10 February 2009
Chron Froot Loops update, 02/10/09 edition
The Chron Froot Loops Bureau offers this update from KHOU-11 today:
A man who was shot to death by Houston police after refusing to drop a shotgun had sent a text message saying he planned to kill himself, police said today.
Police have not disclosed the name of the man, who was killed about 11 p.m. Monday at the Hammerly Oaks Apartments at 8791 Hammerly at Hollister, according to KHOU Channel 11.
Officers went to the address after being alerted that a man was wandering around the complex with a shotgun, KHOU reported.
Here is a link to the KHOU story (in case you prefer actual reporting to some guy rewriting what he saw on the TV while eating his cereal).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/10/09 12:22 PM |
30 January 2009
Chron editors demonstrate their timeliness
Two months after the Examiner's Michael Reed reported on the fate of Bolsover Street, after the failure of Lamesa's Sonoma project, the Chronicle's editorial board opines thusly:
What infuriates and puzzles many locals is that a perfectly good, well-traveled street — a valuable commodity in the congested Village — is now lying idle, and could stay that way for the foreseeable future. That’s not a good deal for the public, and points to a serious lack of foresight and prudence on the part of the city.
The 2400 block of Bolsover Street, which bisects the lot, was, in effect, sold to the project’s owner, Lamesa Village, by the city, over the objections of many residents. It was slated to become a pedestrian plaza, accessible to the public, with shade trees and water features.
Today, thanks to a plummeting economy and a strangled credit market, the project is on hold indefinitely. Bolsover is gated shut, and the rest of the property now consists of a bare lot on the north side — with a few piles of dirt and random fence posts — and a shuttered sales office next to a once-bustling, now defunct Walgreens to the south.
Oh, well! If it makes the elitists on the editorial board feel any better, Mayor White promised he'd do better next time.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/30/09 07:06 PM |
29 January 2009
Chron Froot Loops update, 1/29/09 edition
The Chron.com Froot Loops Bureau posts this update today:
A 14-year-old Magnolia girl remains in critical condition today with injuries suffered after she jumped out of her parents’ car and was hit by a vehicle on the North Freeway, according to KHOU Channel 11.
The incident happened Wednesday night as the parents were driving their daughter to a Tomball hospital. They had picked her up after she had run away and was taken into custody by police, KHOU reported.
As the family drove on Interstate 45, the girl argued with her parents and suddenly jumped out of the car near the West Canino exit, police said.
[snip]
The teenager suffered severe head and internal injuries, and doctors at Memorial Hermann Hospital may have to amputate her legs, KHOU reported.
Here is a link to the KHOU-11 story, since hyperlinks and cereal apparently don't go well together.
UPDATE: And just like that *poof* the story is updated and the KHOU reference is gone.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/09 10:06 AM |
Chron teen diarist goes back to basics
The Chron's teen diarist returns to familiar territory today:
From Karl Rove to Bono, everybody’s got advice for the new president.
But if Barack Obama is looking for fresh suggestions, light on cynicism and free of partisan taint, I know of a group that will give it to him straight: Houston-area kids.
Playing to your strengths is good advice for any columnist, but especially a struggling one. Good move today, going back to basics!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/09 10:01 AM |
26 January 2009
Chron Austin bureau chief can't remember facts, opines regardless
Poor Clay Robison must be one tired guy.
He oversees the combined Chronicle/Express-News Austin Bureau.
He moonlights as a (lefty) editorialist once a week.
And a legislative session just got underway.
So, perhaps that explains this snippet from his latest opinion column:
Let’s see, now. Most of the Republican judges in Harris County who were on the ballot in November were ousted in heavy, straight-ticket Democratic voting. A few years ago, Dallas voters booted a bunch of Republican judges in similar fashion.So, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, files a bill to prohibit — guess what — straight ticket voting in judicial races.
It won’t pass.
But it reminds me that Republicans took over the courts in Harris County in 1994 in a similar straight ticket sweep that unseated many Democratic judges.
I don’t remember if any Democrat filed a similar bill then. If so, it obviously didn’t pass either.
That's about the laziest bit of journalism to appear in the Chronicle since... well, since somebody sat down over Froot Loops and (mis)reported a KHOU story a few mornings ago.
Over at Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Cory Crow gives the matter a more comprehensive treatment. We're betting he's not going to hear from the newspaper's invisible reader rep.
