Moon Sets on 'Wash Times'?

Just new leadership? Or folding, or going online only, or what?  The political site Talking Points Memo, which has new Washington bureau,  is covering more than anyone now.

O, Canada!

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)

McClatchy Opens Door to Charging on Web?

Two change of terms of service agreements landed in my in-box over the past couple of days -- one from the Sac Bee and the other from the KC Star. I had registered eons ago with both sites. 

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 Saba

Shribman, Abramson Praise New Media to Students and ... Wait, HOW Much?

Two top newspaper editors told students at the University of Notre Dame that the emerging new media must be utilized if newspapers are going to survive.

Jill Abramson, managing editor for news at The New York Times, and David Shribman, executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, made that point during an appearance Monday sponsored by the university's Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy.

“I hope the printed product lasts a long time. I think it has virtue and value,” Shribman said, according to the campus' Observer newspaper. “But we can do so much more in journalism now. There’s such a richer atmosphere and so many opportunities.” Abramson said the Internet had changed the business, noting newspapers in the late 1980s and early 1990s were “fat and happy.”

She also noted that the Times spends about $4 million to maintain secure bureaus in Iraq and Afghanistan. -- Joe Strupp

Beefed-up Security at 'Washington Times'?

In light of recent firings at The Washington Times, it seems that security has been beefed up at its offices, according to a Talking Points Memo post.

TPM cites “three newsroom sources” in its report that when three executives were fired on Sunday, armed guards were placed on the third floor of the building, where management offices are located. While the building always has private security personnel in the lobby, sources who spoke to TPM say that this is beyond the normal level of security.

TPM was unable to get a comment from Jonathan Slevin, the newspaper’s acting president and publisher, who instead referred them to public relations firm Rubin Meyer Communications. Don Meyer, a Washington Times spokesman and parter at Rubin Meyer, told TPM that he had not been to the building and therefore could not comment on the additional security. -- Elaine WIlliams

Whopping 54-Part Series Honors Medal Of Valor Winners

Stephens Media of Las Vegas, which owns 30 daily newspapers in nine states including the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has launched a 54-part series recognizing American military personal who have received medals of valor in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The project launched last Sunday with eight profiles and will continue this coming Sunday with a focus on the eight Medal of Honor winners. On Nov. 17, the series will resume with one profile each day through the end of 2009.

"We have worked hard to find medal recipients that represent all types of service personnel who have been honored for bravery at their moment of truth," Charlie Waters, director of editorial support services, said in a statement to E&P. "The project includes members of the national guard, reservists and full time warriors, and covers the full spectrum of ethnicity, backgrounds and gender."

A Web site offering the entire series, along with videos and photos, has also been launched. A list of papers running the series, including several not owned by Stephens Media, is here. -- Joe Strupp

White House Communications Director to Step Down

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.

Dunn, a Democratic consultant, took the post on an interim basis earlier this year when Ellen Moran left the post to take a job at the Commerce Department, The Fix reveals. It adds that Dunn will return to Squier Knapp Dunn, the consulting firm where she is a partner, but will remain a White House consultant. -- Joe Strupp

Former 'Record' Staffer Launches Critical Blog

The Record of Hackensack, N.J., is the latest daily paper to have a former staffer launch a blog critical of its work.

"Eye on The Record" launched last month by Victor E. Sasson appears to make no bones about his dislike of his former employer. Sasson, who writes that he was a 29-year employee of the daily until 2008, states it "was once respected for its enterprising journalism" but has since reduced local coverage in search of journalism prizes.

It also refers to the paper as The Record of Woodland Park, noting most of the staff has relocated to the offices of its sibling, the Herald News. No immediate reaction from Record editors who are, no doubt, not fans. -- Joe Strupp

Former 'NY Post' Editor Who Objected to Chimp Cartoon Sues Paper

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 Strupp

Tussle Continues Over Rights to 'Dick Tracy'

A federal judge has ruled that actor Warren Beatty can proceed with his lawsuit against Tribune Media Services (TMS) over the rights to comic strip detective Dick Tracy.

Beatty, court papers say, acquired the movie and TV rights for “Dick Tracy” in 1985, and starred in and directed the 1990 film adaptation that won three Academy awards. TMS claims a deal that allowed the rights to be granted to Beatty had lapsed because he had not begun working on a new project based on the character. Beatty says he was producing a television special last year about "Dick Tracy" when he was notified the rights had lapsed.

Check out our full report, here. -- Shawn Moynihan

 

Hockey Hall Of Fame Honors 'Pittsburgh Post-Gazette' Sportswriter

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports writer Dave Molinari has been recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, given each year by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

The Hall of Fame announcement states: "Molinari is described by his colleagues as a survivor whose subtle blend of dry wit, humour and sardonic writing style has captivated readers in Pittsburgh for more than two decades."

Molinari has covered the Penguins for 27 seasons with the Post-Gazette and prior to that with the now-defunct Pittsburgh Press. -- Joe Strupp

We Tip Our Hat to 'Sesame Street'

The 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

Murdoch: Yes, Obama Racist

In a weekend interview,  now getting wide play here, Rupert Murdoch said it was wrong for his employee, Glenn Beck, to say that Obama was racist-- but actually, he was right to feel that way.  Murdoch also made news asserting that his newspaper sites would try to keep Google linkage out.

Baby Talk: The Great Health Care Debate

The Daily Show covers the House debate on the health bill, or "The Men Who Stare at Votes."

Readers Tweet Reaction to 'SF Chron' Going Glossy

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!

Big New Job Cuts at 'Strib'

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Star Tribune is cutting about 100 jobs as Minnesota's largest newspaper further trims costs after emerging from bankruptcy protection.

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.