Maybe it's not such a good idea to outsource 100 editors as the Toronto Star announced recently. Toronto Star Publisher John Cruickshank sent out a memo about the move and one editor just couldn't help herself (or himself) and edited the bejesus out of the thing. Click here to see the glorious mess via torontoist. (h/t: Dead Tree Edition)
Turns out McClatchy changed its terms of service across all its sites. The company wanted to emphasize that it could possibly, just maybe, start charging for content should the fancy strike them, among other things.
Here's the section about cost under the agreement:
From time to time, and at KansasCity.com's sole discretion, there may be certain content available via subscription or surcharge, and such content will be clearly marked. Because this is an advertising-supported service, we encourage you to patronize the advertisers that help to make this service possible. Note that currently most news articles remain available for 30 days in the pages of KansasCity.com. The Kansas City Star's electronic archives may carry a fee per full-text article downloaded.
Christian Hendricks, McClatchy's vice president of interactive media, cautioned not to read too much into it. The notifications went out with such language so they don't have to keep pinging readers about service updates. McClatchy, he said, has not made any decisions on whether to charge for content (or some content.) "Nothing is imminent. We are studying it like everybody else."
I should add, the Sacramento-based company has done a bang-up job selling online advertising across its properties and making the most of its alliance with Yahoo. In Q3, McClatchy reported that online revenue represented 17% of total revenue. Yes, print ad revenue's slice is shrinking, but still. McClatchy's ratio is way better than its peers.
That said, it doesn't look like the advertising revenue is going to bounce back anytime soon in general. This puts McClatchy is a perilous position as it tries to pay down its debt and not trip up covenants. -- Jennifer SabaShe also noted that the Times spends about $4 million to maintain secure bureaus in Iraq and Afghanistan. -- Joe Strupp
White House Communications Director Anita Dunn reportedly will step down from her post at the end of the month and her deputy, Dan Pfeiffer, will take over, according to The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog.
A former New York Post editor who claims she was fired after complaining about sexism and racism -- including this infamous cartoon that appeared to liken President Barack Obama to a chimp -- has sued the paper.
Reuters reports that a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court by Sandra Guzman, a black associate editor, claims she was fired Sept. 29 "in retaliation for complaints about allegedly pervasive racism and sexism at the newspaper."
The Huffington Post reveals the allegations range from a Post executive referring to Guzman as "Cha Cha #1" to a senior editor offering a reporting job to a female copy assistant in exchange for oral sex.
Monday's lawsuit said Guzman, the "only female editor of color at the Post," was among those who complained about the Feb. 18 cartoon that depicted a policeman shooting a crazed chimp and referred to Obama's stimulus plan. -- Joe StruppThe E&P crew wishes a Happy Birthday to "Sesame Street," which first aired 40 years ago today. YouTube has a ton of featured clips, but this one's a rare musical gem that's seldom mentioned -- and even features Kermit the Frog in his reporter persona. Enjoy "The Subway." -- Shawn Moynihan
As noted below, it started today and only part way. Here are some early reviews via Twitter:
@tdn_ today, with its new glossy paper, the SF Chronicle died and became a magazine, and a terrible one at that.
@colincampbell2 I like SF Chron's new glossy paper. Zingy color. At least they're trying, bless 'em
@dangeric The glossy paper of the SF Chronicle makes such a difference!! It's beautiful, on recycled paper, easier to read, and recyclable!
@jayfry3 Easy to read the whole SF Chronicle b4 heading to work these days. Sigh. And now it’s printed on glossy paper. That’ll help?
@jakemix Wow, I was joking when I said that the SF Chronicle will feel like a Best Buy insert. Turns out that's exactly what it's like.
@rhapsodytrip ummm. I'm really not cool with the SF Chronicle's new glossy paper used for their newspaper. what the hell.
@SFMichaelX I'm still old-school when it comes to the paper. I buy the Chronicle every day. I love the new paper. The photos are great!
Editor Nancy Barnes says in a note to the newsroom that about 30 of the cuts will come from newsroom and editorial staff - about a 10 percent reduction. She says those cuts will take up to two months. It's unclear how long the other cuts would take.
The company's operating committee announced the cuts Monday. In a memo to employees, the committee says "it is apparent that there will be job losses as we redefine how we operate."
The Star Tribune emerged from bankruptcy protection Sept. 28 with its main lenders becoming the new owners. Plummeting ad revenue prompted the newspaper to file for Chapter 11 last January.