Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday | April 30 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Which sentiment best reflects today's Gannett?
These were both posted here on the same day, April 24.
News Department Vice President Kate Marymont: "Gannett company has always championed free speech, a cornerstone of a free society."
Anonymous@7:50 p.m, writing about me: "He's a coward encouraging other cowards, and he should be punished severely. Nothing is too extreme for him."
News Department Vice President Kate Marymont: "Gannett company has always championed free speech, a cornerstone of a free society."
Anonymous@7:50 p.m, writing about me: "He's a coward encouraging other cowards, and he should be punished severely. Nothing is too extreme for him."
How technology changes workplace management
"In the future,
agitators will be aggregators."
-- ???
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Timeline | A catalog of threatening remarks
Some comments posted on this blog in the weeks before the annual company meeting began making me uncomfortable:
Tuesday, April 14, 8:28 p.m.
Everyone knows that Tara's communication staff spends their entire day counting and summarizing the blog comments for Dubow and Martore. Why is this so shocking?
Friday, April 17, 11:09 a.m.
You suck, Jim, and you need to be stopped with whatever means possible. Stop Jim. Today.
Friday, April 24, 7:50 p.m.
That's why Jim needs to feel the flames. He's a coward encouraging other cowards, and he should be punished severely. Nothing is too extreme for him.
Saturday, April 25, 7:11 p.m.
Jim, We know what you look like. Unless Sparky needs to add pics to his collection or can't bear you're gone we don't need to see your "thinking man on plane,'' or "worried about time in a cab," shots. Kinda lends creadence to an egoist, eh? Oh, and by the way, you'll likely get one question at the meeting, so it better be a good one.....I'm sure they're prepared for anything you throw at them.
10:09 p.m.
Jim, did you fuck those dachsunds (note the correct spelling)?
Sunday, April 26, 4 p.m.
How to flush out a hypocrite. To Jim Hopkins: Your performance during the last two days indicates someone with serious journalistic deficiencies. We are requesting that you post your last five job performance evaluations here at the site. Failure to do so indicates you cannot refute the allegations and/or that you have something to hide. Also, we would like to see any information about any time you were perceived as a threat to credibility or to other employees, whether they were management personnel or your peers. Please comply fully and immediately. Sincerely, A Genuine Journalism Watchdog Who Is Disgusted with You.
Monday, April 27, 12:35 a.m.
We should offer a reward for anyone who can spot Jim and identify his alter ego. We'll do this like Fahrenheit 451, only this time it'll be used for good. Everyone in the Washington area should watch for Jim. Then post the relevant info.
11:11 p.m.
45-1: The soap-opera ending: Jim's long-dead lover reveals himself to be alive in a shocking plot twist, just as Spanky shows up to surprise Jim. Gunplay and wanking result. Gannett turns the event into a seven-part series that spawns two best-sellers, a Pulitzer, and a movie. Bronson Pinchot plays Jim to a T.
Wednesday, April 29, 1:35 p.m.
Corporate has hired a consultant to help with marketing and communications. The person is also consulting Dubow, Martore and Connell on how in "interfere" with the Gannett Blog. Apparently, Tara Connell's team is responsible for much of the commenting on this blog today (and yesterday). They were out in full force yesterday trying to combat Jim's performance by "spinning" it.
Friday, May 1, 1:35 p.m.
"Dubow would love to kill you FAG"
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
[Photo: My USA Today ID card, with photo taken my first day]
Tuesday, April 14, 8:28 p.m.
Everyone knows that Tara's communication staff spends their entire day counting and summarizing the blog comments for Dubow and Martore. Why is this so shocking?
Friday, April 17, 11:09 a.m.
You suck, Jim, and you need to be stopped with whatever means possible. Stop Jim. Today.
Friday, April 24, 7:50 p.m.
That's why Jim needs to feel the flames. He's a coward encouraging other cowards, and he should be punished severely. Nothing is too extreme for him.
Saturday, April 25, 7:11 p.m.
Jim, We know what you look like. Unless Sparky needs to add pics to his collection or can't bear you're gone we don't need to see your "thinking man on plane,'' or "worried about time in a cab," shots. Kinda lends creadence to an egoist, eh? Oh, and by the way, you'll likely get one question at the meeting, so it better be a good one.....I'm sure they're prepared for anything you throw at them.
10:09 p.m.
Jim, did you fuck those dachsunds (note the correct spelling)?
Sunday, April 26, 4 p.m.How to flush out a hypocrite. To Jim Hopkins: Your performance during the last two days indicates someone with serious journalistic deficiencies. We are requesting that you post your last five job performance evaluations here at the site. Failure to do so indicates you cannot refute the allegations and/or that you have something to hide. Also, we would like to see any information about any time you were perceived as a threat to credibility or to other employees, whether they were management personnel or your peers. Please comply fully and immediately. Sincerely, A Genuine Journalism Watchdog Who Is Disgusted with You.
Monday, April 27, 12:35 a.m.
We should offer a reward for anyone who can spot Jim and identify his alter ego. We'll do this like Fahrenheit 451, only this time it'll be used for good. Everyone in the Washington area should watch for Jim. Then post the relevant info.
