Consider this headline from the Asbury Park Press an evergreen that can apply to any political contest:
We all do this, of course. Perhaps we shouldn’t. Perhaps headlines do the newspaper industry no favors at all.
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I received this press release from Dow Jones last night (saw it this morning):
Dow Jones & Company(NYSE:DJ) said that a director who is a representative of the Bancroft family, Michael B. Elefante, has informed the Dow Jones Board of Directors that:
“After a detailed review of the business of Dow Jones and the evolving competitive environment in which it operates, the Family has reached consensus that the mission of Dow Jones may be better accomplished in combination or collaboration with another organization, which may include News Corporation.”
Accordingly, the Family has advised the Company’s Board that it intends to meet with News Corporation to determine whether, in the context of the current or any modified News Corporation proposal, it will be possible to ensure the level of commitment to editorial independence, integrity and journalistic freedom that is the hallmark of Dow Jones.
“The Family also indicated its receptivity to other options that might achieve the same overarching objective.”
In that connection, Mr. Elefante informed the Board of Directors that representatives of the Bancroft family would be meeting with representatives of News Corporation, including Mr. Rupert Murdoch,solely to discuss the issues related to journalistic integrity raised by the News Corporation proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Dow Jones common stock and Class B common stock. Mr. Elefante advised the Board of Directors that there was no assurance the discussions would lead to a proposal satisfactory to the members of the Bancroft family. Mr. Elefante further indicated to the Board of Directors that all aspects of News Corporation’s proposal, including the price and the terms proposed by News Corporation, could be the subject of subsequent negotiation by the Board and the Bancroft family.
In light of this information, the Board of Directors has determined to consider strategic alternatives available to the Company, including the News Corporation proposal. The Board of Directors also indicated that are representative of the Board of Directors would be present at the Bancroft family’s discussions with Mr. Murdoch and News Corporation.There can be no assurance that any transaction or other corporate action will result from this exploration of alternatives or that the Board of Directors or the members of the Bancroft family will support any specific proposal received by the Company.
On a personal level, this makes me a bit nervous. As I’ve written here in the past, my wife works for Dow Jones, which means a large chunk of our livelihood — not to mention our retirement and health insurance — could be on the line if something goes down.
On a larger journalistic level, folding the Journal into a news media empire that relies on selling sensationalism and whose corporate management has never been afraid of directing coverage to favor its business interests cannot be good for the industry.
On a local level, there are concerns as well. Dow Jones is South Brunswick’s largest taxpayer, paying about two cents on the dollar (last I checked). hat might News Corp. — or some other entity — do with the Kilgore Center on Route 1? The printing plant makes it a valuable commodity, but there are no guarantees. Any significant change in use could reduce Dow Jones’ tax responsibilities, shifting them onto the rest of the township’s taxpayers — meaning we could see higher taxes here.
All in all, not the kind of news I wanted to wake up to this morning.
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Some news requires a tabloid approach. Today’s New York Post cover proves why. I mean, really, there are few of us in this business who wouldn’t, just once, like the opportunity to publish a cover like this.
I could care less about the story, but this graphic does put the whole thing into the correct perspective.
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The South Brunswick Post has won this year’s General Excellence Award from the New Jersey Press Association, naming it the top weekly paper in the state with a circulation of fewer than 4,500 readers.
Woo hoo!!
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As I get older, I’ve found myself growing more intolerant of intolerance. The differences in people are what make them unique and the choices they make are their own, so long as they don’t harm anyone else. That’s my basic philosophy of life, I guess.
That’s why the calls and notes I received following our publication of a story on a Monroe gay couple’s civil union ceremony so disconcerting. There were cancelations of the paper and some choice words offered — including one letter writer who essentially compared me to the wicked of Sodom — but that’s fine. We ran the story because it was a good story on an important topic.
And I’d do it again next week.
What troubles me, however, is the level of vitriol — the hatred out there for people just trying to live their lives. Their union has no impact on the rest of us. It is no threat to my marriage, nor do I suspect it threatens anyone else’s. (That the state has not seen fit to call civil unions marriage is a travesty and another example of the Legislature’s unwillingness to lead.)
Frank and Stephen love each other and their love makes the world a better place. Can the same be said about Brittney and Kevin? Or about any of the other five-minute marriages that have become a Hollywood staple?
But I digress. The issue that came up was about my politics and whether it affects what I assign and where I place it. Essentially, I was accused of having an agenda.
Here, in it’s entirety, is the Editor’s Note I wrote as a response for today’s edition of The Cranbury Press:
A story is a story
Angry readers are a given in the newspaper business.
After all, not everything we do casts everyone in a positive light and not everyone might agree with the positions we take on the Town Forum page.
Politicians, for instance, tend not to like stories that raise questions about their actions or shed light on their failures. And I’ve lost count of the calls and e-mails I’ve received over the years regarding my criticism of the president and the Iraq War.
So it shouldn’t have surprised me that some readers took offense at a story on Monroe’s first civil union that ran on Page 1 of last week’s paper.
The piece, which included a Page 1 photo and several photos on the jump page, told the story of Stephen Lourie and Frank Pisciotta’s 30-year relationship and their decision to take advantage of the state’s new civil union law.
I received several calls complaining about the story — one called it “garbage” — and a handful of readers canceled their subscription.
One sent me this note, which is probably representative of the negative comments I’d received:
“I just canceled my subscription and I hope many more do! When The Cranbury Press sees fit to announce on the front page about a bunch of homosexual old men
it’s time to go. There are so many more important things going on in our community but it’s obvious you have another agenda other than reporting on what people really care about.”Nearly everyone accused the paper, or me directly, of having an agenda, of using the news columns to push my point of view.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, I believe that gays and lesbians should have the right to marry — as I’ve written in my Dispatches column on numerous occasions. I believe a lot of things, but I never let my political beliefs color my news choices.
Iraq is an example. I have been a vocal critic of the Iraq War, but that has not prevented us from running stories on returning soldiers who remain supportive of the mission — most recently in February, when former Jamesburg Borough Councilman Carlos Morales returned from a five-month tour of duty in southern Iraq. The Morales story ran up front because it was an important news story with a local angle.
It is the same reason that we assigned the civil union story that ran on Page 1: It was news. It was the first civil union in Monroe under the state’s new and controversial civil union law.
It was that simple. No agenda, just a commitment to presenting the news — even if it makes some readers angry.
Let me know if you agree.
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Hank Kalet 