In any case, we'll suggest once again that Robison shouldn't be writing opinion columns and running the news bureau. Maybe if he stepped away from one of the jobs, he could actually do the other one well.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/09 10:00 PM |
11 January 2009
Misspelling correction FAIL
The Chron corrections page recently noted the following:
The capiton of a photograph that ran on B4 of Thursday's paper misspelled the name of philanthropist Harry Bovay.
Will there be a correction noting the misspelled word in the above correction at some point?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/09 07:54 PM |
07 January 2009
Are you going to miss Whitney Casey when she's gone?
The Chronicle's reader representative has resurfaced in 2009, and offers this look into the inner workings of the newspaper's Star section, courtesy of a reader email and the reader rep's followup:
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 7:22 PM
Subject: Whitney Casey's PhotosThe assortment of come-hither poses that accompany "columnist" Whitney Casey's offerings weaken the credibility of her articles. I believe she has the incorrect job if what she wanted, instead, was to be a "pin up" girl.
In addition, it makes it appear she is using her position to find a relationship of her own. I don't believe the Chronicle has the duty to assist her. Indeed, other columnists' photos rarely change, even if they need to be updated.
Jim's Response: I went straight to Kyrie O'Conner, Chronicle deputy managing editor/features, on this. This is what she had to say: "It was our choice, not Whitney's to run a larger (and changing) photo with her column. She happened to have some new photos and given the nature of her column, we thought they went with it."
If it's dumbed down and trashed up, one might guess Kyrie O'Connor was involved.
The Houston Press blog Hairballs was documenting the rotating glamor photos way back in October 2008, though, so that's not entirely new.
What is new is the Star section's efforts in promoting Casey's new book. Here's a sampling:
Whitney Casey hit a snag in her plan for finding a man.
It seems that interviewing 250 men and writing an advice book, The Man Plan: Drive Men Wild – Not Away, on how catch a fellow’s attention, left her a little too much in the know for one potential date, who was scared off by Casey’s mastery of the tricks of the trade.
“The Man Plan is ruining my man plan,” Casey said.
Not that the blond, 6-foot former TV journalist — she hosted Great Day Houston and now writes a relationship column in the Houston Chronicle — has trouble catching eyes.
But after a year of finagling a book deal, then researching and writing it, Casey finds herself touting The Man Plan nationally, with a heart on the mend. She recently broke up with her doctor boyfriend.
A while back, O'Connor posted "You're going to miss us when we're gone" in reference to continuing problems in the print newspaper industry.
The metro and state desks? Absolutely.
Rotating glamor shots and related columnists/articles? Not so much.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/07/09 10:09 PM |
20 December 2008
Better wait a few days before trying the recipes (cont'd)
As we've noted before, it's always good to wait a few days (for corrections) before trying any recipe that appears in the Chronicle.
Here's something from recent corrections that helps make the point:
A recipe for Beef Tamales on Page F5 of Wednesday's Flavor section was mistitled. Also, the ingredients should have called for 4 ounces of dried New Mexico chilies and 4 cups of masa mix. For the corrected recipe please see chron.com/food.
Happy cooking (once you've checked the corrections)!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/20/08 11:05 PM |
23 November 2008
Andrea Georgsson has left the Chronicle
Andrea Georgsson, the Houston Chronicle editorial board member who apparently violated newspaper policy by donating to political candidates, has left the newspaper.
Georgsson left the newspaper just after the election, according to this column from Richard Prince:
Andrea Georgsson, the only African American editorial writer at the Houston Chronicle, left the paper Wednesday after being at the paper since 1987 and a member of the editorial board since 1995. "It was my own decision," Georgsson told Journal-isms. "I'm going to just follow my bliss," Georgsson, 44, said. She said she has three little boys to take care of and may do volunteer work.
Media monitor Cision (as well as Georgsson's own Facebook page) confirms the departure:
Longtime Houston Chronicle staffer leaves
Posted on: 11/10/2008Andrea Georgsson recently left her post as an editorial page writer for the Houston Chronicle. She previously served as an education reporter. Prior to that, she covered Harris County and state news. She joined the paper as an intern in 1987. To learn more, call 713-362-7171.
If anyone calls the number, please let us know if you "learn more." We would be surprised.
Recall that we found Georgsson had donated to the Harris County Judge campaign of David Mincberg (not to mention the presidential campaign of Barack Obama). Such donations apparently violate newspaper policy, and for good reason -- it is hard for an editorial board to preach transparency for others when it doesn't practice what it preaches. Even worse than the lack of transparency, it is thought that Georgsson penned at least one editorial about Harris County ethics (which referenced Ed Emmett, the incumbent opponent of Mincberg) -- an editorial that was quickly posted to Mincberg's campaign site.
