporters had published the address of an empty lot where actor Rob Lowe planned to build a 12,000 square-foot (1,100 m²) mansion.[6] Lowe's plans had been contested by neighbors and the issue had been the focus of a televised public hearing, where Lowe testified, of a local planning commission in Montecito. Newsroom employees regarded these interventions as only the latest in a long series that included McCaw's hiring of a publicist to plant articles derogatory toward her ex-boyfriend, and her requests to portray a local architect in a negative manner. McCaw initially hired former journalist Sam Singer to handle publicity caused by the erupting controversy. Singer was replaced in mid-July by Agnes Huff.

Pro-McCaw Staff

The majority of the News-Press staff, most of whom are not in the newsroom, have not been active in the controversy. Around 60 non-newsroom staff signed a full-page advertisement in the front section of the News-Press on February 14, 2007, in which they thanked Wendy McCaw and expressed their frustration with the anti-News-Press actions of ex-newsroom staff and others.[7]

This effort to demonstrate staff support for McCaw's decision to fight, among other things, the reporters' vote to unionize the newsroom, was viewed with great skepticism among the local media punditry and blogosphere. By this point in the controversy, it was well known that McCaw was unlikely to tolerate opposition support among her staff. And while there is no evidence the 60 signors were threatened or co-erced to sign the ad, being asked by management to participate put employees sympathetic to the unionized reporters in the uncomfortable position of either outing themselves to management or lying about their convictions to the public in a widely circulated newspaper.

A central personality in the travails of the News-Press has been Editorial Page Editor Travis K. Armstrong. Armstrong had previously written for the opinion page of the San Jose Mercury News, where he focused on law, education, Native American issues, and gay issues. He also briefly wrote editorials for The Monterey Herald in Monterey, California. Armstrong's News-Press pieces are strongly skeptical of local politicians and certain local groups, particularly those who advocate government-supported housing in Santa Barbara. He has written that a number of the targets of his criticism have treated him poorly.[8] Armstrong's critics claim his pieces are unnecessarily caustic and unsupported by facts, and as Editorial Page Editor Armstrong has consistently refused to print letters to the editor that are critical of the paper's position.

Associate Editor Scott Steepleton and Director of Human Resources Yolanda Apodaca have carried out McCaw's wishes through personnel evaluations, redistribution of beat assignments, and dismissal of workers.

The paper announced the hiring of controversial, conservative radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, a Montecito resident, to replace local columnist Brantingham in late July. Schlessinger went on a "sabbatical" in January, 2007, after writing her twice-weekly column for less than six months. Her column resumed on March 11, 2007. Many of her columns were supportive of management's position on the controversy and anti-union. Dr. Laura's column was suspended again on May 20, 2007, perhaps because of concerns about the content of her son's MySpace page, [9] but returned two weeks later on June 3, 2007.[10] The U.S. Military is investigating the MySpace webpage,[11] and some have suggested that the webpage was a forgery.[12]

The News-Press started blocking access from its internal computer system to certain websites in Spring, 2007.[13] The blocked websites include: Edhat, the Santa Barbara Independent , Craig Smith's Blog, the Santa Barbara Newsroom , Blogabarbara, Facebook, Youtube and Wikipedia.

Subsequent Separations

Approximately 70 News-Press staff, constituting about 1/3 of the total employee base of the paper, have resigned or been let go since the controversy erupted.

Three staff resigned within days of July 6, 2006: Sports Editor Gerry Spratt, Reporter Scott Hadly, and Presentation Editor Colin Powers. The latter two resigned in response to a letter from owner Wendy P. McCaw that accused news staff of improper behavior.[14]

The first nine resignees received an "Ethics in Journalism" award from the Society of Professional Journalists on August 11, 2006.[15] McCaw argued in a letter that the Society was being "used by this group to further their own political and personal agendas."[16] The nine resignees were awarded the Payne Individual Award for Ethics in Journalism in Spring, 2007.[17]

There have been three additional major waves of firings or resignations, as well as a slow attrition of employees. Six columnists who wrote about local communities or issues were let go in mid-August, 2006: Bill Etling (Santa Ynez), Stephen Murdoch (Montecito), Amy Orozco (Carpinteria), Rochelle Rose (Goleta), Helen Thomas (Santa Maria),[18] and local surfing columnist Michael Kew. Popular Life Section columnist Starshine Roshell had her column subsequently cancelled.[19] In September, mental health columnist Dr. Michael Seabaugh resigned, after the News-Press published an apology for his criticism of Dr. Laura Schlessinger.[20][21][22]