11:11 p.m.
45-1: The soap-opera ending: Jim's long-dead lover reveals himself to be alive in a shocking plot twist, just as Spanky shows up to surprise Jim. Gunplay and wanking result. Gannett turns the event into a seven-part series that spawns two best-sellers, a Pulitzer, and a movie. Bronson Pinchot plays Jim to a T.
Wednesday, April 29, 1:35 p.m.
Corporate has hired a consultant to help with marketing and communications. The person is also consulting Dubow, Martore and Connell on how in "interfere" with the Gannett Blog. Apparently, Tara Connell's team is responsible for much of the commenting on this blog today (and yesterday). They were out in full force yesterday trying to combat Jim's performance by "spinning" it.
Friday, May 1, 1:35 p.m.
"Dubow would love to kill you FAG"
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
[Photo: My USA Today ID card, with photo taken my first day]
E-mail I never imagined exchanging with Wimmer
The following exchange started at 7:06 a.m. ET on Monday:
April 27, 2009
Kurt Wimmer
General Counsel
Gannett Co. Inc.
7950 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Va. 22107
By e-mail
Kurt:
As you know, I'm attending tomorrow's annual company meeting as a shareholder. I'm seeking answers to a number of questions that Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow has refused to answer through his representative, Vice President Tara Connell. Every shareholder has a right to participate fully in this historic meeting. I'm committed to making sure my presence does not prevent that from happening. A few questions:
1. Are you confident there will be adequate security for all shareholders at this event? (Kroll is offering me a private security detail at an attractive price, but I would rather avoid that step.)
2. Will security personnel allow me to bring my cellphone into the meeting room?
Thanks!
Jim Hopkins
He replied later that day:
Jim -- sorry for the delay -- it's been a hectic day. Yes, we will have appropriate security in place for our annual meeting. If you wish to bring your own security or if you have specific concerns, however, please let us know. It's perfectly fine for you to bring in a cellphone so long as it's switched off during the meeting itself.
Kurt
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
April 27, 2009
Kurt Wimmer
General Counsel
Gannett Co. Inc.
7950 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Va. 22107
By e-mail
Kurt:
As you know, I'm attending tomorrow's annual company meeting as a shareholder. I'm seeking answers to a number of questions that Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow has refused to answer through his representative, Vice President Tara Connell. Every shareholder has a right to participate fully in this historic meeting. I'm committed to making sure my presence does not prevent that from happening. A few questions:
1. Are you confident there will be adequate security for all shareholders at this event? (Kroll is offering me a private security detail at an attractive price, but I would rather avoid that step.)
2. Will security personnel allow me to bring my cellphone into the meeting room?
Thanks!
Jim Hopkins
He replied later that day:
Jim -- sorry for the delay -- it's been a hectic day. Yes, we will have appropriate security in place for our annual meeting. If you wish to bring your own security or if you have specific concerns, however, please let us know. It's perfectly fine for you to bring in a cellphone so long as it's switched off during the meeting itself.
Kurt
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
How to pin down a CEO on a question he dodged
[Dubow, back to wall]
"Let me tell you how I made my decision,
and then we can end this for once and all.''
-- Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow, responding to my last question at the annual company meeting. Five months after I first asked, he finally admitted that he arranged for $40,000 in Gannett Foundation charitable money to be deposited in the Craig A. and Denise W. Dubow Scholarship Fund at Western Carolina University. At Dubow's request, the fund is off-limits to virtually every Gannett employee.
You don't want to know, but you can't help it
"It's like driving past your ex-wife's house to
see if anyone's there."
-- Anonymous@9:28 p.m. yesterday, commenting on why employees continue returning to Gannett Blog, well after they've left GCI.
History | A long-ago date, and a fateful choice
[October 1987: I was 30, first day on the job in Little Rock, Ark.]
Part 1
On Sept. 10, 2007, Vice President Tara Connell was no doubt putting the finishing touches on a bizarrely worded and even more bizarrely timed memo. The next day, it would be zapped across the company's entire network, a process I believe that can take many hours to deliver to something like 31,000 e-mail accounts.
Read it now, and you'll see that the note, written over the signature of the chairman and chief executive officer of the No. 1 newspaper publisher in the United States of America, is predicting an ominous wave of layoffs, pension freezes, crashing stock prices, six-figure all-cash bonuses, Gannett Foundation insanity, shameful golf trips -- oh, you get the picture.
Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow, working side by side with an especially powerful chief financial officer in Gracia Martore, was about to start dismantling a 101-year-old company that traced its roots to what is now the Star-Gazette in Elmira, N.Y. (Many of you recognize that name because of Elmira Confidential.)
Part 2
And so, that next day, a very strange release date, someone hit the send button on that e-mail, and it chugged and chugged across Gannett.
But it didn't make its way to Gannett Blog.
That is because Gannett Blog did not exist. Barely 18 months ago, there was no blog whatsover about the No. 1 newspaper publisher in the U.S., even though the company had more than 50,000 employees in companies coast to coast and in the United Kingdom.