The Houston Chronicle refused to answer substantive email queries about Georgsson in the leadup to the election, and has not addressed the scandal publicly. On the surface, it appears that Georgsson left the newspaper of her own accord. It seems likely, however, that both she and the newspaper concluded that it would be best for all if she moved on. We would email the reader representative and ask, but we have yet to see evidence that he actually uses email.
It's too bad that the Chronicle didn't take the opportunity to practice what it preaches about transparency and to inform readers about the scandal. Chronicle execs like to describe the editorial board as leading a community discussion, but more often it seems like the insular editorialists are simply lecturing to the community, without much interest in an actual conversation.
And it's not even a very good lecture these days. In recent weeks, the editorial board -- sans Georgsson and James Howard Gibbons -- has turned out some truly clunky prose. We certainly didn't agree wth Georgsson or Gibbons on most issues, but who knew their departures would give readers even less cause to visit a so-so, left-leaning editorial page?
Perhaps it's another reason for the Editorial Board to start a blog (as we've suggested before). Even poor writers can get better if they really work at the craft (practice, practice, practice!). Frequent blog posts on local affairs could be just the sort of practice that is needed. And who knows -- a little interaction with readers might actually improve a product that could use it.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times, Hair Balls.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/23/08 08:11 PM |
17 November 2008
A new Chron Eye for the Death Row Killer Guy!
Allan Turner offers up a Chron Eye for the Death Row Killer Guy* today.
The Death Row Killer Guy's lawyer declined to talk to the Chronicle, and the newspaper could not reach members of the victim's family, so Turner was reduced to building this Chron Eye from court testimony:
Cathey's sister, Charlotte Ezeh, testified that the killer was pampered at home. But his mother, Willie Lee Cathey, told jurors that the family's home life was tumultuous, with her husband drinking, using drugs and accosting family members with firearms.
Cathey married at 17 and fathered two children, jurors were told.
Luke Ezeh, Cathey's now former brother-in-law, said he employed the killer in his battery shop.
"He was a very good guy," Ezeh said. "He sold batteries and kept the money and never took anything from me. I don't think he deserves to die. He made a mistake, but he should be corrected, not put to death."
Ezeh said Cathey was a musician whose partner had absconded with a recording. "He was trying to locate him through the girl and things got out of hand," he said. "That is what I heard. I was not there."
In a death row interview, Cathey insisted he had spent the night of the murder watching television with his girlfriend.
"I am not guilty of the crime," Cathey said. "I never met the woman."
The killer admitted he had been convicted of an earlier drug offense, but said he had never served prison time.
Upon arriving on death row, he said, he was "very fearful."
"I knew that I didn't do anything," he said. "I had a sense of hopelessness. ... I had seen guys who had gone off to their executions."
Now, he added, "I play it by ear. I'm praying to God to work things out."
We trust that He will.
This Chron Eye does continue the very recent practice of working in the term "Huntsville death house," which the author/editors would surely deny is subtle editorializing** (despite the fact it tends to be used -- derisively -- by those opposed to the death penalty).
Why a shrinking business with declining readership continues to expend so many resources on pet political causes favored by the editor's wife is an ongoing mystery.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/08 10:11 PM |
27 October 2008
Chron circulation plummets; Sweeney spins himself silly
The Audit Bureau of Circulations released the latest newspaper circulation numbers today, and the results weren't pretty for the Houston Chronicle, which saw a decline of 11.66% in daily circulation. Among the 25 largest newspapers in the country, that drop was exceeded only by that of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (13.62%). The Chronicle Sunday edition did manage to click in atop the Top 25, though, with a whopping circulation decline of 15.73%!
Chron publisher and spinner Jack Sweeney said the big decline was just part of the newspaper's strategy:
Chronicle Publisher and President Jack Sweeney attributed most of the declines to strategic decisions made by the newspaper to discontinue circulation outside a 90-mile radius of downtown Houston, increase the daily newsstand price to 75 cents and eliminate advertiser-sponsored distribution. Hurricane Ike also affected circulation in coastal communities.
Matt Bramanti takes apart Sweeney's business "strategy" here.