Six veteran news reporters (Melissa Evans, Dawn Hobbs, Rob Kuznia, Barney McManigal, Tom Schultz, and John Zant) were fired by the News-Press on Feb. 5-6, 2007. [23] [24][25][26] The reporters had displayed a large sign on a Santa Barbara overpass stating 'Cancel Your Newspaper Today' during morning rush hour on Feb. 2. [27] An attorney for the News-Press said display of this sign constituted behavior disloyal to the News-Press, and was sufficient grounds for dismissing the employees; a Teamsters attorney argued that the display of the sign was protected behavior under labor law. The News-Press unsuccessfully contested the awarding of unemployment benefits to Hobbs and McManigal.[citation needed] According to the Santa Maria Times, as of May 7, 2007, only one reporter covering local news – Nora K. Wallace – remains at the News-Press.

Seven staffers resigned in April and May, 2007 in response to the News-Press April, 22, 2007 article (see below) concerning pornography and former Editor Jerry Roberts.[citation needed]

The director and two editors of Blue Edge, a surfing magazine owned by Wendy McCaw, resigned on June 22, 2007.[28]

McCaw held that the editors and reporters who quit did not want "goals to improve the quality of the paper, to have accurate unbiased reporting, and more local stories that readers want to read." She said "they no longer would be permitted to flavor the news with their personal opinions."[29] Her co-publisher and fiance von Wiesenberger described the problems at the News-Press by making an analogy with a hamburger stand where the manager and workers (the editor and writers by analogy) employ graft to destroy the hamburger stand (the News-Press).[30]

The following separated from the newspaper from July, 2006 through June, 2007, after the initial nine who have received awards: Security Guard Mike Mantino, Page designer Lindsay Foster, Special Sections/Inserts Editor Ann Peyrat, Assistant Sports Editor Kim Burnell, Copy Desk Editors Paula Pisani, George Hutti, Amy Weinstein and Allan McCabe, Photo Editor Len Wood, Life Editor Andrea Huebner, Travel Editor and Column Illustrator Al Bonowitz, columnist and reporter Starshine Roshell, Advertising Staffer Melissa Olson, Website Staffer Dianne Elliott, Assistant City Editors Dale Myers and Bob Guiliano, Business Editor Edmond Jacoby, columnists Bill Etling, Stephen Murdoch, Amy Orozco, Rochelle Rose, Helen Thomas, Michael Kew, Dr. Michael Seabaugh, Martha Smilgis, Judy Foreman, and Buddy Winston, Chief Financial Officer Randy Alcorn, Executive Assistant for News Joy Wells, Accountant Toni McDonald, Systems Director Raul Gil, Director of Classified Advertising Sarah Sinclair, pressmen Ramon J. Lopez and Carl Batchelder, Graphic Designer Mary Koenig, Classified Advertising Assistant Nicholle Chaparro, Book Reviewers Lin Rolens, Susan Miles Gulbransen, and Fred Klein, as well as reporters Camilla Cohee, Josh Molina, Chuck Schultz, Shelly Leachman, Hildy Medina, Mike Traphagen, Colby Frazier, Leah Etling, Frank Nelson, Melinda Burns (winner of numerous journalism awards), Vladimir Kogan, Kim Pohas, Anna Davison, Dawn Hobbs (winner of numerous journalism awards), Rob Kuznia, Barney McManigal, Melissa Evans, Tom Schultz, John Zant (a 38-year News-Press veteran sportswriter), Steve Bonser, Leana Orsua, Dan Shiells, and Tom Jacobs.[31] [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]

Eight ex-News-Press reporters launched a web-based news source, Santa Barbara Newsroom, in early April, 2007. The site is sponsored by the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. On Friday, July 13, 2007, the staff of Santa Barbara Newsroom announced that they would cease reporting, citing a lack of funds.

Unionization

Remaining News-Press newsroom staff launched a unionization effort after the July 6 incident. Those in favor of unionization garnered a landslide victory in a vote conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, but the News-Press has tenaciously opposed their unionization with multiple appeals. In August, 2007, the NLRB certified the union as the exclusive bargaining representative of the news department employees.

