Final Days: A Newsroom Diary
October 1-15, 1999

October 1-15, 1999

October 4, Monday

A month from now the Star-Bulletin will likely be no more, but there are now public threats of lawsuits by the attorney general and an unnamed citizens' group that claims to have support of the newspaper guild.

The problem here is that these initiatives are coming in a way that reduces all of us at the newspaper to pawns in someone else's agenda. No one is talking to us about it, except most indirectly through unidentified union intermediaries. Not everyone welcomes these moves, although the hold out some untested glimmer of hope that the Star-Bulletin can continue to exist on life support. Some in our newsroom are angry at what they see as outside "interference" in this inevitable process. We're going under, and let's try to do it as smoothly as possible, make the transition easier for those going over to the "dark side" (Gannett), and mercifully quicker for those that aren't offered positions over there.

Criticism of our union (are you listening, guys?). Wayne Cahill, our guild staffer, is around the building but has not tried to meet specifically with Star-Bulletin staff in our newsroom. Apart from being invited to a pair of weekend sessions when the closure was first announced, there has been little active communication from the guild, while at the same time there are these clandestine initiatives which claim union backing. Why the secrecy, guys?

Notices have been posted for upcoming workshops on unemployment benefits, another on "personal resilience in times of change," and a third on "psychological aspects of retirement." What a cheery slate!

October 5, Tuesday

Adding insult to injury, trucks from the Hawaii Newspaper Agency have already started picking up certain Star-Bulletin sales boxes from sidewalks around town and hauling them back to be repainted in Advertiser colors. HNA claims the targeted boxes have very low sales. Right, we all believe that.

October 6, Wednesday

Lawsuits were filed today by the state attorney general and a community group "with broad support."

We're waiting for some details that might indicate that these suits have some chance of success that somehow eluded places on the mainland that faced similar situations. At the same time, it's hard to know whose interest the suits are in.

A special meeting called by the Newpaper Guild at the last minute was grandly unsatisfying. Guild staffer Wayne Cahill made an upbeat presentation without much real substance. No one was present to discuss the litigation in any detail. "Our attorneys say we have a very good case" was about as good as it got.

My somewhat cynical interpretation: We're roadkill in Negotiations 2000. These lawsuits are actually looking past us to the expiration of all the union contracts with HNA in June 2000. The unions properly believe that the closure of the Star-Bulletin is an early skirmish in these next contract negotiations. Everyone believes Gannett will attempt to destroy its unions next year, and this is an opportunity to show Gannett negotiators that the unions have deep community and political support. That would account for why there has been so little attempt to involve any of us in these new legal efforts except as observers. But I'm open to being proven wrong.

Meda says this will class up my notes:

Then enter Macbeth (Act I, Scene VII).
"If it were done when 'tis done,
then 'twere well it were done quickly."

October 7, Thursday

Here's the nut: The Star-Bulletin today is worth more dead than alive. Liquidation value exceeds operating value. It's live value is based on the income stream promised by a series of set payments spelled out the in the current JOA with Gannett. But its worth "dead" is the savings to be reaped from not having to pay salaries, equipment, publishing and delivery costs to put out a second newspaper for the next 12 years.

What this means is that the Star-Bulletin's value to an outside buyer is measurable and limited, while its potential closing value to the current owner is much higher. A peculiar problem in this capitalist system. Like farmers being paid not to produce their crops, there is a certain wierd rationale to Rupert cleaning up by not publishing.

What a country.

October 8, Friday

Remember that scene from the movie Risky Business where Tom Cruise realizes that his deeds have probably dashed his fathers' ivy league ambitions, and he flips down the sunglasses, looks at the camera, and says: "Looks like the University of Illinois to me!"

Well, at this point, that's the way it looks from my little corner of the newsroom. Job offers from across the hall started trickling in Wednesday night and continued thru yesterday and today, and have managed to stay a safe distance from me. Those with good news have been reluctant to celebrate openly. Word spreads quietly and informally through the newsroom as each new offer emerges. Informal lists, like scorecards, pass from hand to hand. At this point, no news is no news. Each announcement reduces that magic number of open positions and reduces the odds for those who wait.