People may not be buying the newspaper like they once did, but Chron.com is doing well, according to Sweeney:
And chron.com has seen a 20 percent jump in readers who don’t buy the Chronicle. Chron.com exceeded 90 million page views in August and spiked to 185 million in September due to Hurricane Ike coverage.
“Our journalists keep consumers of Chronicle content engaged no matter what platform they choose,” Sweeney said. “It could be our City&State section, Gloss or one of our online channels like Moms or Houston Belief.”
More likely, it would be chron.com's comic section, a popular online attraction. Or perhaps user-contributed party pics!
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times, Brazosport News.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/27/08 10:27 PM |
24 October 2008
Chron editorial board endorses Judge Ed Emmett
The unethical and unprofessional Chronicle editorial board endorsed Ed Emmett for county judge today.
The Chronicle editorial board probably felt it had no other choice given David Mincberg's disastrous post-Ike campaign AND the fact that editorial board member Andrea Georgsson was caught donating to Mincberg. Perhaps even the editorial board's discomfort with the resulting mess explains the typo and grammatical error in the endorsement (or perhaps that's giving them too much credit, and they just write poorly when not plagiarizing from well-written material).
We confirmed with officials from both campaigns that Georgsson was NOT present at the candidate screening described by Liz Peterson in this blog post*. That's too bad. While the Chronicle's reader rep(s) PR spinners refuse to answer questions about how the newspaper has handled the matter, it seems at the very least Georgsson should have been suspended from editorial board activity for a significant period of time AND have been asked to appear at the start of this particular screening to apologize to both candidates for effectively reducing the value of a Chronicle editorial board endorsement through her unethical and unprofessional behavior.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/24/08 07:58 AM |
22 October 2008
Chron editorial board fritters away last vestiges of credibility
Over at Lone Star Times, Matt Bramanti documents the latest embarrassment for the unethical Houston Chronicle editorial board: presenting large chunks of a press release as their own work.
Bramanti concludes:
It’s a shame that the Chron’s editors celebrate education by taking another’s words and passing them off as their own. There’s a word for that.
Yes there is. In addition, it's lazy and unprofessional.
In recent weeks, the Chron editorial board has been caught donating money to political candidates, has refused to answer questions about the ethical transgressions, and just when you think their credibility really can't decline any further, they prove that it can by plagiarizing from a press release.
This is not the sort of behavior one would expect from professionals at a major daily newspaper (although since columnist Rick Casey once plagiarized with no repercussions, one can understand why some writers at the newspaper wouldn't worry that much about it, especially Jeff Cohen's pets).
We can't help but wonder -- if these "professionals" can't even manage to craft original words for two editorials* per daily edition, why shouldn't the editorial page simply be terminated and the resources redistributed through the newsroom?
Bramanti has an email out to the Chron's reader representative(s) about this, and so do I. Since said reader representatives refuse to answer my emails or approve my comments to their blog, I'm not holding my breath waiting for a response. But I'll post it if they surprise me.
* On occasion, the editorial page still runs those insipid "Another Voice" reprints from other newspapers in place of a house editorial. Maybe they could just start posting press releases too?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/22/08 11:48 AM |
16 October 2008
HISD superintendent blasts Chron editorial board
The Chronicle published a letter from HISD superintendent Abe Saavedra today. Here's the start:
On Oct. 8, the Chronicle published an editorial that gave an incomplete — and thus misleading — account of the steps that the Houston Independent School District is taking to make up instructional time lost due to Hurricane Ike.
Incomplete and misleading? The unethical Chronicle editorial board? Shocking!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/16/08 09:41 PM |
07 October 2008
Chron editorialist gets early start on endorsements
The Harris County Clerk's website has new campaign finance filings posted (which we like!).
David Mincberg's latest report (PDF download) is interesting. If a person clicks onto page 18, the name Andrea Georgsson turns up. Georgsson gave Mr. Mincberg $250.
Georgsson lists her occupation as "writer" for none other than the Houston Chronicle.
That's not untrue, but more specifically, she is on the editorial board for the newspaper (readers may recall she is a passionate advocate for abortion and leftover adoption).
Presumably, she will participate in the editorial board's interviews of both candidates for Harris County Judge, and will help determine the editorial board's endorsement. It is thought that she writes many of the editorials on county affairs for the board, although it is impossible to know with certainty since they are unsigned.
Do you think Georgsson will recuse herself from the process, since she already is openly supporting a candidate? Do you think she'll let the candidates and her fellow editorial board members know of her donation (err, we guess we pre-empted her)? Do you think the Chronicle should allow its editorial board members to support candidates in partisan elections, even though editorial board members are charged with screening those candidates for the public?