The tactics of the newsroom staff included a pledge drive encouraging subscribers to cancel the paper if demands were not met by September 5, 2006, as detailed on their website. A branch of the Teamsters has filed grievances on behalf of the remaining staffers, which have been contested by the News-Press management.[44][45][46][47][48] On August 31, 2006 eleven of the remaining News-Press newsroom staff received two-day suspension notices from management for allegedly participating in improper union organizing activity; some have claimed, and two NLRB Administrative Law Judges have found, that the activity was protected by labor law, innocuous and consisted only of attempting to deliver a letter to McCaw during a break. The suspended staff were: Al Bonowitz, Melissa Evans, Kim Favors, Dawn Hobbs, Karna Hughes, George Hutti, Rob Kuznia, Barney McManigal, Lara Milton, and Tom Schultz; Mike Traphagen chose to resign earlier than announced rather than accept the suspension.[49] [50][51][52] The Sep. 5 deadline set by the employees passed, and the staff through their Teamsters representative Marty Keegan called for subscribers to cancel their subscriptions to the paper.[53][54][55][56][57] McCaw refused offers from local political leaders, religious leaders, and prominent journalists such as Sander Vanocur and Lou Cannon to help resolve the conflict.[58][59] A vote by newsroom staff on unionizing under the Teamsters took place on September 27, 2006.[60] The vote was 33 to 6 in favor of the union.[61]

The News-Press first questioned the validity of the election,[62] and then formally contested the validity of the election.[63] On October 30, 2006, the Teamsters filed an unfair-labor-practice charge over the Oct. 27 firing of veteran reporter and labor leader Melinda Burns.[64] On November 13, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decided to file a complaint charging the News-Press management with violations of the National Labor Relations Act. The causes for the complaint include the cancellation of Starshine Roshell's column and the two-day suspensions for improper labor organizing activity.[65] On December 7, 2006, the NLRB denied News-Press appeals concerning the newsroom staff behavior and vote to unionize.[66]On December 11, 2006, the NLRB dismissed one charge brought by the Teamsters against the News-Press, and the Teamsters themselves withdrew three charges.[67] On December 28, 2006, the NLRB filed a complaint concerning alleged News-Press retribution against employees who supported unionization[68].

The NLRB hearing to address the complaint by the News-Press concerning the September 27, 2006 election took place in Santa Barbara on Jan. 9-10, 2007.[69] Four specific points were raised by the News-Press: 1) that supervisors were involved in the election; 2) the Save the News-Press Website confused voters into believing the News-Press itself supported unionization; 3) an anonymous threat on blogabarbara intimidated voters into supporting unionization and 4) newsroom staff engaged in threatening behavior. Many of the principals in the News-Press controversy testified during the two-day hearing.[70] On March 12, 2007, the NLRB judge issued his decision in favor of the unionization vote on September 27.[71] In that ruling, eventually upheld by the NLRB in Washington, DC, the ALJ found the key witnesses for the News-Press, Travis Armstrong and Scott Steepleton, to be not credible witnesses, who "prevaricated", "embellished" and "exaggerated" their testimony in an unsuccessful effort to obtain their desired result.

A second NLRB hearing, focused on the propriety of the News-Press firing of reporter Melinda Burns and other issues, originally scheduled for Mar. 12, 2007 was delayed.[72] On March 13, 2007, the NLRB announced that the News-Press would be prosecuted over the firing of Burns, various other issues, and the firing of eight other reporters.[73] An NLRB attorney wrote that the General Counsel believed the News-Press had violated labor law in its firings of reporters. A News-Press attorney responded that “We’re watching the end of the industry. Journalists think they can write what they want when they want. I don’t know if that can survive in this age.”[74] Attorneys for the News-Press filed their "exceptions," a form of appeal, to the NLRB judge's rulings in early April, 2007.[75] The Teamsters filed their response in mid-April, 2007.[76]

A News-Press attorney and accountant entered a meeting between ex-News-Press staff, Teamster officials, and local business people on Valentine's day, 2007.[77] The purpose of the meeting was to encourage advertisers to withhold advertisements from the News-Press. The News-Press attorney accused the ex-News-Press staff of mendacity, then left when a Teamster attorney sought to negotiate. The Teamsters have filed a complaint with the NLRB over the incident, asserting that management may not force themselves into labor meetings without an invitation; the News-Press asserts that because the meeting was held in a public building, they were entitled to attend. The Teamsters had paid a fee to use the room where the meeting occurred.

The actions of the News-Press attorney and accountant were added as an unfair labor practice charge by the NLRB against the News-Press in early April, 2007. As of April 9, 2007, the NLRB has decided to bring 19 unfair labor practice charges against the News-Press.[78] A hearing on many of these charges is scheduled for August 14, 2007 in Santa Barbara.[79] In June, 2007, the NLRB announced that two charges against the News-Press, concerning statements made by their attorney and a restatement of their conflict-of-interest policy, had been dropped,[80] and that they would not require the immediate reinstatement of fired reporters to their jobs.[81]