I had been wrestling for days with a decision about whether to launch what is now this blog, which by then I had been keeping privately for a year. In the end, though, my gut instinct told me to hit the publish button later that day, with this post.
I mention this now, because I just spent several hours, deleting hundreds of comments posted here beginning Saturday, when I arrived in Washington, D.C., for a Q&A with the chairman and chief executive officer of the Gannett Co. Inc., a Fortune 500 company in which I own one share of stock, but 20 years of sweat equity.
Part 3
Here's the point: I enjoy my new job very, very much. But isn't it extraordinary, how technology can now arbitrarily hand just one person so much strength through crowdsourcing? You may or may not like my editing style. We'll often disagree. But as I once more put one foot in front of the other with this post, I really want to earn everyone's trust, and run a big-tent show.
Keep coming back. It works, if you work it!
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
What I'm doing right now
9:47 p.m., San Francisco time: Deleting hundreds of comments posted on my blog over the past week by dangerous goons while Corporate stood by, silently. Indeed, I'm beginning to think this really was the work of The 11th Floor. I'll know more tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday | April 29 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Style | On interviewing a CEO before 1,000 people
Now, I don't know that 1,000 people were watching me in the auditorium or on the company network. But with repeat viewings, the numbers ought to get that high.
I interviewed him prosecutor-style, weaving commentary into the question, because you're trying to win over an audience. In my first year as a reporter in Arkansas at The Pine Bluff Commercial, a savings and loan executive, Del "Pepsi" Brannon, ordered me out of the headquarters one fall day in 1986. He rang up my editor, Don Williams, and chewed him out.
Later, Don delighted in telling me that Brannon complained I'd grilled him and the other executives as though I were a prosecutor. FirstSouth soon failed; I had uncovered the first signs of bank fraud, which I laid at the door of its outside general counsel, E. Harley Cox Jr. He was later convicted of bank fraud, and served a prison sentence. (President Clinton pardoned Cox on the way out of the White House.)
Williams, and later Max Brantley of The Arkansas Gazette; then John Costa at The Idaho Statesman; and Stan MacDonald at The Courier-Journal, and John and Jane Does 1-500 at USA Today, encouraged me to push and push and push some more for the truth. I loved my job then, and I love it even more now.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
I interviewed him prosecutor-style, weaving commentary into the question, because you're trying to win over an audience. In my first year as a reporter in Arkansas at The Pine Bluff Commercial, a savings and loan executive, Del "Pepsi" Brannon, ordered me out of the headquarters one fall day in 1986. He rang up my editor, Don Williams, and chewed him out.
Later, Don delighted in telling me that Brannon complained I'd grilled him and the other executives as though I were a prosecutor. FirstSouth soon failed; I had uncovered the first signs of bank fraud, which I laid at the door of its outside general counsel, E. Harley Cox Jr. He was later convicted of bank fraud, and served a prison sentence. (President Clinton pardoned Cox on the way out of the White House.)Williams, and later Max Brantley of The Arkansas Gazette; then John Costa at The Idaho Statesman; and Stan MacDonald at The Courier-Journal, and John and Jane Does 1-500 at USA Today, encouraged me to push and push and push some more for the truth. I loved my job then, and I love it even more now.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Annual meeting | Video of me questioning Dubow
To my surprise, the entire meeting video can be watched on Corporate's homepage -- or on this public server.
Wausau | Beck slapped? Dubow wouldn't say
I asked Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow during the company meeting whether Publisher Michael Beck would be reprimanded, in light of the breach of trust that occurred this month at Wisconsin's Wausau Daily Herald. Dubow refused to say, calling it a "personnel matter."
Commentz Korner | Debate whether to moderate!
I promised to keep comments wide open at least through the annual meeting. Before I return to aggressive moderating, I'd like your opinions. Please debate a commenting policy for yours truly.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Tag cloud | Visualizing CEO Dubow's 2009 speech
better business changes company content continue creating customer detroit digital economy effort employees everyday major media newspapers operating revenues shoplocal strategic today ways work year
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Blind Item | Old Gannett holds a royal wedding
They're assembling now at a familiar location. But will the bride wear white -- or will she favor orange?[Photo: Socialite C.Z. Guest with her son, Alexander, by a Grecian temple at her mother-in-law's Palm Beach home, 1955]
Swine flu | Share your tips and story ideas here!
Got an idea about this growing health crisis? Need an idea? Please post your replies in the comments section, below.
To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Kritics Korner | Annual meeting by the numbers
[Limos outside Gannett Tower: at least four]
41,500
number of Gannett employees worldwide
4,123
number unique visitors to Gannett Blog yesterday
10
or less: number people questioning management during Q&A session
1
number people questioning management while also
As the Wednesday-morning quarterbacking begins . . .
41,500
number of Gannett employees worldwide
4,123
number unique visitors to Gannett Blog yesterday
10
or less: number people questioning management during Q&A session
1
number people questioning management while also
blogging about Gannett
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday | April 28 | Annual Meeting Edition
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Traffic | Key events that drive page views higher
[Hour by hour: Red is page views; yellow, visits]
1. Gannett annual company meeting starts.
2. I post photos of directors climbing into limousines.
3. Something's going down, in Motown!
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
List | Candidates for the next Detroit CEO
In the pipeline to replace Dave Hunke as chief of the Detroit Media Partnership, after he got named USA Today publisher today.
