{"id":245,"date":"2006-10-02T22:41:38","date_gmt":"2006-10-03T05:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=245"},"modified":"2007-11-30T20:37:29","modified_gmt":"2007-12-01T04:37:29","slug":"let-my-newspapers-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=245","title":{"rendered":"Let My Newspapers Go"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
“American newspapers are passing through an era… in which a corporate ownership model seems increasingly unworkable.”
\nTim Rutten<\/em> <\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

The Tribune Company is emblematic of the pitfalls of corporate ownership of media. It’s portfolio includes 11 daily newspapers, 25 television stations, and cable superstation WGN, as well as WGN-AM radio, the Chicago Cubs, and news, information and entertainment websites.<\/p>\n

One of its newspapers, the Los Angeles Times, is at the cornerstone of a conflict that encompasses disgruntled shareholders<\/a>, rebellious executives<\/a> and underserved customers. Through all of this turmoil, some insight and inspiration has come from Tim Rutten, the paper’s Associate Editor of Features. Rutten has taken a hard line position on the question of corporate ownership. How often do you see a reporter give his employer an ultimatum<\/a> like this:<\/p>\n

“American newspapers are passing through an era not only of technological change but also one in which a corporate ownership model seems increasingly unworkable<\/strong>. If the Tribune Co. does not feel able or willing to resist its investors’ unreasonable demands on behalf of the public’s interest, then it should put The Times into the hands of somebody who will.”<\/span><\/p>\n

And a couple of weeks later<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“No one can argue that Tribune or anyone who owns The Times is obliged to lose money. On the other hand, no one should argue that a newspaper’s proprietor has no obligation except to make as much money as it can. Somewhere between those two extremes is a fulcrum called responsibility on which a balance must be struck. Doing so requires the recognition that, although stockholders certainly are stakeholders in this process, so – and just as surely – are a paper’s readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

What this moment in the life of the Los Angeles Times requires is recognition that the paper’s social, intellectual and political value to readers needs to be unlocked<\/strong> and not just its monetary value to investors.”<\/span><\/p>\n

While these comments were directed specifically to the affairs at The Times, they could apply generally to almost any media conglomerate. The notion that a newspaper’s responsibility to its readers is at least equivalent to its fiduciary obligation to shareholders is one that should gain more acceptance in the journalism world. The more local the control, the more likely that outcome can be achieved. The Times deserves some credit for publishing Rutten’s provocative views. And Rutten deserves even more for having and expressing them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“American newspapers are passing through an era… in which a corporate ownership model seems increasingly unworkable.” Tim Rutten The Tribune Company is emblematic of the pitfalls of corporate ownership of media. It’s portfolio includes 11 daily newspapers, 25 television stations, and cable superstation WGN, as well as WGN-AM radio, the Chicago Cubs, and news, information […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[61,41,63],"class_list":["post-245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-big-media","category-general","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-tim-rutten","tag-tribune"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Ijg-3X","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":723,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=723","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":0},"title":"L. A. Times Promotes Tim Rutten","author":"Mark NC","date":"12\/26\/2007","format":false,"excerpt":"The Los Angeles Times is moving Tim Rutten from the Calendar section to the Op-Ed pages beginning in the new year. This is a promotion that is long overdue for one of the paper's best columnists. While I've had a disagreement of two with Rutten, he is the most consistently\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Media"","block_context":{"text":"Big Media","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":258,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=258","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":1},"title":"Media Ownership Rules Are So ’70s","author":"Mark NC","date":"10\/15\/2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Jon Healey, in an editorial for the Los Angeles Times, devotes the first 5 paragraphs of his October 14th column to a rambling conjecture that a vengeful Richard Nixon conspired with the FCC to bar newspapers from owning TV and radio stations in the same market. After this 250 word\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Media"","block_context":{"text":"Big Media","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=87","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":2},"title":"Burying The Lede","author":"Mark NC","date":"11\/27\/2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The The Los Angeles Times should pay my doctor bills for the heart attack they gave me by publishing an insightful, well-reasoned, and hard-hitting opinion column yesterday. Tim Rutten's article, Cheney's History Needs A Revise, is one of the best deconstructions of the Vice President's hysterical hypocrisy I've read to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":668,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=668","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":3},"title":"Falling For The Myth Of The Liberal Media","author":"Mark NC","date":"11\/19\/2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Tim Rutten is the media columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He is rare bright light in a dark media sky. I have written approvingly of his insight on several occasions. That's why I'm somewhat surprised at an article he published this weekend. Much of it accurately portrayed some of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Media"","block_context":{"text":"Big Media","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=88","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":4},"title":"Sneaking Up On Journalism","author":"Mark NC","date":"11\/29\/2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Let's face it...The mainstream, corporate press is an insular confederation of stenographers in the newsroom and charlatans in the boardroom. Reporters who are obsessed with access and privilege cannot possibly be relied upon for balance and insight. 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