The unfair labor practice hearing lasted 17 days in August and September, 2007, and in December, 2007, the ALJ ruled in favor of the General Counsel and against the News-Press on each of the charges brought against the newspaper, including nine discharges, the cancellation of Starshine Roshell's column, discriminatory evaluations of four reporters, interrogation, surveillance and a demand that employees remove "McCaw, Obey the Law" signs from their cars and buttons from their clothing. The ALJ again found both Steepleton -- who claimed responsibility for all 9 firings held to be unlawful -- and Armstrong to be not credible witnesses. The ALJ also found McCaw's testimony not credible. The News-Press maintained throughout the administrative hearing that the so-called "union campaign" had nothing to do with working conditions but was rather an attempt by a few disgruntled reporters to wrest editorial control of the paper from its management; that the actions of the paper and its owner were wholly within the law; and that the reporters' actions violated the First Amendment freedom of the press. The ALJ rejected all of those contentions. The News-Press did not invoke its First Amendment rights in firing any of the nine people who the ALJ found to have been unlawfully terminated. The News-Press has filed exceptions to the ALJ's ruling, which is pending before the NLRB in Washington.

On May 22, 2008, Federal Judge Stephen Wilson issued an Order which the newspaper has claimed vindicates the News-Press. The court refused to issue an injunction that would have provided for immediate enforcement of the ALJ's ruling against the News-Press, criticizing some of its reasoning as "clearly erroneous." (The ruling does not effect the NLRB's consideration of the ALJ's decision) The Judge found that a theme of the union campaign was to influence editorial control of the paper, and that the ALJ's recommended ruling posed a significant risk of violating the First Amendment rights of the paper. [82] It was the court's view that the First Amendment may license the newspaper's management to violate the NLRA in these circumstances. The NLRB has appealed that ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

After the newspaper failed to bargain in good faith for six months, the Teamsters began a campaign to handbill local business owners who advertise in the News-Press. The News-Press filed charges alleging an illegal secondary boycott and acts of intimidation and coercion against local business owners, which the General Counsel has referred to the NLRB's Office of Advice for consideration.[83] The only allegation of violence occurred when a Teamster representative was struck by an enraged customer who did not agree with the Teamsters' activities. The United States Supreme Court and the California Supreme Court have upheld handbilling of customers of businesses that do business with the employer involved in a labor dispute, citing constitutional concerns if such activity were to be regulated or restricted.

The News-Press has filed over 10 unfair labor practice charges against the union, all of which have been dismissed. Bargaining between the union and the News-Press began in November, 2007. The General Counsel of the NLRB has concluded after investigation that the News-Press has bargained in bad faith in violation of federal labor law, and has announced that he will prosecute the News-Press for that refusal to bargain in good faith, and for ceasing certain employment practices after the union won the election. Several other charges filed against the News-Press, including interference with the NLRB's investigative processes, are being investigated by the General Counsel's staff.

Lawsuits

McCaw's holding company, Ampersand, has filed a variety of lawsuits against former employees, competing media outlets, and journalists.

In August, 2006, Ampersand sued former editor Jerry Roberts for breach of contract and causing damage to the News-Press, and demanded $500,000 in damages.[84][85][86] Her company claimed that Roberts breached confidentiality concerning the suit, which is subject to arbitration, but Roberts claimed that it was an Ampersand attorney who gave the information to a News-Press reporter, and it leaked from there.[87] Only Roberts and not McCaw's companies are bound by confidentiality, according to McCaw's public relations representative.[88]

Roberts filed a counterclaim for $10,000,000, and Ampersand responded by upping their claim to $25,000,000.[89] Roberts accepted a position at UCSB as director of student publications, commencing February 20, 2007.[90] The News-Press published a front-page article in late April, 2007, suggesting that Roberts might be responsible for illegal child pornography found on the computer he used while he was the Editor of the News-Press. The pornography was found by a forensic disk-recovery firm, and local law enforcement found no grounds for prosecution of Roberts. Roberts vehemently denies any connection with the pornography (see below). [91] The proximate cause for the article was a lawsuit in which Ampersand sued the Santa Barbara Police Department for access to the disks containing the pornography. The Judge's ruling was against Ampersand, and the Judge cited, among other things, that Roberts had not been made aware of Ampersand's request under laws governing civil discovery.[92] The Judge did enjoin the Police Department from destroying the disk for 120 days. During oral argument, the Ampersand attorney stated that the disk was "our defense to emotional distress damages", referring to Roberts' counterclaim.[93]

Ampersand sued the Santa Barbara Independent in Federal Court for copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, participation in unfair business competition, and interfering with prospective economic advantage on October 26, 2006.[94] The Independent had for a few days posted a copy of a story written by then News-Press report Scott Hadly about the tumultuous July 6, 2006 events. The News-Press chose not to publish the story, and a copy was leaked to the Independent, which did not publish the story in their print edition, but did post the story on their web site. After the story was posted for a few days, Ampersand requested that the Independent remove the story, and the Independent complied. The October 26 suit concerns the few days when the leaked story was posted, and also identifies a second unpublished News-Press story about Ampersand's suit against former Executive Editor Jerry Roberts, which Ampersand claims was leaked to the Independent. The Independent claimed they never possessed the second story.[95] The Independent filed its counterarguments with the court on December 11, 2006. [96]