1. Susie Ellwood, executive vice president and general manager.
2. Paul Anger, editor of the Detroit Free Press, and the top news executive on the paper's recent Pulitzer Prizewinning mayoral investigation.
Now, it's your turn: What are you hearing? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
1. Susie Ellwood, executive vice president and general manager.
2. Paul Anger, editor of the Detroit Free Press, and the top news executive on the paper's recent Pulitzer Prizewinning mayoral investigation.
Now, it's your turn: What are you hearing? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Sacred cows | Why they don't like me at Corporate
It's embarrassing when a stockholder shows up Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow in front of his buddies on the board of directors. And Shalala, 68, is an original buddy. Gannett has paid $666,142 in fees to the former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary since she joined the board in 2001. That figure includes the estimated value of stock options that have declined in value with the share price, however.
Shalala is one of two directors on the board that hired Dubow in 2005; the other is Presiding Director Karen Hastie Williams.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Detroit | Something's going down, in Motown!
A reliable tipster says: "There will be a 3 p.m. announcement tomorrow in Detroit about Detroit." (My source provided the original tip on Dave Hunke getting named USA Today publisher.)
Separated at birth? Neuharth vs. Neuharth-Ozgo
One of these women got paid $514,646 in fees and expenses as a member of the Freedom Forum board of trustees from 2000-07, the charity's annual public IRS reports show.The other got $100 in monthly child support from Dec. 18, 1963, until she turned 21, according to a copy of an Agreement Compromising Claim for Support of Child Born Out of Wedlock, which she provided to me. The original is filed in Monroe County's Rochester, N.Y.
The individual responsible for these payments declined to discuss the matter when I asked him this morning.
A.P.: Dubow 'faced pointed questions' at meeting
From a new Associated Press story, now on the wire:
CEO Craig Dubow faced pointed questions from Jim Hopkins, a former Gannett employee who now runs a blog that frequently posts hostile critiques of Gannett management. His questions ranged from Dubow's compensation to the seating arrangement at the annual meeting. Outside the corporate headquarters, two protesters waved signs, including one calling for Dubow's ouster.
CEO Craig Dubow faced pointed questions from Jim Hopkins, a former Gannett employee who now runs a blog that frequently posts hostile critiques of Gannett management. His questions ranged from Dubow's compensation to the seating arrangement at the annual meeting. Outside the corporate headquarters, two protesters waved signs, including one calling for Dubow's ouster.
Dissed | Forcing Dubow to address me by my name
Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow kept addressing me without uttering my name, even though I introduced myself several times at the microphone, as instructed. Finally, I said, "What is my name?" He looked startled. I repeated the question, and then he complied.
Indeed, as I continued boring in with questions, Dubow, 54, appeared to grow a bit testy, and then finally refused to answer any more. Overall, he was contemptuous of my desire to get answers to legitimate questions.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Indeed, as I continued boring in with questions, Dubow, 54, appeared to grow a bit testy, and then finally refused to answer any more. Overall, he was contemptuous of my desire to get answers to legitimate questions.
Meanwhile, Presiding Director Karen Hastie Williams, 64 (left), kept her back to me the entire time. Indeed, I pointed out to the audience of about 300 that all the board members were seated with their backs to shareholders during much of the meeting. (Upon my question, Dubow said Williams would continue as a member of the company's audit committee. As a member of four other corporate boards, she sits on three other audit committees as well.)
Directors plus retired CEOs Al Neuharth and Doug McCorkindale (next to Al) were in a VIP section up front that seated about 60. I asked Dubow how many laid-off employees were seated in the section. I believe he said he did not know.
Finally, a particularly large guard from Admiral Security Services kept hovering around me. I asked if he was carrying a gun, and he refused to say. I asked again, and was directed to another Gannett employee. She told me the guard was unarmed.
Finally, a particularly large guard from Admiral Security Services kept hovering around me. I asked if he was carrying a gun, and he refused to say. I asked again, and was directed to another Gannett employee. She told me the guard was unarmed.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Urgent: Dubow says $40K went to his private fund
Under my questioning during this morning's annual meeting, CEO Craig Dubow finally conceded that $40,000 in Gannett Foundation money he directed to Western Carolina University in North Carolina was deposited in the Craig A. and Denise W. Dubow Scholarship Fund. The fund is off limits to virtually all Gannett employees. He and Executive Director Tara Connell have been dodging the question for more than four months.
Urgent: Dubow, seven other directors re-elected
GCI's directors: Starting on the top row, left to right, with powerful executive committee members in boldface: Dubow, Elias, Harper, Louis, Magner, McCune, McFarland, Shalala, Shapiro and Williams.Shareholders today re-elected Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow, Howard D. Elias, Marjorie Magner, Scott K. McCune, Duncan M. McFarland, Donna E. Shalala, Neal Shapiro and Karen Hastie Williams to the board of directors at the annual meeting. Each received more than 95% of the votes cast, Corporate says.
