US: Tough times for the New Jersey Star-Ledger

Yesterday, the New York Times published an article about buyouts at the New Jersey Star-Ledger, but really, a story about nearly every American newspaper today.

"...The bald fact is this newspaper can't stand on its own two feet now and something has to change," said Jim Willse, the paper's editor. "I told the staff yesterday that the problem we are suffering is like the plague. It is sweeping through our business and you can't expect beneficent ownership to ignore what is going on."

An article in the Star-Ledger on Friday announced the owners will sell the newspaper if they cannot win union concessions and persuade 200 of the 756 nonunion, full-time employees to take a buyout by October 1. The Star-Ledger, along with its sister paper, The Times of Trenton, is losing $30 million to $40 million a year.

The news is particularly disheartening, because, as Nick Carr, of NYT reports, the Star-Ledger is an excellent paper, and its owners - the Newshouse chain - are excellent owners.

"Under the sure hand of its editor, Jim Willse, The Star-Ledger is both modern -- big and pretty with strong photos, navigation and graphics -- and a throwback to the days when the most important story was the one just down the block. In short, it's the kind of newspaper that can get the laziest reader out of bed," writes Carr of his local paper.

In the article, Carr acknowledges the cliché that should be coming. "This is the place... where the knowing... point the finger at the evil, greedy owners and talk about their relentless pursuit of profits above all else. That's some other column. The Newhouse newspaper chain... owns 27 newspapers and has managed to maneuver through the past few years of downturns without brutal cuts... It has also invested in papers to the point where many of them are regional standouts, including The Oregonian in Portland, and The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, where it financed and supported the paper even as many businesses -- much of the advertising base -- deserted the place."


"It's a sad story not just for my friends who work at the paper," said Tom Moran, the paper's political columnist. "But for the state of New Jersey." A state which has been riddled with political corruption. "If this continues, the bad guys will have a lot less to worry about."

Source: The New York Times