Some impertinent questions for Chronicle editor Phil Bronstein
By Bruce B. Brugmann
Chronicle Editor Phil Bronstein says the hope to save the Chronicle from its staggering weekly losses is more local news.
So, after the Chronicle once again blacked out coverage of the "Free Carolyn Knee" ethics case,
I sent over some impertinent questions to him (with copies to the Chronicle reporters and editors who ought to be allowed the cover the story).
Why did the Chronicle not cover the Carolyn Knee/Ethics Commission story and why does the Chronicle not cover the regular doings of the
Sunshine Task Force and the Ethics Commission? I am also curious why the Chronicle still does not cover the PG&E/City Hall/Raker Act scandal story and all of its ramifications, including the Carolyn Knee story as to what happened to the treasurer of the public power campaign against PG&E. Why hasn't the Chronicle followed up the excellent stories that Susan Sward and Chuck Finnie did on the PG&E scandal only a few years ago.
No answer at blogtime. The point for Phil and the Chronicle: you can't trumpet local news when you can't cover the angles of the biggest urban scandal in U.S. history. Much more to come, B3
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Comments (1)
The Chronicle, like many other news outlets across the country, is in triage mode because of deep cuts in editorial staffing. (And we must remember that at most local dailies and TV stations, priority Numero Uno is Barrreeee BONDS!) Reporters at the Chronicle and elsewhere have said publicly that the result is a sharp decline in the quality of news coverage; important stories are not receiving the depth of attention that they should, and there's a lot of news that is going unreported.
There's an old maxim in the business world: You have to spend money to make money. Here's how that works in journalism: Most revenues come from advertising; what draws advertisers is reader/listener/viewership. What attracts readers, listeners and viewers is a high-quality news product.
Posted by Richard Knee | July 17, 2007 01:11 PM