Ampersand filed suit on December 12, 2006 against Chapman University Professor Susan Paterno, author of the article "Santa Barbara Smackdown" that appeared in the American Journalism Review.[97][98] The suit details 33 instances of alleged "false and misleading statements," in Paterno's article, claims that Paterno's "... article falsely states and implies that Ampersand is an unethical corporate entity engaged in unlawful conduct and that its product, the Santa Barbara News-Press, is a deficient product," and asserts that McCaw's involvement in the News-Press resulted from former editor Jerry Robert's incompetence. Alex Jones, director of the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard, commented about the suit: "It is outrageous. It is especially a betrayal of the principles that most journalists understand for a libel suit of this kind to be filed. It is apparently a grudge."[99] Attorneys for the American Journalism Review responded to the suit on December 27, 2006.[100] Paterno filed an anti-SLAPP suit against Ampersand on January 29, 2007.[101][102][103] On February 15, 2007, nearly all copies of the Chapman University student newspaper, the Panther, were stolen from campus racks. [104] That edition of the Panther contained an in-depth article on Susan Paterno's article on the News-Press and her legal travails. The first hearing on Paterno's anti-SLAPP suit occurred in mid-April, 2007, where the judge allowed limited discovery of evidence to go forward on 4 of the News-Press charges. T Paterno filed for a writ of mandamus to prevent discovery being pursued against her on the four remaining libel charges, and in June, 2008, the Court of Appeal in Santa Ana granted her the writ and ordered the News-Press' case against her dismissed. The News-Press now faces the prospect of paying Paterno's attorneys fees.

Legal Letters

A News-Press attorney sent a cease-and-desist order to Santa Barbara web newspaper Edhat on September 11, 2006, ordering Edhat to stop providing a hyperlink to the obituaries on the public, non-subscription portion of the News-Press website. Eventually the News-Press relented, as the obituaries are not on a subscription-only portion of their website.

McCaw's attorney sent a letter to 44 prominent attorneys in the Santa Barbara area on September 11, 2006, urging them not to provide legal support for former News-Press employees[citation needed]. On September 22, 2006, the 44 attorneys announced formation of the Lawyers Alliance for Free Speech Rights to help ensure equal access to justice for journalists who assert that their First Amendment rights are being infringed. The group includes former Superior Court judges, bar association leaders, a law school dean, law school professors, partners in major local law firms, a former District Attorney, and a former City Attorney. The group was criticized by the News-Press in a press release.[105] On December 5, 2006, McCaw's attorney followed up with a second letter urging attorneys not to support former News-Press employees.[106] On January 23, 2007, McCaw's attorney sent a third letter to attorneys in the Alliance.[107]

McCaw's attorney sent a letter to seven small businesses in Santa Barbara during the week of December 11, 2006, all of whom had displayed a sign saying "McCaw Obey the Law." The letter threatened legal action for defamation, saying that the sign exposes McCaw to "hatred, contempt, and ridicule."[108] The ACLU of Southern California responded with a letter expressing the legal opinion that legal action against the small business owners would fail.[109]

A letter from McCaw's attorney was published in the Santa Barbara Independent on January 11, 2007, in which the controversy was framed as a battle between the Teamsters and the business owner, McCaw.[110] A claim was also made that McCaw had saved the News-Press from financial insolvency; this claim was contested in a subsequent letter by a former News-Press financial officer.[111]

April 22 article

On April 22, 2007, the News-Press published a front-page article stating that the Santa Barbara Police Department had viewed nearly 15,000 pornographic images on a company computer hard drive once used by former editor Jerry Roberts, some of which amounted to child pornography. Roberts, who staged a mid-day news conference to deny any connection to the images, described the article as "a smear" and noted that the News-Press published the piece without a byline and without seeking a comment from him. He also demanded an immediate retraction and said he may pursue "massive damages."[112] An editorial in the Santa Barbara Independent described the article as character assassination and bad journalism. According to the Independent, three other co-workers had used the hard drive before, none of whom were named in the article. [113]