I am still one of the waiters, even while rumors swirl that all potential jobs are now filled. Investigative reporters are a luxury for a newspaper, both economically and politically, and perhaps the Advertiser isn't ready to expend the necessary resources. If so, it certainly indicates something about their vision of the news product they intend to deliver.

Perhaps this ends up being one of those situations: Second prize, a job at with Gannett at the Advertiser. First prize, no job with Gannett at the Advertiser.

We haven't yet begun to grapple with the conflicts that arise with staffers who have accepted positions at the Advertiser. In the interim, while the Star-Bulletin is still publishing, will they be tempted to hold back, saving good stories for their first weeks in the new job? Will this be an unconscious pressure, lingering in the background? This is uncharted terrain around here, so we will just have to wait and see.

October 9, Saturday

Isn't it possible that the anti-trust lawsuits are going to block this sale and keep the Star-Bulletin alive, saving our jobs and avoiding the disruptions of our lives, not to mention giving renewed life to this great paper?

I'm sorry, but from my perspective it just isn't going to happen. Besides being non-participatory and driven by other interests and agendas, the lawsuits have the flavor of the Ghost Dancers, that dream that if we just dance and cry and shout long enough it will turn the stream of history, roll back the death of the afternoon newspaper, and make us whole again alongside our ancestors. I shouldn't be so cynical, but the clear weight of history and the direction of change is against us here.

I'm with those who want to move on and create a new way to speak truth to power. This whole affair isn't fair nor proper, but it certainly isn't a surprise in the scheme of things. This is the voice of pure modern capitalism speaking, and it ain't pretty, as others around the globe have been discovering.

As the countdown towards closing continues, I'm wondering what it will be like to detach from this newspaper persona. After all, writing for a daily newspaper requires a certain attitude and approach. We give up certain important things to retain professional ethics and objectivity, in exchange for the right to put our views and perspectives in the hands of people through a daily newspaper.

But no newspaper, and no need to continue making those compromises. I hope we walk away from this paper renewed and invigorated rather than scared, angry and bitter. After all, its been a great run for all of us.

October 10, Sunday

Oh oh, some people are actually reading this. Got an email this morning, a few few other comments the last few days. Well, I guess that was the intent, although I neer really expected anyone to make it this far. Read on.

How about some t-shirts for the rest of us who waited patiently for those Advertiser phone calls that never came.

"I flunked Gannett's "News Lite" test"

"Gannett reject (and proud of it)"

"GANNETTOIDS"

2nd prize: job@Gannett
1st prize: no job@Gannett

"Let the loose-cannon fire begin!
-We Made Waves"
(suggested by Star-Bulletin webmaster Blaine Fergerstrom)

"Fire the loose cannons"

"Not Dead Yet"
This slogan suggestion from S-B master photographer George Lee,
obviously a Monty Python fan (if you don't get that reference, rent
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail", one of life's major treats)

send me your suggestion

October 11, Monday

The hallway buzz today is about boxes of records being from the building in response to subpoenaes were served over the weekend. No one seems to know who carted them off. Is this the rumored Justice Department intervening? And what does it mean for us?

Unless a court orders otherwise, there are just three weeks of Star-Bulletin's still to come off the presses. More people are talking about what part of the country they plan to fly off to in search of work. Others wondering out loud what career options there are for former reporters. Everyone seems to be coping, with the occasional burst of temper betraying the underlying tension we all feel.

The worst thing, perhaps, is the looming dread that in three weeks or less, our means of getting into print will be gone. So many stories, so many issues, so little time. And when this paper closes, some of us will be in the position of having to invent a new forum if we want to continue to have our say. That prospect is both exciting and disconcerting.

October 12, Tuesday

By most counts, there have now been offers made on 19 or 20 of the positions at the Advertiser, or virtually all the positions available. As a result, here at the Star-Bulletin, the lines between haves and have-nots are emerging. It's subtle, of course, but becoming noticeable. Conversations veer in different directions depending on the status of those involved. There is a lot of awkwardness, both survivors' guilt and whatever you call its opposite.

