Another Fourth Estate Funeral: Sayonara, Knight-Ridder

One more nail in quality journalism’s coffin: MediaNews, a Thomson-like chain of newspapers for profits’ sake (not to be confused with Jim Romenesko’s excellent Media News blog), is buying four Knight Ridder newspapers for $1 billion, including the venerable San Jose Mercury News. “Whether that is ultimately good or bad for journalistic competition in the region is being debated by everyone from readers and reporters to advertisers and competitors,” the Mercury-News hedgingly writes today. What journalistic competition? Other than the San Francisco Chronicle, one company owns the Bay Area’s media now. Maybe you can’t blame the Mercury-News for lathering the flattery on Dean Singleton, its new CEO and Jonathan Winters look-alike. “Paper’s buyer believes in local control,” the Mercury-News’ headline reads with just enough of a hint of irony behind the flattery (a paper buyer isn’t exactly something to hang your dividends on). The Times is less kind: “Mr. Singleton has cut a wide swath through the newspaper industry, becoming known more for his managerial zeal in cutting costs than his promotion of journalism. The Denver Post, his flagship, is in the midst of a reduction of 25 positions.” Then again, the New York Times Company is fresh out of its latest job-cutting jamboree too, so it’s not one to speak. It was left up to San Jose Newspaper Guild leaders to panic a little more honestly and call the deal “bad news for newspaper workers, readers, advertisers, and for our communities,” or to Steve Gossett to wonder whether Singleton is in one of his pacifying or napalming moods. Read the full eulogy...