Retaliation? BANG's "Norma Rae" among 29 slashed

[chigurdaddy]

BANG guild co-chair Sara Steffens was among 29 staffers notified they're on the July 11 Singleton Hit List, the guild website says (via Reporter G). Hard to believe Steffens was just another Singleton Guillotine victim. She's one of the company's most respected writers, and by all accounts an inspirational force in the June 13 guild election. To say she's the BANG guild's "Norma Rae" is no stretch. Her social services and poverty beat may not have made "most read" in pressboxes near you, although the Soup Kitchen beat may be must read soon way things are going.
If there's any justice an NLRB investigation will put get some Singleton henchmen on the hot seat to perjure themselves...

http://reporter-g.blogspot.com/2008/07/guild-co-chair-on-cut-list-medianews.html

 

[steveu]

Pass the popcorn. This could get good. Go get 'em, gang!

 

[MMatt60]

Any other details on who is on the list (assuming it's public)?

 

[DanOregon]

I don't think you can just lay something like that off as a beat being expendable. If you can slog through the social welfare and poverty beat without wanting to put a gun to your head at the end of the week, that's exactly the kind of person I'd want to stick around and keep the troops rallied. Hell, If I was Singleton and I wanted to hurt the union I'd offer her a big promotion at one of his other papers out of state. She sounds like a hell of a person. I really don't see who this benefits except lawyers who will get more billable hours if they have to deal with the NLRB over this.

Hang in there BANGERS.

 

[jfs1000]

"Poor people don't buy newspapers, and generally don't read," Lean Dean Singleton said. "We need to concentrate on writing for our demographic. That way we can maximize revenue and service our advertisers well. Writing on a group of people with little to no disposable income does little to help us strategically.

"The industry needs to gravitate away from these type of stories, especillay in today's competitive market place. Our advertisers sell excess, not social respnsibility."

 

[Left_Coast]

"MediaNews doesn't believe cost cutting is a long term strategy."
-- Jody Lodovic, Dean Singleton, July 3, 2008

 

[Ben_Hecht]

"MediaNews doesn't believe cost cutting is a long term strategy."
-- Jody Lodovic, Dean Singleton, July 3, 2008

Reach below waist, and grasp firmly.

 

[Definite Article]

Sara is one of the best journalists at BANG. It's hard to believe her work with the union had absolutely nothing to do with her layoff. At best, maybe they saw she wasn't quite as productive on her beat with so much energy being spent on the union. At worst, it's retaliation. You'd think you'd want to keep your best writers, though. At the least, broaden her beat a little or something. If anything, a social services-poverty is becoming more relevant each day.

 

[Left_Coast]

Especially with Lean playing a big hand in sending this business into poverty.

 

[WriteThinking]

Whatever this is, it's not really a person being cut just because their beat is being eliminated, any more than the Scott Carter/Tampa Tribune situation was.

If she's that good a reporter/writer/person on the social services beat, there's no reason to beleive she couldn't, and, after a little time, wouldn't, be just as good on another beat, which also surely would need filling after all the layoffs.

BANG could have, should have, and, if at all possible, probably would have, found another place for Steffens if cutting her or her job was only about the beat and/or the demographic it is trying to serve.

 

[Write-brained]

"Poor people don't buy newspapers, and generally don't read," Lean Dean Singleton said. "We need to concentrate on writing for our demographic. That way we can maximize revenue and service our advertisers well. Writing on a group of people with little to no disposable income does little to help us strategically.

"The industry needs to gravitate away from these type of stories, especillay in today's competitive market place. Our advertisers sell excess, not social respnsibility."

We must afflict the afflicted and comfort the comfortable.

 

[chigurdaddy]

Steffens says she has no regrets about leading BANG union vote that many believe put her atop the Singleton Hit List in last week's layoff round. In union website post, she answers the "was it worth it" question with a resounding "Yes, Yes. A hundred times yes."
She says wants back in the newsroom and vows to keep fighting for the guild.
"If someone was looking to get me to shut up already — I hate to tell them, but I think they just handed me a megaphone."



http://onebigbang.org/DEV/?p=383#more-383

 

[chigurdaddy]

E & P story reports on Steffens case. Says she's mulling legal action:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003826774

 

[SockPuppet]

"Poor people don't buy newspapers, and generally don't read," Lean Dean Singleton said. "We need to concentrate on writing for our demographic. That way we can maximize revenue and service our advertisers well. Writing on a group of people with little to no disposable income does little to help us strategically.

"The industry needs to gravitate away from these type of stories, especillay in today's competitive market place. Our advertisers sell excess, not social respnsibility."

I guess I missed this when it originally appeared before being quoted here. Mr. **** Head really said this?
I hope he somehow winds up in court and at the very least gets sentenced to spend two days a week working in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter.

 

[DanOregon]

No, he didn't really say it. The tip off should have been "Lean Dean Singleton said."

 

[Tucsondriver]

E & P story reports on Steffens case. Says she's mulling legal action:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003826774

Looks like you just messed with the wrong woman, Lean Dean. What started with whispers is starting to get loud as the the story of Steffens' blatantly retaliatory firing generates more high-profile media coverage - just what Lean Dean wants, I'm sure. The story was covered on SF's local tv news (KTVU) Friday:

http://www.ktvu.com/video/16860686/index.html

 

[chigurdaddy]

Looks like Singleton's waterboys got some splainin to do as union files unfair labor practices charge with the NLRB against BANG for Steffens' firing. And turns out she wasn't the only one - 20 of the 29 reporters Armstrong canned (2 weeks after the union vote) were union supporters - none of the 13 openly antiunioners were chopped, E&P reports. Bet AC's cranking in corner offices from Walnut Creek to Denver!

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003827765

 

[slappy4428]

Looks like Singleton's waterboys got some splainin to do as union files unfair labor practices charge with the NLRB against BANG for Steffens' firing. And turns out she wasn't the only one - 20 of the 29 reporters Armstrong canned (2 weeks after the union vote) were union supporters - none of the 13 openly antiunioners were chopped, E&P reports. Bet AC's cranking in corner offices from Walnut Creek to Denver!

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003827765

Nope, Lean Dean will draw it out and draw it out... It won't matter, no matter how obvious it is.

 

[DanOregon]

I just wish news execs could be a little more honest and not think they can get away with bs explanations. Any editor worth his or her salt would rip their reporters a new one if they let quotes like the one below go by unchallenged.



Here's the money quote:
"These layoffs were driven by the economy and nothing else. Instead of relying on job performance, we eliminated positions that we felt we could no longer afford in this economic environment or in those areas where we felt the work could be absorbed by others. Sara’s beat was poverty and social issues."
- Kevin Keane, BANG Exec. Editor.

So the positions eliminated were either very highly specialized, or ones that were very general.

 

[Write-brained]

I just wish news execs could be a little more honest and not think they can get away with bs explanations. Any editor worth his or her salt would rip their reporters a new one if they let quotes like the one below go by unchallenged.



Here's the money quote:
"These layoffs were driven by the economy and nothing else. Instead of relying on job performance, we eliminated positions that we felt we could no longer afford in this economic environment or in those areas where we felt the work could be absorbed by others. Sara’s beat was poverty and social issues."
- Kevin Keane, BANG Exec. Editor.

So the positions eliminated were either very highly specialized, or ones that were very general.

good lord. The economy sucks so we laid off the poverty reporter.