Annual meeting | I'd like to get a transcript
And I'd do the transcribing myself, if I could get access to a tape of the approximately one-hour meeting.
Urgent: Detroit's Hunke named USAT publisher
The CEO (left) of the Gannett-controlled Detroit newspapers succeeds Craig Moon, who retired April 17 after six years as publisher of the company's flagship, GCI just announced. Dave Hunke's promotion had been rumored for weeks; he has been chief executive of the Detroit Media Partnership since 2005. Also, Corporate formally elevated John Hillkirk to the position of editor, replacing Ken Paulson.
Annual meeting | Pictures worth millions of words
Grinning former Chairman and CEO Al Neuharth, 85, safely inside his chauffered Mercedes-Benz SUV, moments after annual meeting's conclusion. He was ignoring a question I posed repeatedly at the request of Rosamunda Neuharth-Ozgo. The driver shoved me aside.
Director and private equity executive Marge Magner.
Director Donna Shalala squeezes into her limousine. The car, one of four black vehicles stationed out front in the sun, was kept running so it would be cool when she wanted to leave.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
What I'm doing right now
9:31 a.m. ET, McLean, Va.: Taking a self-portrait outside the Frank E. Gannett Auditorium. The annual meeting starts in less than 30 minutes. I'm entering the room shortly, and will turn off my cellphone. I expect to be back online after 11:30 a.m.
Annual meeting | Here we come!
8:26 a.m. ET, riding in the official Gannett Blog chase car, with Mr. Muhammad (visible over my left shoulder) at the wheel and Mr. Blount of Kroll riding shotgun as head of our security detail.
Wausau | Corporate tells pubs: protect readers
From a memo issued by Vice President Kate Marymont of the News Department, according to a reader. I just got a copy; the full document was sent to publishers and editors Friday, the reader says. The subject is: "An update on protecting sources and posters." Her advisory follows a shocking incident of betrayal by the Wausau Daily Herald.
Forums and blogs are powerful tools to let the voiceless be heard. Sometimes the debates and discussions can get heated or ugly. We have to have a high tolerance for debate while at the same time insisting on a certain amount of civility. Our journalists are asked often to identify those who have posted controversial comments. Gannett's policy is to refuse those requests. If a subpoena is served, the law department should be notified and will step in. . . . One caveat: If the post contains a specific threat of violence -- as opposed to a menacing statement -- we will cooperate with or notify authorities.
Please make sure that you are carving out time to discuss these policies with your journalists. With today's hectic pace it's more important than ever that everyone understand our company positions. That will make decisions easier when issues pop up.
From an e-mail I got yesterday from Sherry Weinkauf, Clerk of the Village of Weston; she was responding to an open-records request I filed under Wisconsin state law:
I am in receipt of your open records request addressed to Fred Schuster. I am in the process of assembling this information and should have the documents copied and mailed to you by the end of the week. There is a 25 cent per page copying charge. I will send an invoice along with the documents.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Forums and blogs are powerful tools to let the voiceless be heard. Sometimes the debates and discussions can get heated or ugly. We have to have a high tolerance for debate while at the same time insisting on a certain amount of civility. Our journalists are asked often to identify those who have posted controversial comments. Gannett's policy is to refuse those requests. If a subpoena is served, the law department should be notified and will step in. . . . One caveat: If the post contains a specific threat of violence -- as opposed to a menacing statement -- we will cooperate with or notify authorities.Please make sure that you are carving out time to discuss these policies with your journalists. With today's hectic pace it's more important than ever that everyone understand our company positions. That will make decisions easier when issues pop up.
From an e-mail I got yesterday from Sherry Weinkauf, Clerk of the Village of Weston; she was responding to an open-records request I filed under Wisconsin state law:
I am in receipt of your open records request addressed to Fred Schuster. I am in the process of assembling this information and should have the documents copied and mailed to you by the end of the week. There is a 25 cent per page copying charge. I will send an invoice along with the documents.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
List | Ingredients for Web 2.0-style reporting
[Trade tools: kit for today's annual meeting; it starts at 10 a.m. ET]
1. Confirm final Kroll security and transportation arrangements.
2. Conduct jaw-dropping evening interview with Rosamunda Neuharth-Ozgo (left) about her new article, My father Al Neuharth and media hypocrisy.3. Buy four disposable flash cameras in case Corporate's security gets overly aggressive.
4. Pack eight remaining Gannett Blog caps (Howie got one, and Rosamunda smiled wide when she got the other).
5. Master stabilization straps on new Incase black messenger laptop bag, perfect for chasing CEOs and board members who try to evade questions. (See, former mutual fund kingpin Peter Lynch.)
6. Pause to marvel that management's critics still haven't figured out why I attended last year's meeting.
7. Inventory Gannett Blog post cards; business cards, AT&T aircard.
8. Advise protesters who sought counsel.
9. Recite the serenity prayer.
10. Remember the key words: polite but firm.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday | April 27 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Furcations | Why it's so hard to unplug from work
"I was still on Twitter, but I couldn't respond
to work-related comments."
-- Jodi Gersh, Gannett's social media content manager, in a Chicago Tribune story today about unplugging from work during furloughs.