The News-Press published a front-page clarification about the April 22 article on May 13, 2007.[114] Two rewordings urged by Jerry Roberts' attorneys were printed, along with the original statements from the April 22 article. The first concerned use of the computer by other News-Press editors: the April 22 article stated that computer systems director Raul Gil signed a declaration that the computer may have been used by other editors; the May 13 clarification prints the specific statement Gil made, which states that "by recollection, notes, and memory (Mr. Gil) concluded that the desktop computer had been previously used by at least two other editors at the News-Press and possibly an ex-business editor." The second clarification concerns Jerry Roberts' interaction with Santa Barbara Police: in the April 22 article, the News-Press reported that Roberts "refused" to be interviewed by police, while the May 13 clarification states that Roberts cooperated with the Santa Barbara Police through his wife and attorneys. Roberts' attorney deemed the clarification inadequate.[115]

Veteran journalist Lou Cannon wrote an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times on May 13, 2007 which lamented the treatment of Jerry Roberts and the controversy at the News-Press.[116] News-Press owner and publisher Wendy McCaw responded in her own paper on May 27, 2007 and in the Los Angeles Times on May 31, 2007, and accused Cannon of sloppy journalism as well as a lack of sensitivity toward victims of child pornography.[117] Cannon then responded to McCaw's response, and questioned the accuracy of a number of her claims.[118] Former News-Press editor Jerry Roberts responded in the Los Angeles Times as well, on June 5, 2007.[119] A subsequent public written exchange between McCaw and Cannon occurred in early July, 2007.[120]

Documentary

In 2008, filmmaker Sam Tyler released a documentary called "Citizen McCaw". The 85-minute documentary focuses on the News-Press Controversy and its premiere in Santa Barbara drew 2,200 viewers.[121] More showings are scheduled for October, 2008.

Circulation

The publishers report that circulation has increased during the commotion involving multiple resignations. Figures provided to prospective advertisors have indicated a decline in South Santa Barbara County subscriptions during 2006 from 31,000 in January to 27,000 in June.[citation needed] Total circulation figures dropped by approximately 2,000 readers, or about 5%, between Fall, 2005 and Fall, 2006.[122][123] Between Spring 2006 and Spring 2007, News-Press weekday circulation fell 9.5%, one of the biggest declines in the Southern California region.[124] Readership for the Santa Maria Times, the major daily newspaper of northern Santa Barbara County, increased by 6% during the same time period.[125]