It doesn't seem like a very good idea to me, and many news organizations have rules against such behavior. This afternoon, I emailed old reader rep Steve Jetton and new reader rep Jim Newkirk about this discovery, and asked about the Chronicle policy and how it intended to proceed with the screening/endorsement process for Harris County Judge. This evening, Jetton emailed that "We're looking into the situation."
One should hope so. The question is, what will the newspaper DO about the situation.
Incidentally, Georgsson also gave $250 to Barack Obama's campaign a few months ago.
UPDATE (10/12/08): Rorschach notes another possible ethical lapse by Georgsson. The Chronicle editorial board's credibility is really suffering. Perhaps one day soon the reader rep(s) will be done "looking into the situation" and the newspaper will announce some plan to deal with the problem.
UPDATE (10/13/08): The Chronicle reader representative(s) continue to ignore repeated email followups from me asking what steps are being taken to restore integrity to their candidate endorsement process. It is a bizarre thing for a newspaper to have a reader representative charged with interacting with readers and for said reader representative to refuse to answer substantive questions about the newspaper.
UPDATE (10/14/08): The Chronicle's Steve Jetton finally answered repeated email queries with this non-substantive response:
A Chronicle editorial writer made political campaign contributions that she regrets. We’ve dealt with it internally and appreciate your concern.
I KNOW she made contributions, as we pointed out. Apparently, the Chronicle has gone into the bunker, and doesn't intend to tell readers what it has done to try to restore its credibility.
Therefore, we can only conclude that readers should ignore the Chronicle's unethical and deceptive editorial board on any musings it might offer on candidates or county politics, since it is impossible to regard the board as a fair, uninvolved commentator on such matters.
BLOGVERSATION: Unca Darrell (and more), Brazosport News, Red Ink: Texas, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Lone Star Times (and more), Hair Balls.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/07/08 09:50 PM |
03 October 2008
It's buyout time at the Chronicle!
A friend recently alerted us that buyouts were being finalized this week at the Chronicle
Apparently, today is the day for some of the announcements. We presume this blog post from Julie Mason is related (and the Chron's D.C. bureau just got a little more serious).
John Wilburn, most recently the Chron's managing editor, takes over as Opinion Director. Steve Jetton takes over as Outlook editor. David Langworthy slides into an editorial writing position. Jim Newkirk takes over as reader rep (and will apparently retain his gigs as budget czar and high school liaison).
That's what we are hearing so far. If you have any other interesting Chron buyout tidbits, feel free to pass them along in the comments (or anonymously here if you prefer).
Here's hoping these moves improve what had become simply a dreadful editorial page -- one that recently confused the date of 9/11 and the name of the Harris County Sheriff (calling him Tommy Thompson, and refusing to correct the mistake). We can't say we'll miss the Editorial Journals of one James Howard Gibbons -- or his editorials in an erroneous state. But if he decides he misses the opinion game, we still have his diary space at the ready!
UPDATE: We hear that Rad Sallee has taken the buyout. Will METRO have a position for him?
UPDATE (10/09/08): Per Media Bistro, Mason didn't get the buyout and Bennett Roth of the D.C. bureau was also laid off.
UPDATE (10/12/08): Another source says Mason and Roth were offered the buyout. Maybe at some point the newspaper will issue a press release and clear it all up.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times (and here), Unca Darrell.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/03/08 06:27 PM |
19 September 2008
Editorial LiveJournalists lecture HISD
Add another Chron editorial to the list of examples of why Banjo Jones' Modest Proposal is a good idea:
All schools in the Houston Independent School District, which closed the Thursday before Ike made landfall, will be closed through Friday and possibly longer. In the aftermath of the massive storm, that's understandable. What makes less sense is HISD's game plan to open all schools on the same day.
This strategy has not been well thought out. Obviously, each school will have to remain closed until it has power and water restored. Some parents have expressed relief at not having to worry about maintaining a school schedule during this hectic post-hurricane week. Too, many families who evacuated remain out of the city.
But after a week without class, it is imperative that HISD officials open schools as quickly as power is restored and inspections of grounds and mechanical systems are complete. It is not reasonable to wait to open the first school until the last school is ready.
As of Thursday, about a third of district schools had power, according to district spokesman Norm Uhl.