Recap | The wurst cheesy behavior is in Wausau!
Gannett Blog readers wrote 1,188 comments last week on posts you may have missed, including these:
In a move that would be merely cheesy if it weren't such an ethical disaster, the Wausau Daily Herald handed over a reader's identity to a local government official after the reader made fun of his weight in anonymous comments on the paper's website. Next, we debated the cost of employee benefits for copy editors as The Ithaca Journal joined the Star-Gazette and the Press & Sun-Bulletin in establishing a central New York production hub at Binghamton. Finally, I tag-clouded, Twittered and generally drove management's allies into a big ol' tizzy over some sort of meeting taking place Tuesday morning at Gannett headquarters.
[Photo: The original Cheesehead hat, Foamation]
In a move that would be merely cheesy if it weren't such an ethical disaster, the Wausau Daily Herald handed over a reader's identity to a local government official after the reader made fun of his weight in anonymous comments on the paper's website. Next, we debated the cost of employee benefits for copy editors as The Ithaca Journal joined the Star-Gazette and the Press & Sun-Bulletin in establishing a central New York production hub at Binghamton. Finally, I tag-clouded, Twittered and generally drove management's allies into a big ol' tizzy over some sort of meeting taking place Tuesday morning at Gannett headquarters.[Photo: The original Cheesehead hat, Foamation]
List | How to Twitter a tax-return examination
I'm visiting the Gannett Foundation's offices at headquarters in McLean, Va., to examine the charity's public tax reports to the IRS. Under federal law, these Forms 990-PF are available for public inspection during business hours. Things I'll need:1. Post-it notes.
2. iPhone.
3. General Counsel Kurt Wimmer's phone number, for legal questions.
4. In the event Wimmer isn't available, the last known home address, home phone number and other contact information I got for presiding Director Karen Hastie Williams:
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Dirty business | Why I love Washington hotels!
After I explained the increasingly desperate attacks on me, the very understanding hotel manager smiled, and said: We know how to handle these things. And, voila! I'm now checked in under an assumed name and address. (And no, I'm not sleeping at the Mayflower!)
[Photo: J. Edgar Hoover, from Madame Tussauds. As Lilly Tomlin said, "There's nothing like a Hoover when you're dealing with dirt!]
List | How to prepare to question CEO Dubow
(Updated.) It is now T-Minus two days, and counting.
1. Eat nutritionally; exercise; adjust to jet lag; sleep well (check).
2. Ask Sparky to ship Gannett Blog caps by overnight courier (check).
3. Arrange for transportation Tuesday morning (check).
4. Visit Newseum (check).
5. Locate First Amendment attorney who might work pro bono.
6. Revise security plan to reflect new threats. (check).
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
1. Eat nutritionally; exercise; adjust to jet lag; sleep well (check).
2. Ask Sparky to ship Gannett Blog caps by overnight courier (check).
3. Arrange for transportation Tuesday morning (check).
4. Visit Newseum (check).
5. Locate First Amendment attorney who might work pro bono.
6. Revise security plan to reflect new threats. (check).
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday | April 26 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Ethics | Questions my critics may regret asking
I just posted the following comment, in response to questions posed by Anonymous@6:04 p.m.:Prepare to discover that you have made yourself out to be a fool. I haven't responded because I've been busy with more important things. Here you go:
1. I would be delighted to share all 20 years' worth of performance evaluations. I will inquire about those tomorrow at McLean, Va., and arrange for them to be scanned as quickly as possible.
2. If you guys stopped asking questions that you could get answered on the Internet (hah!), you would know that I own one share of Gannett stock -- because I reported that two months ago!
Thanks for the page views! The more you post, the more traffic I get!
Earlier: More financial disclosures and assorted other FYIs inside the secret world of Gannett Blog.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Connell: Foundation tax returns available 9 a.m. ET
I received the following note from Gannett Foundation Executive Director Tara Connell. She is responding to my request to examine the foundation's public tax returns at the charity's office at Gannett headquarters in McLean, Va. Note: I plan to live-blog my examination.Jim, the office will be open at 9 a.m. on Monday. As required by law, the foundation will make available copies of its Form 990-PFs filed within the past three years.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
[Photo: That's me and my new Chinese-made Newseum baseball cap]
Program note: Comments open, no deletions
At least through the annual stockholders meeting Tuesday, I will read all comments -- but remove none. I want everyone to see the true character of management's allies. I apologize in advance for the raw homophobia you're about to witness. (Welcome to our world.)
Newseum | I'm live-blogging here this morning
[No Wi-Fi: The message greeting me when I tested the guest signal]
Guess what? The world's "most interactive museum" doesn't have public Wi-Fi access, say employees. And that's just the first of many things I've noticed during my first hour here:- No discount for laid-off journalists, or former Gannett employees. I had to pay the full $20 admission charge.
- No employee has yet to accurately describe to me the relationship between Gannett, the Gannett Foundation, Freedom Forum and the Newseum.
- So far, three employees told me they've never heard of Gannett.
Calling all First Amendment attorneys in D.C.
I need one ASAP! Please contact me via gannettblog@gmail.com.