Notes

  1. ^ Blogabarbara, April 28, 2006 (archived in WebCite on June 4, 2007)
  2. ^ a b American Journalism Review, December/January 2006, (archived in WebCite on June 4, 2007) Cite error: The named reference "AJR" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Los Angeles Times, Saturday, July 8, 2006 , [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/07/BAGFGJRBIK1.DTL S.F. Chronicle, July 7, 2006., [http://www.dailynexus.com/news/2006/11915.html UCSB Daily Nexus, July 12, 2006
  4. ^ [http://www.newspress.com/npsite/commentaries/wm_1.html McCaw Column, Santa Barbara News-Press, July 25, 2006
  5. ^ [http://www.independent.com/news/2006/jun/15/wrong-way-armstrong-sentenced/ Santa Barbara Independent, June 15, 2006
  6. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, June 22, 2006, p. A7 reported the address as 700 Picacho Lane, Montecito, California; the address is also available at the public Montecito Planning Commission website. (archived in WebCite on June 2, 2007).
  7. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, February 14, 2007, p. A5
  8. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, May 16, 2007, p. A10
  9. ^ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301798.html Washington Post, May 24, 2007, [http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5934072 Salt Lake City Tribune, May 23, 2007
  10. ^ Santa Barbara News Press, June 3, 2007, p. A2
  11. ^ TMZ.com, May 31, 2007 (archived in WebCite on June 3, 2007)
  12. ^ Citizen Journalism Today, May 25, 2007 (archived in WebCite on June 3, 2007)
  13. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Apr. 25, 2007
  14. ^ [http://www.independent.com/news/2006/jul/14/the-poodle-barks-again/ Santa Barbara Independent, July 14, 2006 ,[http://www.independent.com/news/2006/jul/20/barney-brantingham-new-digs/ Santa Barbara Independent, July 20, 2006 ,[http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/15031251.htm San Jose Mercury News, July 13, 2006
  15. ^ SPJ Press Release , [http://www.independent.com/news/2006/aug/29/standing-ovation-for-jerry-rob-1/ Santa Barbara Independent, August 29, 2006
  16. ^ [http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002986094 Editor and Publisher, August 14, 2006
  17. ^ Payne Award Website , Santa Barbara Independent, Apr. 24, 2007
  18. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Aug. 16, 2006
  19. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Aug. 18, 2006
  20. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Sep. 13, 2006
  21. ^ Healthspan Blog, Sep. 13, 2006
  22. ^ Editor and Publisher, Sep. 15, 2006
  23. ^ Santa Maria Times, Feb. 7, 2006
  24. ^ UCSB Daily Nexus, Feb. 7, 2006
  25. ^ Los Angeles Times, Feb. 7, 2007
  26. ^ Editor and Publisher, Feb. 6, 2007
  27. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Feb. 2, 2007
  28. ^ [http://www.webcitation.org/5Q2JtAy6I Santa Barbara Independent, June 28, 2007, (archived in Webcite on July 2, 2007
  29. ^ [http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060818005504&Lang=en Santa Barbara News-Press news release, August 18, 2006
  30. ^ [http://nippers.sbwh.com/topic.asp?whichpage=8&ARCHIVEVIEW=&TOPIC_ID=1224#6862 nippers.com Discussion Forum, September 8, 2006
  31. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Aug. 10, 2006
  32. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Sep. 5, 2006
  33. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Sep. 7, 2006
  34. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Sep. 13, 2006
  35. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press press release, Oct. 3, 2006 , Santa Maria Times, Oct. 4, 2006
  36. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Nov. 13, 2006
  37. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 8, 2007
  38. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, January 11, 2007
  39. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, January 15, 2007
  40. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, January 26, 2007
  41. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Feb. 5, 2007
  42. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Feb. 6, 2007
  43. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, May 3, 2007
  44. ^ Editor and Publisher, Aug. 15, 2006
  45. ^ [http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060815006108&newsLang=en Santa Barbara News-Press Press Release August 15, 2006
  46. ^ [http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2006/08/19/news/centralcoast/news05.txt Santa Maria Times, August 19, 2006
  47. ^ [http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/15336130.htm Contra Costa Times, August 22, 2006
  48. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press Press Release Aug. 30, 2006
  49. ^ [http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2006/09/02/news/centralcoast/news04.txt Santa Maria Times, September 2, 2006
  50. ^ [http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060905005962&newsLang=en Santa Barbara News-Press Press Release September 5, 2006
  51. ^ [http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003087399 Editor and Publisher, September 6, 2006
  52. ^ [http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/business/article/0,1375,VCS_128_5243104,00.html Ventura County Star, December 29, 2006
  53. ^ [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4338317185394328654 KSBY Broadcast, September 5, 2006
  54. ^ Santa Maria Times Sep. 6, 2006
  55. ^ KEYT, Sep. 5, 2006
  56. ^ San Jose Mercury News, Sep. 5, 2006
  57. ^ San Francisco Chronicle, Sep. 6, 2006
  58. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Sep. 5, 2006
  59. ^ Pacific Coast Business Times, Oct. 6, 2006
  60. ^ Editor and Publisher, Sep. 12, 2006
  61. ^ Editor and Publisher, Sep. 27, 2006 Daily Nexus, Sep. 28, 2006 Santa Maria Times, Sep. 28, 2006 Santa Barbara Independent, Sep. 27, 2006
  62. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press press release Sep. 27, 2006
  63. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press news release, October 3, 2006 Santa Maria Times, Oct. 4, 2006
  64. ^ Santa Maria Times, Oct. 30, 2006 , Pacific Coast Business Times, Nov. 3, 2006
  65. ^ Editor and Publisher, Nov. 14, 2006
  66. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Dec. 11, 2006 , Teamsters Press Release
