By Phil Riske
Managing Editor, Rose Law Group Reporter
As the managing editor of a small daily newspaper in Laramie, Wyo. I well remember what the nation’s predominant newspaper did June 13, 1971. That was the day The New York Times began publishing the Pentagon Papers, which demonstrated, among other things,cthe Johnson Administration had systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress, about a subject of transcendent national interest and significance — the war in Vietnam (The report was declassified and publicly released in June 2011.)
In the Pentagon Papers case a divided Supreme Court, in a decision that contains a separate opinion from each of the nine justices, refused to enjoin publication of the Pentagon Papers, emphasizing the First Amendment’s strong presumption against any prior restraint on free speech.
Nothing, not even the U.S. government, can bring down The New York Times, I thought. But “The Old Gray Lady,” and other large and small newspapers across America are being brought down—in some cases, shut down—by the economy, the Internet, and a faster-paced society that has less time to hold a newspaper in its hands and read it.
Following is a portion of a memo from The Times’ publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, to staffers, as obtained by The Huffington Post:
Dear Colleagues,
“As we all know, these are financially challenging times. While our digital subscription plan has been successful, the advertising climate remains volatile and we don’t see this changing in the near future. Given this, I have asked Scott, Jill and Andy to identify significant cost savings – including buyouts – throughout The New York Times Media Group.
“. . .[I]t is now impossible not to look also within the ranks of our news operations.”
The paper reports the company is offering 30 buyouts to non-union newsroom managers.
The Times has gone through rounds of buyouts before, shedding 100 employees in 2008 and a further 20 in 2011. The paper recently went through a bruising round of contract negotiations with its unionized staff.
It’s upsetting to have to conclude we might not ever again benefit from historic journalistic accomplishments such as The Pentagon Papers and Watergate. Newsroom RIFS dilute investigative reporting and experience levels of editorial staffs.
While politicians becomes elated there are fewer dogs barking at their doors, the American public should be saddened by the diminished ability of the so-called Fourth Estate to dig and uncover crime and corruption in government.
There might be, to a small degree, a saving grace in all this: Internet blogs, some of which have circulations larger than some major newspapers, are not that reliant on advertising revenue and several could break coverage comparable to The Pentagon Papers.
(To its credit, The Times last week published a comprehensive study of the billions of dollars spent by state and local governments as incentives and tax breaks to keep exiting business or to recruit new businesses to their states. .)