The spectre of the Star-Bulletin being in limbo for any extended period is disheartening. As jobs open up elsewhere, people are going to leave, and we could end up with a half-empty newsroom before this saga ends. For now, people are holding on in order to preserve their right to severance pay, which technically could be lost if you're not here on the day the paper closes. The issue is one of those subject to bargaining, and a less restrictive interpretation will probably prompt a round of quick departures.

Practical interests are also diverging. Those with jobs waiting across the hall are beginning to see potential court-imposed delays in the scheduled closing of the Star-Bulletin as unfortunately disruptive, while those facing unemployment see delays offering at least some hope of additional paychecks. Those differences are likely lto magnify in the weeks ahead.

There are containers in the parking lot being filled with boxes of files being turned over to the Justice Department. Its a smart legal strategy--they want papers, give them more than they ever imagined. It will take a crew of lawyers--and a big chunk of time--to make any sense of this stuff.

Personally, I'm going home to enjoy the cats and the sunset.

October 13, Wednesday

What a day. The City Desk was getting reports from federal court this morning as the hearing progressed on the state's motion for a temporary restraining order to temporarily halt closure of the paper. As updates arrived by phone, messages were going out on the in-house email system to update everyone here, while "runners" carried the same news up and down the halls. There was a general furor, joy muted by confusion and uncertainty, when the news came that a preliminary injunction had been issued. What does it mean? How long will this last? How long will we have jobs? People want to know, but there are no answers. The case now gets kicked up to the appeals court where it will hopefully be expedited.

I'm desperate for a little legal detail to make sense of the battle unfolding in court. We were told after the hearing that Judge Kay relied on the language of the JOA, which required the joint operation to make decisions in the interests of both newspapers, with the intent of keeping two independent editorial voices.

There is also the hint that the payments the Star-Bulletin's owners are to receive in the deal may be the sticking point. If they had simply decided to close and walk away, that might have been different. But when Gannett agreed to pay them $26.5 million to walk away, it apparently unveiled a slew of anti-trust issues.

I suspect that within the mysterious hallways of the Gannett Empire, the fingers of blame are already searching out those who will be held responsible for "botching" this little operation.

My stomach churned a bit hearing Gannett's argument that the First Amendment guarantees the right not to publish the Star-Bulletin. These are not your typical First Amendment advocates!

So once again, we wait. We know the Star-Bulletin will exist until October 30, and that there are at least theoretical legal grounds to support a ruling against Gannett. Beyond that it's a crapshoot.

I anticipate that IF the 9th Circuit upholds this injunction, Gannett will immedately seek a deal, agreeing to offer us up for sale, etc. After all, a trial would be years off and they would otherwise be required to keep us going until then without changes.

It costs them about $10 million a year to publish the Star-Bulletin, plus whatever they pay the Liberty partnership, which runs between $1.5 nd $2 million annually. So obviously the amount at stake over the next 12 years makes for serious walking around money. There is a lot at stake for them.

Would Rupert agree to just walk away? I doubt it, unless rumors are true and Gannett is in line to buy out his Journal newspaper chain. Could Gannett overpay for that in an amount close to what Rupert would walk away from here, and do it without creating another "overt act" in the conspiracy? Money talks in this deal, there's no question.

They could always cut us in on the $26.5 million being paid. Pay us enough and perhaps we would all walk away happy, or at least willing.

I haven't mentioned the guards, the small army of special rent-a-cops who moved into the news building and adjoining areas the day the closure was announced. They are doubled up on the various entrances to the building, and also in the back where papers are moved from the presses onto trucks for delivery. At first we were told they were assigned to keep other media out of the building, but it quickly became clear that they are here to watch us and keep us from stealing moveable objects.

They are a nice complement to the high-tech security system that went in a couple of years ago, with computer monitored doors accesible only with an electronic key issued to staff. A similar security system was installed in Detroit before Gannett & company tried to bust the unions there. It all goes together to generate a background sense of seige.

