Reaction to Crisis at the Gazette

We have covered quite a few big stories on this blog, including the special session, the District 18 vacancy, the millionaire tax, the County Council District 4 special election and the state police spying scandal. But none of these stories generated the intense interest that our Crisis at the Gazette series did.

First, do not judge this blog by the number of comments our posts receive. We only allow comments from people with Google accounts, which keeps most one-shot anonymous comments at bay. And most of our regular readers are politicians, government staffers, activists and lobbyists – the kind of people who are reluctant to discuss issues on the record. These two factors combine to minimize our online comments.

In terms of site visits, we are consistently in the top five among Maryland blogs that publicly release visit data. On Tuesday, Crisis Part Two generated links to us from many other sites including DCRTV, Media Bistro, PG Politics and countless private listserv posts. That traffic pushed our visits to three times their normal level and set an all-time one-day record for MPW. On Wednesday, Crisis Part Three was seen by double the number of people who normally visit this blog. On both days, we were the most-visited blog in the state (of those that publish data) and it was not even close.

When readers have opinions on my posts, they call me and email me directly. This story was no exception. Readers are astonished at the Gazette’s rock-bottom pay levels and those who contacted me universally believe their reporters deserve more. But a few readers think I am only getting part of the story. They point out that the Gazette’s problems started years before the layoffs and tick off a long list of distinguished editors and reporters who have left. “If they weren’t going through such a brain drain, they would be better equipped to deal with their economic challenges,” says one observer.

Employee instability goes to the top of the company. In the middle of 2006, the newspaper’s much-respected, longtime top editor left. His successor lasted just three months. At the beginning of this year, the Gazette hired a number two manager to work directly under the CEO. That manager also left within a few months. “You are only seeing the smoke,” one reader told me. “There’s a fire going on in there.”

Another reader pointed out that the Washington Post recently reported on its parent company’s financial problems but left out any mention of the Gazette. The Post story contained this tidbit:

The Post has had three rounds of buyouts in five years, reducing its newsroom from more than 900 journalists to fewer than 700, but has never had newsroom layoffs.

How comforting to the laid-off Gazette employees! While they did receive severance payments, they had no choice concerning their departures as did their Post colleagues.

As for Gazette management, they have initiated the first consequence of their layoffs. They have closed their Sykesville office and have merged their coverage of Carroll County into their Frederick desk. The Gazette’s new website no longer has a Carroll County tab. As of this writing, their Frederick page has 24 current stories, none of which cover Carroll. Will this someday be the fate of Burtonsville, Aspen Hill, Poolesville or Damascus?

We are also told that Gazette management is quietly searching for our sources. My blogger profile was accessed over 100 times on Tuesday and Wednesday and there was a number of long, intensive searches through my older posts. Could Gazette management be reacting like a typical target of investigative journalism: staying the course but seeking to plug the leaks?

Here are three better courses of action.

1. Pay the reporters more than hairdressers or security guards.

2. Pay the reporters overtime consistent with current Department of Labor regulations. Even the Bush Administration recognizes that the majority of journalists are due overtime pay under federal law.

3. Rebuild the newspaper by committing to hire, develop and retain the best talent, from the reporters up through the executive offices.

The Gazette was once a great local newspaper. It can be great again with the right leadership. We are watching.