Mess at the News-Press?

Q: I was wondering if you could comment on what has been happening at the Santa Barbara News-Press in California. (I hope it's not too presumptuous to assume you have read about it). The still-unfolding story of mass resignations, internal disputes and alleged editorial interference has been covered quite a bit in the media --- seven stories in Editor & Publisher alone by my count. It has brought up issues of ethics, labor/management conflicts, and paper ownership in a rather dramatic fashion.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you were a newsroom employee there, what would you do?

Confidential

A: I've been watching, along with the rest of the industry.

Given my vantage point -- half a continent away -- I am not in a position to say anything that is very well informed. After all the words that have been spilled, I wouldn't be original, either.

Would I stay or would I go? And, by extension, what do I think people there should do? I can't say. Each of us is in a different predicament. The more times I go through difficult situations, the more sure I become that I do not want to make -- or judge -- anyone else's decisions.

We have seen that some people could not wait to get out of the News-Press. Others will hang in because they can't move, have to feed their children or can't find something they'd rather do. I don't know whether you work there or anything else about you. Who you are is easily as important as the place where you work. The decisions come from inside; they are not imposed from the outside.