Several items of interest concerning Black Press, the parent company of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin controlled by David Black of Victoria, British Columbia.
The company is rapidly expanding its chain of community newspapers in the Seattle area. Over the past several months, it has added six more weekly papers, including two this month that will compete directly with established weeklies produced by the Seattle Times. The company now claims “more than 30″ weeklies and twice-weeklies in the state of Washington.
A story in Editor & Publisher earlier this month described extensive use of a new advertising system by Black Press. Some 86 Black Press publicatons are now using the BluefinCMP (Community Marketplace Platform), according to the story. The system allows self-service ad placement for both online and print editions, according to E&P.
The most disturbing news is that a Black Press editor in Victoria was fired and a reporter quit after an auto dealer complained about a story that appeared in Black’s Victoria News, according to several accounts. Public Eye Online, a web site covering political issues in British Columbia, reported the firing last month, and has followed the issue in several subsequent updates.
The original Victoria News story by reporter Brennan Clarke explained how a BC woman had saved money buying a luxury car south of the border in the U.S. The story was criticized by a local auto dealer who said it lacked balance because it failed to explain the risks of buying in the U.S.
Victoria News editor Keith Norbury was fired following the complaint, and Clarke resigned, saying his departure was directly related to the company’s reaction to the dealer complaint.
Victoria, of course, is the provincial capitol of B.C. and owner David Black’s home turf, but whether he was consulted or participated in the decisions hasn’t been reported.
What’s particularly ominous is that similar rumblings have been heard here in Honolulu since the Star-Bulletin was purchased by Black Press. Back when former Star-Bulletin reporter Rob Perez jumped to the rival Honolulu Advertiser, there were rumors that his decision was fueled by editorial limits placed on his consumer reporting, including limits on direct reviews or side-by-side comparisons of prices or services.
As they say, these incidents certainly can be expected to have a chilling effect on reporters and editors.
1 response so far ↓
1 Lora // Sep 25, 2007 at 9:14 am
Bloody hell. Why didn’t the Victoria News editor advise the car dealer that this might be a wake-up call for how they do business in Victoria? Stand by your staff; for it is credible news ONLY that will keep readers reading. The car dealer should have been strongly urged to write a letter to the editor and then frame that letter to the editor in their dealership, or run it as an ad a few days. That is the most pathetic piece of newspapering I’ve read about in a long time.
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