Local Newspapers are an Endangered Species

And we need them more than ever

Sound Publishing Group, which publishes the Everett Herald and our Whidbey Island Newspapers, has been bought by Carpenter Media from Alabama. Among the first actions of the new owners was to lay off half the newsroom staff.

Jerry Cornfield of the Washington State Standard wrote about it here: At one of WA's oldest papers, deep cuts and an uncertain future • Washington State Standard

Newsroom employees of The Daily Herald in Everett, Wash. gathered June 18, 2024. Seven of those pictured received layoff notices the next day. (Courtesy photo)

I've worked with two of the journalists in the picture. Fortunately, they're among those who were spared. Other journalists pictured had to write the story of their colleagues' layoffs for the Herald.

Everett Herald staff gather and talk in the newsroom after layoff announcements on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

I've written before in "Be Famous for 15 Miles" about the importance of local news in helping foster a sense of community. I've been in the South Whidbey Record four times, including three on the front page. Just the week, the paper published three pieces on critical local issues that I care about: Whidbey Islanders continue to push for island-long trail | South Whidbey Record; Whidbey water experts raise concern over seawater intrusion | South Whidbey Record; Sound Off: VET PFAS Act would bring relief to ill veterans | South Whidbey Record

I had no hesitation, then, in stepping up when the Everett NewsGuild issued the following call to action:

Good afternoon!

You likely saw that the Everett Herald this week announced the layoff of 12 newsroom employees, including 10 union members. In a story published by the Herald, Publisher Rudi Alcott claimed “readers won’t notice” the cuts. That story was removed from the website for several hours, and a sanitized form was later republished.

The Everett NewsGuild will fight these layoffs in the days to come. Under federal labor law, the employer cannot implement layoffs without first bargaining with the union, and we intend to push back to preserve jobs and protect local journalism.

In the meantime, please help us show Alcott and the other executives at Sound Publishing and their new parent company, Carpenter Media Group, that the community will certainly notice the termination of more than half its journalists.

We’re asking readers to submit a letter to letters@heraldnet.com sharing your support. Please also CC Herald and Carpenter executives, as well as our union. Those emails are below.

Thank you!

Publisher Rudi Alcott: ralcott@soundpublishing.com

Senior VP Josh O'Connor: josh.oconnor@soundpublishing.com

Chairman Todd Carpenter: todd.carpenter@carpentermediagroup.com

Guild: guild37082@gmail.com

Here's the letter I wrote to the editor and publisher:

This reader most certainly will notice the cuts in newsroom employees at Everett Herald, and any cuts made at South Whidbey Record and Whidbey News Times. I have had the pleasure of working with several journalists at these papers. They are doing important work informing our communities on serious issues impacting them. In our troubled times, a reliable fact-based local news source is essential in educating our communities and pushing back against the tidal wave of disinformation from social media and news radio.

I support the Everett NewsGuild as they fight these layoffs and insist on bargaining with the union.

Sincerely,

John Lovie

And here's the answer I received from the Chairman:

Thank you, Mr. Lovie, for expressing your thoughts to us. They are well-received here.

We share the values you express about the importance of journalism for our communities and the appreciation of good journalists. It is good know you have had a good experience several on our team.

In succeeding Black Press in responsibility for this newspaper we step into a situation where the economics of this and other newspapers owned would not work. From a business standpoint the situation was simple. Stay the course, go out of business. No journalism and no jobs for anyone.

Ours is a track record of creating jobs and building teams. We are experienced at stepping into such a situation and we know we now have the responsibility to preserve and support local journalism in these communities and position these institutions for a future that spans generations. We take that responsibility very seriously. You have our commitment to be earnest, deliberate and tireless in meeting that obligation.

When our work is completed and team developed there will be more journalism produced for the community, not less. We measure our work in quality of reporting and in productivity that prints. Ours is a measure of stories produced with minimum standards any good reporter can meet.

With our team we will develop the newspaper to include more and better stories over time. This is about the numbers of words on the page, not the number of people employed in a newsroom. One does not always track the other.

My background is in newsrooms with high expectations and good results from people who worked hard to earn a good reputation for doing excellent journalism. We will continue to pursue that standard at The Herald, where we will seek to work with the best and brightest, engage and stimulate a spirit of curiosity and sense of purpose, and pay well those who do well.

Thanks again for your readership and taking the time to share your sincere thoughts. Please continue to provide feedback, letting us know what we do well and what can be improved. We promise to listen, learn and apply. And we will work hard to measure up.

Best Regards,

Todd Carpenter

"This is about the numbers of words on the page, not the number of people employed in a newsroom." How are they planning to do that, one wonders? AI?

Lastly, Isabella Breda, environmental reporter for the Seattle Times and herself formerly of the Everett Herald, has stepped up to organize a GoFundMe for the Everett NewsGuild Strike Fund in support of a one-day strike this Monday, June 24th. I have contributed, and would encourage my subscribers and followers in the Puget Sound region - and Alaska - to consider doing the same.

Thanks for reading and for caring about local news.