Anyone with half a brain knows that school districts want to be up and running as soon as possible. As HISD spokesman Norm Uhl has said on KTRH-740, once a school gets power it still takes several days to check out all the necessary electrical functions to see if all is running properly. The Chron editors would be the first ones throwing a hissy fit if HISD didn't practice due diligence to make sure schools were safe and functioning. Plus, add in the fact that districts will schedule make-up days on a district-wide basis, not on a school-by-school basis.
The ending paragraph of the editorial is especially offensive:
No one says making schools sound enough to get kids back to their desks will be easy. But HISD officials must rise to the occasion, keeping foremost in their plans what's best for the students, not their own convenience.
Please, shutter the editorial page.
UPDATE: Obviously HISD was afraid of facing the wrath of the Chron's editorial board:
The Houston Independent School District announced today that 120 schools with electricity will reopen for students on Tuesday. The remaining schools will be phased in as they become ready.
"We will continue to add to the list of ready schools on a daily basis," HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said.
Dr. Saavedra was no doubt mindful of the Chron's displeasure with the slow pace of schools getting power...as if HISD has anything to do with getting electricity flowing again.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/19/08 11:53 AM |
18 September 2008
Editorial LiveJournalists forget when 9/11 took place
Matt Bramanti noticed that the Chron Editorial LiveJournalists were playing Editorial Humorists today:
Last weekend, as Hurricane Ike buffeted Southeast Texas, another massive storm pummeled Wall Street, leaving financial institutions reeling and triggering the most precipitous drop in the stock market since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 9, 2001.
That big a gaffe HAD to be intentional, right? They're trying their hand at humor, surely?
If not, then this proposal from Banjo Jones looks smarter and smarter.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/18/08 08:20 AM |
10 September 2008
A "modest proposal" from Banjo Jones
A few days ago, Banjo Jones posted some thoughts on areas the Chronicle might consider cutting as part of its latest round of downsizing:
I have an idea on one way the paper can handle the layoffs. I don't think it would get rid of the entire 80 employees they're looking to shed, but it'd be a start -- eliminate the entire opinion section where the paper publishes its institutional view of the world.
Such a move could be couched in terms that a lot of mainstream media haters would love; tell them, it's not our business to tell you what to think, we'll leave that you. Think whatever you want. We don't care! We're just gonna report the damn news.
Like Matt Bramanti, Cory Crow, Unca Darrell, and others, we used to spend a fair amount of time debunking and/or mocking the Editorial LiveJournalists and their error-ridden prescriptions, although we have gradually come to the realization that nobody pays much attention to them (as evidenced by the little traffic generated from Dwight Silverman's whimsical linkblog on the online editorial page), and that our own time is usually better spent tossing out our opinions for discussion. So we tend to agree with Banjo that if that page went away, it wouldn't be a huge loss.
Banjo goes on to suggest that the paper might keep some local columnists (since Jeff Cohen fashions himself a great developer of the same -- really!), or it might just as easily whack them. The newspaper's metro/state/DC columnists are such an undistinguished group that it's hard to object to the "whack them" proposal. For that matter, why not also save some money by downsizing that D.C. bureau that rarely breaks important stories, and letting Hearst set up a D.C. bureau from which all its newspapers can draw (not unlike the Chronicle/Express-News combined Austin bureau)?
We're all for whatever can be done to protect the local/state news staffs from further cuts.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/10/08 10:47 PM |
05 September 2008
More downsizing at the Chronicle
Over at Lone Star Times, Matt Bramanti notes that the Chronicle is facing more downsizing:
The Houston Chronicle offered voluntary buyouts to its employees today, with a goal of reducing staff by roughly 80 full-time positions, Publisher and President Jack Sweeney said Thursday.
Depending on how many employees request buyouts, layoffs might be necessary. When the reductions are completed at the end of the month, the full-time staff will be cut by 5 to 6 percent, Sweeney said.
The problems the newspaper industry faces are numerous, but the Chronicle's current "dumbed down and trashed up" strategy should not be a model for other newspapers.
Final word goes to Matt:
A little math reveals that the Chronicle employs about 1,450 people. Less than four years ago, more than 2,400 people worked for the Chron.
Firing a thousand people must be good for editor Jeff Cohen’s golf game. His handicap currently stands at 8.6, down from 9 during last year’s layoffs.
Nice shooting, Jeff!
RELATED: Chronicle to reduce workforce (Houston Business Journal)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/05/08 06:32 PM |
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