Brief iPhone post; updates later.
Brief iPhone post; updates later.
Wausau | Is this the future of ethical journalism?
I wish I could attend this sold-out conference on Friday at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. It couldn't be more timely, given the unfolding journalism ethics disaster at the Wausau Daily Herald:
Join leading journalists, scholars, and media experts to explore the future of ethical journalism in the public interest. Is ethics possible in a time of economic cutbacks and uncertainty? What ethical norms should guide journalism amid a media revolution?
Speakers will include:
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Join leading journalists, scholars, and media experts to explore the future of ethical journalism in the public interest. Is ethics possible in a time of economic cutbacks and uncertainty? What ethical norms should guide journalism amid a media revolution?
Speakers will include:
- Clark Hoyt, public editor, The New York Times
- Owen Ullmann, deputy managing editor/news, USA Today
- Stephen J.A. Ward, James E. Burgess Professor of Journalism Ethics, UW-Madison
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Faith | What I say when I'm afraid
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Timeline | Anatomy of a disaster in Wausau, Wis.
This is a story about what happens when a newspaper fails its most basic function: to serve as a watchdog over government. In late December, the 20,000-circulation Wausau Daily Herald named a local government official its Person of the Year -- despite signs he's been bullying local residents.
When a reader criticized the official -- Dean Zuleger -- in anonymous comments on the paper's website, Zuleger sent the citizen a threatening letter to his home address, using the citizen's real name. There's evidence the Daily Herald gave that personally identifiable information to Zuleger. What follows is a timeline of these events.
Dec. 28
The Daily Herald publishes a feature profile and accompanying editorial announcing that it's named Village of Weston Administrator Dean Zuleger (left) the paper's Person of the Year.
The village has about 12,000 residents. Zuleger is chosen over six other candidates, including an 89-year-old woman who donated $100,000 plus land for a new animal shelter, and the head of a food pantry who saved the non-profit by leading a successful $500,000 fundraising drive.
Both the profile and editorial include red flags that should have caught the attention of editors -- and Publisher Michael Beck.
The headine over the profile says, "Zuleger's intensity earns him 2008 honors." From the profile: "At times this intensity shows itself in anger, or the occasional verbal outburst. Zuleger doesn't hold grudges, and often his anger disappears as quickly as it flared up. But it does flare up. 'That's a weakness in my life. I've got a temper,' Zuleger said. 'Quite frankly, I'm sometimes embarrassed by that.'"
From the unsigned editorial: "His temper sometimes gets the better of him -- and we here at the newspaper know of that firsthand. Daily Herald reporters and editors have been on the receiving end of his outbursts more than once. He doesn't always take criticism well -- that noise you hear right now is his teeth grinding as he reads this sentence."
The profile and editorial do not mention the fact that Zuleger is one of the state's highest-paid city managers: His base pay is $118,000 a year. And he's about to get a bonus on top of that.
Many Wausau residents were angered by the paper's Zuleger honor. Negative comments posted online became such a problem that the paper apparently removed all of them, and shut down commenting entirely. We know this because of a letter the Daily Herald published within a week.
Jan. 6
"Online comments were horrid,'' says the headline over that letter: "I would like to ask that next year the Daily Herald not hold a 'Person of the Year' award because, frankly, I do not want to go through the hurt of knowing that I live in a community that can be so outright horrid to its recipient. . . . I have known the inaugural winner, Dean Zuleger, almost my whole life and consider him my friend. . . . What I don't understand is why many of you feel the need to be so blatantly cruel in comments left on the story online."
Jan. 16
Getting named Person of the Year likely didn't hurt Zuleger's standing with the village's elected board of trustees. "Village Administrator Dean Zuleger was awarded a $5,000 bonus for meeting 2008 performance goals outlined in his contract,'' the paper reported, in a story that noted the bonus was "unusual" in the area. The Daily Herald then quotes the village's finance director saying something absurd: "John Jacobs, finance director, said the bonus did not increase village expenses because officials found offsetting savings on a state contract and in the municipal building budget."
A Daily Herald reader isn't convinced: "The only reason that he got this bonus is because everyone is afraid of him,'' the reader, zachoaray5, says in a comment on the bonus story. "I wish somebody could just take a stand for once!"
Jan. 23
In a new editorial, the same editorial board that declared Zuleger Person of the Year now discovers something it didn't know. "It was a surprise to learn that the Village Board had rewarded Zuleger with a $5,000 bonus on top of his $118,000 annual salary,'' the editors say. "This is the same Village Board that grappled with a $32,000 budget deficit last fall. It's the same group of people who increased the property tax rate to balance the budget and cut 1% from all department budgets to build a contingency fund. Awarding the bonus was the wrong decision for two reasons: Weston taxpayers simply can't afford such financial rewards right now, and it is imprudent public policy. Elected officials shouldn't tell taxpayers the budget is so tight it requires more money from them just to keep operating, then turn around and find money for an extra pay raise for their top guy."
