E&P: Guild Calls on Officials to Probe MediaNews Deal for 4 Papers

[DeepModem Mom]

Guild Calls on Officials to Probe MediaNews Deal for 4 Papers
By E&P Staff
Published: April 28, 2006

NEW YORK The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America on Thursday called on state and federal regulators to study the $1 billion sale of the San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Monterey Herald and St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press to the MediaNews Group (with a boost from the Hearst Corp.)

"We believe that a common interest exists among McClatchy shareholders, employees and the communities served by the 12 Knight Ridder newspapers being sold by McClatchy Co.," Guild President Linda Foley said in a statement. "TNG-CWA continues to believe that the bid by The Yucaipa Cos. for all 12 newspapers is likely to deliver the best value and we call on McClatchy Co. to provide evidence that shareholder, employee and community interests are being best served by yesterday's announcement."...

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"The newspaper industry is already dominated by a small circle of ownership groups," Foley added. "Yesterday's news drew that circle even smaller."...

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_di...

[Peace Patriot]

1. One of THE major problems facing our democracy is corporate news

monopolies--and, most especially, corporate news monopolies with a fascist agenda (rule by big business and the rich; use of the poor as cannon fodder for wars of conquest, or as slave labor--an economic/political agenda often used in conjunction with rightwing religion, to prevent democracy). Virtually all of our corporate news organizations have a fascist agenda. The one exception has been Knight-Ridder, a news service that reported honestly and truthfully about the Iraq War, for instance, while all other corporaate news organizations were shoveling Bush junta propaganda at us.

As a consequence of their honesty and integrity as a news organization, Knight-Ridder was subjected to a rightwing insider attack (in the board room) and was sold--without any good financial reason to do so-- to the McClatchy group, which in turn is about to sell several of Knight-Ridder's newspapers to a rightwing news monopoliy, the MediaNews Group.

Most of our war profiteering corporate news monopolies are already established--the result of Reagan-era deregulation that has reached ridiculous lengths today. With this Knight-Ridder sale, we are seeing one of the death throes of our democracy as it happens.

The Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America are to be much applauded for fighting back! This is an extremely important fight--one that could start the tide turning back the other way, toward a free press and toward democracy, especially given the disrepute into which the Bush junta has fallen. Knight-Ridder was right in its honest reporting about the war, and all others--the New York Times, the Washington Post, AP, CBS-NBC-ABC-Faux-CNN-Time-Newsweek, and all the newspaper/TV/radio monopolies, were wrong.

Here's to freedom of the press and the restoration of American democracy! And to the Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America!

[NVMojo]

2. isn't this the first time an opposition this large has happened in media?

I am so sick of being just a consumer with a wallet for these corporate jerks.