Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20200404

a30 people & arts/feature
Saturday 4 april 2020
Local newspapers are facing their own coronavirus crisis

By TALI ARBEL and scriptions have risen -- the nett, announced 15-day
DAVID BAUDER latter even when they’ve furloughs and pay cuts for
Associated Press lowered paywalls for pan- many employees. On Tues-
NEW YORK (AP) — Just demic-related stories. day, another major chain,
when Americans need it But newspapers and oth- Lee Enterprises, also an-
most, a U.S. newspaper in- er publications are under nounced salary reductions
dustry already under stress pressure as advertising cra- and furloughs. The Tampa
is facing an unprecedent- ters. They are cutting jobs, Bay Times, owned by the
ed new challenge. staff hours and pay, drop- nonprofit Poynter Institute,
Readers desperate for in- ping print editions -- and in cut five days of its print edi-
formation are more reliant some cases shutting down tion and announced fur-
than ever on local media entirely. Circulation and loughs for non-newsroom
as the coronavirus spreads web traffic are up at the staff. Further down the food
across the U.S. They want Sun Chronicle, a daily in chain, many smaller pub-
to know about cases in Attleboro, Massachusetts, lishers -- particularly local
their area, where testing as it scrambles to cover In this April 1, 2020, photo, a news crew wearing personal alt-weeklies with a heavy
centers are, what the eco- the coronavirus pandemic. protective equipment due to COVID-19 concerns reports focus on dining, arts and
nomic impact is. Papers It’s “all we do,” said Craig outside the Chase Center that will become a makeshift hospital entertainment -- are mak-
say online traffic and sub- Borges, executive editor at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the ing even harder decisions.
and general manager. But Queens borough of New York. People desperate for information In rural Nevada, Battle Born
are more reliant than ever on local media as the coronavirus
with many local restau- spreads across the U.S. But newspapers, magazines and digital Media is scaling back or
rants, gyms, colleges and publishers are feeling the pressure as advertising craters. ceasing publication of six
other businesses closed, the (AP Photo/John Minchillo) rural weekly newspapers.
paper has laid off a hand- towns have lost a paper in of digital subscribers. Many The Reno News & Review,
ful of sales and mailroom the past 15 years, mostly others, however, remain an alternative weekly, sus-
employees and a politi- weeklies, and newsroom heavily dependent on ad- pended operations and
cal reporter. It has about a employment has shrunk vertising. laid off all staffers. C&G
dozen newsroom employ- by half since 2004. Many Twenty global news pub- Newspapers, which pub-
ees left. “Hopefully we can publications struggled as lishers recently surveyed lishes 19 weekly newspa-
work this out and make it consumers turned to the by the International News pers near Detroit, suspend-
through,” Borges said. internet for news, battered Media Association expect ed print publication. Al-
Researchers have long wor- by the Great Recession of a median 23% decline in ternative paper Pittsburgh
ried that the next recession 2007-2009 and the rise of gi- 2020 ad sales. In the U.S., Current went online-only.
— which economists say is ants like Google and Face- newspaper ad revenues Report for America, which
already upon us — “could book that dominated the have dropped 20% to 30% subsidizes journalists in local
be an extinction-level market for digital ads. in the last few weeks com- newsrooms and at The As-
event for newspapers,” More recently, big national pared with a year ago, FTI sociated Press, says some
said Penelope Abernathy, newspapers like The New Consulting's Ken Harding of its local-media partners
a University of North Caro- York Times, The Washington wrote in another INMA re- report such deteriorating
lina professor who studies Post and The Wall Street port. finances that they may not
the news industry. Journal have diversified On Monday, the largest U.S. be able to pay their half of
More than 2,100 cities and revenue by adding millions newspaper chain, Gan- these reporters’ salaries.q
Navy fires captain who

sought help for virus-

stricken ship

Brett Crozier, “demonstrat- porters during an abruptly
ed extremely poor judg- called press conference
ment” in the middle of a Thursday that Crozier
crisis. He said the captain should have gone directly
copied too many people to his immediate com-
on the memo, which was manders, who were al-
leaked to a California ready moving to help the
In this April 13, 2018, file photo the USS Theodore Roosevelt
aircraft carrier is anchored off Manila Bay west of Manila, newspaper and quickly ship. And he said Crozier
Philippines. The captain of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier facing spread to many news out- created a panic by sug-
a growing outbreak of the coronavirus is asking for permission lets. gesting 50 sailors could
to isolate the bulk of his roughly 5,000 crew members on shore, Modly's decision to re- die.
which would take the warship out of duty in an effort to save move Crozier as ship com- The USS Theodore Roos-
lives. The ship is docked in Guam mander was immediately evelt, with a crew of
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File) condemned by members nearly 5,000, is docked in

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and fired by Navy leaders who of the House Armed Ser- Guam, and the Navy has
ROBERT BURNS said he created a pan- vices Committee, who said as many as 3,000 will
Associated Press ic by sending his memo called it a “destabilizing be taken off the ship and
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pleading for help to too move” that will “likely put quarantined by Friday.
captain of a U.S. Navy many people. our service members at More than 100 sailors on
aircraft carrier facing a Acting Navy Secretary greater risk and jeopardize the ship have tested posi-
growing outbreak of the Thomas Modly said the our fleet’s readiness." tive for the virus, but none
coronavirus on his ship was ship's commander, Capt. Modly told Pentagon re- is hospitalized. q