But having declared Zuleger its favorite, Beck and the rest of the editorial board now have no choice but to stick with their guy: "Let us be clear about one thing, however. This editorial is not a criticism of Dean Zuleger and certainly not of the work he has done these past eight years for Weston taxpayers,'' the editorial says. "Zuleger easily could point to tens of thousands of dollars he has saved taxpayers over the years, and hundreds of thousands in new revenue he helped to generate by encouraging growth. On top of that, Zuleger says he told the board he did not want the bonus. When the board insisted by approving it, he gave part of the money to charity. And we should point out that although he is paid handsomely, Zuleger deserves credit for freezing his own salary this year. Rather, this is a criticism of the idea of awarding bonuses and automatic pay raises to public employees with little regard for the current state of the local economy."
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
[Photo: Daily Herald]
When a reader criticized the official -- Dean Zuleger -- in anonymous comments on the paper's website, Zuleger sent the citizen a threatening letter to his home address, using the citizen's real name. There's evidence the Daily Herald gave that personally identifiable information to Zuleger. What follows is a timeline of these events.
Dec. 28The Daily Herald publishes a feature profile and accompanying editorial announcing that it's named Village of Weston Administrator Dean Zuleger (left) the paper's Person of the Year.
The village has about 12,000 residents. Zuleger is chosen over six other candidates, including an 89-year-old woman who donated $100,000 plus land for a new animal shelter, and the head of a food pantry who saved the non-profit by leading a successful $500,000 fundraising drive.
Both the profile and editorial include red flags that should have caught the attention of editors -- and Publisher Michael Beck.
The headine over the profile says, "Zuleger's intensity earns him 2008 honors." From the profile: "At times this intensity shows itself in anger, or the occasional verbal outburst. Zuleger doesn't hold grudges, and often his anger disappears as quickly as it flared up. But it does flare up. 'That's a weakness in my life. I've got a temper,' Zuleger said. 'Quite frankly, I'm sometimes embarrassed by that.'"
From the unsigned editorial: "His temper sometimes gets the better of him -- and we here at the newspaper know of that firsthand. Daily Herald reporters and editors have been on the receiving end of his outbursts more than once. He doesn't always take criticism well -- that noise you hear right now is his teeth grinding as he reads this sentence."
The profile and editorial do not mention the fact that Zuleger is one of the state's highest-paid city managers: His base pay is $118,000 a year. And he's about to get a bonus on top of that.
Many Wausau residents were angered by the paper's Zuleger honor. Negative comments posted online became such a problem that the paper apparently removed all of them, and shut down commenting entirely. We know this because of a letter the Daily Herald published within a week.
Jan. 6
"Online comments were horrid,'' says the headline over that letter: "I would like to ask that next year the Daily Herald not hold a 'Person of the Year' award because, frankly, I do not want to go through the hurt of knowing that I live in a community that can be so outright horrid to its recipient. . . . I have known the inaugural winner, Dean Zuleger, almost my whole life and consider him my friend. . . . What I don't understand is why many of you feel the need to be so blatantly cruel in comments left on the story online."
Jan. 16
Getting named Person of the Year likely didn't hurt Zuleger's standing with the village's elected board of trustees. "Village Administrator Dean Zuleger was awarded a $5,000 bonus for meeting 2008 performance goals outlined in his contract,'' the paper reported, in a story that noted the bonus was "unusual" in the area. The Daily Herald then quotes the village's finance director saying something absurd: "John Jacobs, finance director, said the bonus did not increase village expenses because officials found offsetting savings on a state contract and in the municipal building budget."
A Daily Herald reader isn't convinced: "The only reason that he got this bonus is because everyone is afraid of him,'' the reader, zachoaray5, says in a comment on the bonus story. "I wish somebody could just take a stand for once!"
Jan. 23
In a new editorial, the same editorial board that declared Zuleger Person of the Year now discovers something it didn't know. "It was a surprise to learn that the Village Board had rewarded Zuleger with a $5,000 bonus on top of his $118,000 annual salary,'' the editors say. "This is the same Village Board that grappled with a $32,000 budget deficit last fall. It's the same group of people who increased the property tax rate to balance the budget and cut 1% from all department budgets to build a contingency fund. Awarding the bonus was the wrong decision for two reasons: Weston taxpayers simply can't afford such financial rewards right now, and it is imprudent public policy. Elected officials shouldn't tell taxpayers the budget is so tight it requires more money from them just to keep operating, then turn around and find money for an extra pay raise for their top guy."
But having declared Zuleger its favorite, Beck and the rest of the editorial board now have no choice but to stick with their guy: "Let us be clear about one thing, however. This editorial is not a criticism of Dean Zuleger and certainly not of the work he has done these past eight years for Weston taxpayers,'' the editorial says. "Zuleger easily could point to tens of thousands of dollars he has saved taxpayers over the years, and hundreds of thousands in new revenue he helped to generate by encouraging growth. On top of that, Zuleger says he told the board he did not want the bonus. When the board insisted by approving it, he gave part of the money to charity. And we should point out that although he is paid handsomely, Zuleger deserves credit for freezing his own salary this year. Rather, this is a criticism of the idea of awarding bonuses and automatic pay raises to public employees with little regard for the current state of the local economy."
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
[Photo: Daily Herald]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
