Phil Bronstein, man of action!The San Francisco Chronicle, newspaper of action!
By Bruce B. Brugmann
And so the headline in the new Editor & Publisher magazine proclaims, "Bronstein Launches New 'Journalism of Action' After Big Cuts." And the lead says that "With its massive newsroom staff cuts essentially complete, the San Francisco Chronicle is embarking on a new approach to coverage that Editor Phil Bronstein likens to that practiced by William Randolph Hearst."
Read the full story below for the juicy stop-the-presses details about the phrase "being bandied around in the Chronicle newsroom since last Thursday."
Impertinent questions for Bronstein and Hearst corporate: Does "journalism of action" mean you will you now start covering the PG&E/City Hall/Raker Act scandal stories? If not, why not? And if not, could you explain which Hearst "journalism of action" tradition you are talking about? Are you talking about the anti-PG&E "journalism of action" tradition in which Hearst supported the federal Raker Act that allowed San Francisco to dam the Hetch Hetchy dam in Yosemite National Park for the city's cheap, public water and power supply? Or are you talking about the pro-PG&E "journalism of action" tradition in which Hearst reversed himself in the late 1920s to support PG&E and oppose public power after getting a handy chunk of capital from a PG&E-controlled bank?
Let me put the question as simply as I can: Does the
new Bronstein policy mean that Hearst will end its longtime "journalism of action" on behalf of PG&E and start some "journalism of action" on behalf of San Francisco residents and businesses? Let us pray.
B3, still annoyed to see from my office window the fumes rising from the Mirant power plant at the bottom of Potrero Hill, courtesy of PG&E and Hearst/Bronstein "journalism of action"
Click here to read full Editor & Publisher article.
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Comments (3)
all it means is that they'll download the AP wirecopy that much more quickly. And do a little "active" jig while they're doing it.
Posted by Roxanne | August 7, 2007 08:09 PM
AHIMSA FOR MAYOR
THE ONLY WAY TO FLY
Press Conference/Rally
Tomorrow. Friday 10th.
NOON. City Hall
TIME FOR TRUTH TELLING
TIME TO SPEAK OUT
TIME TO SHOW TRUE COLORS
Posted by patmonk![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/bruce/nav-commenters.gif)
|
August 9, 2007 06:08 PM
Phil Bronstein was named editor of the San Francisco Examiner in 1993 and presided over the paper's slow decline in both quality and readership. He blamed the joint operating agreement and the fact the Ex was an afternoon paper.
Phil Bronstein was named editor of the San Francisco Chronicle in 2000 and has presided over the paper's slow decline in both quality and readership. He has blamed Craigslist, the collapse of the tech bubble, the rise of the Internet as a source for news and, most recently, the popularity of blogs.
Phil Bronstein is too narcissistic, too arrogant or too stupid -- or perhaps all three -- to realize that he is a BIG part of the problem. He is an ineffective, incompetent leader who does not have the respect of his staff or the community he purports to serve. It is a fact that he is known more for marrying Sharon Stone and being attacked by a lizard than for any journalistic contributions he has made during a career that can only with the utmost generosity be called mediocre.
Now, almost 100 people have been forced out of their jobs in no small part because of Phil Bronstein's incompetence.
If Phil Bronstein had any integrity whatsoever, he would resign in solidarity with, and out of respect for, the people whose careers he has helped ruin. His staff has served him with far more dedication, talent and professionalism than he has ever shown.
It is time for him to go.
Posted by Herb.Caens.Ghost | August 26, 2007 10:54 AM