October 14, Thursday

It was street theater at the end of the day as 75-100 people picketed the news building to protest Gannett's deal to shut down the Star-Bulletin. The word of the planned picketing had spread very informally through our newsroom earlier in the day, while apparent sponsor, the as yet unidentified group calling itself Save Our Star-Bulletin, kept the identity of its key players under wraps. It was raining at 4:30, the scheduled start time, and the signs were late, but the group grew in size and spirits over the next hour.

The sounds of car horns signaling support could be heard several blocks away, according to several people who arrived late.

The Newspaper Guild and ILWU appeared to provide the structure for the group, although at one point individuals were being quietly told to just say they were from Save Our Star-Bulletin if asked by any of the other reporters present to cover the festivities. A pretty good core of S-B staffers came down to take part. As one said, "I never thought I would do this, but I looked out the window and saw all these people I don't even know out in the rain to defend my job...how could I NOT join in?"

There were obvious concerns that joining this public show of opposition to the shut-down could draw retaliation, either by Star-Bulletin owner Rupert Phillips or the Gannett management of the Advertiser and HNA. Those already offered positions with the Advertiser were obviously worried, but several came out anyway, and S-B Publisher John Flanagan's appearance later helped as well.

A couple of people reported that Gannett lawyers were up on the third floor of the building the whole time watching us in the rain with our signs, and making fun of people who were there with their kids. This news drew immediate anger and resentment. One person put it this way: "It's not enough for them to put us out of work, they've got to humilate us while they do it. Rupert (Phillips) stood there and told us this was strictly business, but they're already making it personal, taking perverse joy at the prospect of a child out on the street with unemployed parents. It made me sick to my stomach to hear."

October 15, Friday

It was a crazy day, with new information about the legal battle emerging constantly. We got copies of the order granting the preliminary injunction, so for the first time were able to go over the court's reasoning in detail. Gannett filed its notice of appeal as reporters tried to follow its progress as it was processed by the court clerks, and Gannett lawyers tried unsuccessfully to convince Judge Kay to lift the injunction pending appeal.

With just two weeks to go before the newspaper's scheduled demise, it is getting harder to concentrate on writing. We have no way of knowing whether the injunction will withstand the next legal challenge. If it is overturned, then will the Star-Bulletin be immediately closed, or will the legal delays give us some additional breathing room? If the injunction is upheld, what are Gannett's choices? These are questions which can't be answered but are constantly on everyone's minds. Lots of heated speculation, minimal basis.

One of our assistant city editors has accepted a job in Florida to begin in mid-November, after the announced closing date. Now she has to worry whether she will forfeit her severance pay if the closing is delayed until after her departure. It's one of the first cases that has to be bargained, but even that bargaining is apparently prohibited by the court injunction, and additional cases are sure to follow soon.

One ominous move that could cause problems for people who work in other parts of the building was disclosed in legal documents filed today. Mike Fisch, president of Gannett Pacific Corp. and head of the Hawaii Newspaper Agency (which prints and distributes both the Advertiser and Star-Bulletin, and handles the sale of advertising, etc), disclosed that planning was underway to dissolve HNA and replace it with a new corporate entity. The new entity would then "hire" former HNA employees. It isn't clear whether all employees would automatically be transferred or whether this is an attempt to circumvent existing union protections.

Today was Day 2 of picketing outside the news building during afternoon rush hour. I've posted a few photos to offer some sense of what it has been like.

Yesterday also yielded a personal lesson in why newspapers are in trouble. Two television stations had me on camera during last night's news with a few sound bites about the first day of picketing. This morning, during our regular early morning walk near our home in Kaaawa, one woman came out of her house to say she had seen me on the news. Now, this is at 6:30 a.m. or so, and I don't think anyone has ever come out to say they saw a headline story I had written. So people may read newspapers, but they relate to television in a more immediate way.

Continued...

 

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Nov 16-30	Dec 1-15	Dec 16-31
Jan 1-15,2000

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