Newspapers In Crisis

A front page headline tops a story about negotiations between labor and ownership that threatens to close the newspaper unless the unions agree to $20 million in cuts at The Boston Globe Monday, May 4, 2009, in Boston. The Globe's largest workers union and newspaper representatives finished all-night contract-concession talks without a deal Monday, but plan to be back at the bargaining table soon. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)

AAPP says: It's not looking good for my home town paper The Boston Globe, or for that matter newspapers in general. One of the great newspapers in Chicago, The Chicago Sun Times is having a rough time as well. As reported by Politico.com, asked in his Monday briefing if the White House would consider bailing out the newspaper business, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters the government may not have the power to reverse the industry’s decline.

“I don’t know what, in all honesty, government can do about it,” Gibbs said in response to a question about the Boston Globe’s financial struggles.



Noting that it's a "bit of a tricky area to get into," given the relationship between the White House and the media, Gibbs said President Barack Obama “believes there has to be a strong free press" and expressed "concern and sadness" over the state of the industry. More HERE

The Huffington Post is covering this story with a heading: White House: We Can't Save Newspapers

Katharine Zaleski at the Huffington Post writes, It's a big week for the newspaper industry. The Boston Globe received a reprieve from parent company The New York Times this morning. According to the AP:

The Globe's owner, The New York Times Co., had threatened to close the newspaper unless its unions agreed to $20 million in cuts to annual expenses by midnight Sunday. The company showed labor negotiators a draft of a 60-day shutdown notice, required under federal law, and said it would file it if concession demands were not met. The Guild called that a "bullying" tactic.

Tomorrow, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) will hold hearings on the fate of the industry. Last month, Kerry sent a letter to the Boston Globe family stating his concern:

"America's newspapers are struggling to survive and while there will be serious consequences in terms of the lives and financial security of the employees involved, including hundreds at the Globe, there will also be serious consequences for our democracy where diversity of opinion and strong debate are paramount"

AAPP: I guess the newspapers are getting in line after Chrysler Corporation, that recently filed for bankruptcy. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. We surely don't need one newspaper towns throughout America. At this point there won't be a bailout for newspapers.

Like so many others in Boston, America, and around the world, I could not think about a world without my Home Town newspaper The Boston Globe.