  67. ^ Santa Maria Times, Dec. 12, 2006 , Santa Barbara News-Press Press Release, Dec. 11, 2006 , George Blog, Dec. 12, 2006
  68. ^ Santa Maria Times, Dec. 29, 2006 , Santa Barbara Independent, Dec. 29, 2006
  69. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 8, 2007
  70. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 9, 2007 , Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 9, 2007 , Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 10, 2007, Santa Maria Times, Jan. 11, 2007
  71. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Mar. 15, 2007 , Santa Maria Times, Mar. 13, 2007
  72. ^ Santa Maria Times, Mar. 8, 2007
  73. ^ Santa Maria Times, Mar. 14, 2007
  74. ^ New York Times, Mar. 19, 2007
  75. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Apr. 6, 2007
  76. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Apr. 27, 2007
  77. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Feb. 14, 2007
  78. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, April 9, 2007
  79. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, June 1, 2007 , [http://www.west.net/~smith/blog/index.shtml#nlrbprosecutes Craig Smith Blog, June 1, 2007 , Lompoc Record, June 3, 2007 (archived in WebCite June 3, 2007)
  80. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, June 9, 2007, Page A4.
  81. ^ [http://www.santabarbaranewsroom.com/news/opinion/commentary-news-press-goes-on-trial-in-august.html Santa Barbara Newsroom, June 19, 2007
  82. ^ Order Denying Petition, May 22, 2008, USDC Case No. CV 08-1551[1]]
  83. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, August 26, 2008, p. A10, "Teamsters' actions hurt local workers"; Santa Barbara News-Press, August 27, 2008, p. A1, "Targets of union boycott fight back"; September 11, 2008, p. A6, "Police called to scene of Teamsters action against News-Press advertiser"
  84. ^ Los Angeles Times, Aug. 25, 2006 , Editor and Publisher, Aug. 25, 2006
  85. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press Press Release, Aug. 25, 2006
  86. ^ Ventura County Star, Aug. 26, 2006
  87. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Aug. 31, 2006
  88. ^ Santa Maria Times, Sep. 1, 2006
  89. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 15, 2007
  90. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 25, 2007 , Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 26, 2007
  91. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, Apr. 22, 2007, page A1, Santa Maria Times, Apr. 23, 2007 , Santa Barbara Independent, Apr. 22, 2007 , Santa Barbara Independent, Apr. 22, 2007 , Daily Nexus, Apr. 23, 2007 , New York Times, Apr. 23, 2007 , San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 23, 2007 , Los Angeles Times, Apr. 23, 2007 , Editor and Publisher, Apr. 23, 2007
  92. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, May 1, 2007 , Santa Barbara Independent, May 1, 2007 , Tentative Ruling, California Superior Court Case #1243155
  93. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, May 2, 2007
  94. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press Press Release Oct. 26, 2006 , UCSB Daily Nexus, Oct. 27, 2006 , Editor and Publisher, Oct 27, 2006 , Santa Maria Times, Oct. 27, 2006 , Santa Barbara Independent, Oct. 27, 2006 , Santa Barbara Independent, Oct. 27, 2006 ,Craig Smith Blog, Oct. 27, 2006
  95. ^ American Journal Review, October/November, 2006
  96. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Dec. 12, 2006
  97. ^ Santa Barbara Daily Sound, Dec. 18, 2006 , San Luis Obispo Tribune, Dec. 19, 2006 , Editor and Publisher, Dec. 18, 2006 , Editor and Publisher, Dec. 19, 2006 ,Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19, 2006
  98. ^ American Journal Review, October/November, 2006
  99. ^ Editor and Publisher, Dec. 19, 2006
  100. ^ American Journalism Review, December/January, 2007
  101. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 30, 2007 , San Jose Mercury News, Jan. 30, 2007
  102. ^ The Panther, Chapman University, Feb. 12, 2007
  103. ^ OC Weekly, Feb. 15, 2007
  104. ^ Los Angeles Times, Feb. 16, 2007
  105. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press press release Sep. 22, 2006
  106. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Dec. 11, 2006
  107. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 25, 2007
  108. ^ KSBY, December 15, 2006 , Santa Barbara Daily Sound, Dec. 18, 2006 , Santa Barbara Independent, Dec. 18, 2006 , Santa Barbara Independent, Dec. 19, 2006
  109. ^ Editor and Publisher, Dec. 21, 2006 , Santa Barbara Independent, Dec. 21, 2006
  110. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 11.2007
  111. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Jan. 18, 2007
  112. ^ Santa Barbara Newsroom, Apr. 23, 2007
  113. ^ Santa Barbara Independent, Apr. 26, 2007
  114. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, May 13, 2007, p. A1
  115. ^ [http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2007/05/15/news/centralcoast/news07.txt Santa Maria Times, May 15, 2007
  116. ^ Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2007 (archived in WebCite on June 2, 2007)
  117. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, May 27, 2007, page G1, [http://www.independent.com/news/2007/may/28/inews-pressi-fires-lou-cannon/ Santa Barbara Independent, May 28, 2007 , Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2007 (Archived in WebCite on June 2, 2007)
  118. ^ [http://www.independent.com/news/2007/may/31/ka-blam-cannon-returns-fire-emsb-news-pressem/ Santa Barbara Independent, May 31, 2007
  119. ^ Los Angeles Times, June 5, 2007 (archived in WebCite on June 5, 2007)
  120. ^ Santa Barbara News-Press, July 3, 2007 (archived in Webcite on July 7, 2007)
  121. ^ A Fight for Journalism Values in California
  122. ^ Pacific Coast Business Times, Nov. 3, 2006
  123. ^ Sep. 30, 2006 ABC Circulation Study
  124. ^ Los Angeles Times, May 1, 2007, Santa Barbara Independent, May 1, 2007 , Editor and Publisher, May 1, 2007
  125. ^ Lompoc Record, Apr. 30, 2007

External links

  • [2] , youtube.com videoclips of community protests, including ex-news reporters' speeches at rallies, videotaped by former News-Press assistant city editor Bob Guiliano, aka BobbyLuigi.
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