Santa Barbara News-Press
Encyclopedia
The Santa Barbara News-Press is a broadsheet
newspaper
based in Santa Barbara, California
.
The News-Press asserts it is the oldest daily newspaper in Southern California, publishing since 1855. The oldest predecessor (the weekly Santa Barbara Post) of the News-Press started publishing on May 30, 1868, and so the News-Press is actually younger than the Bakersfield Californian. The Santa Barbara Post became the Santa Barbara Press, which eventually became the Morning Press which was acquired in 1932 by Thomas M. Storke
and merged with his paper, the Santa Barbara News, to make the Santa Barbara News-Press. Storke, a prominent local rancher and booster descended from the Spanish founders of Santa Barbara, brought the paper to prominence. For many years his father, Charles A. Storke
, ran the editorial page; his son, Charles A. Storke II, oversaw operations between 1932 and 1960. In 1962, T.M. Storke won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
"for his forceful editorials calling public attention to the activities of a semi-secret organization known as the John Birch Society
". His children did not express interest in continuing to run the paper, however.
Storke then sold the paper in 1964 to Robert McClean, owner of the Philadelphia Bulletin
, who turned over publishing of the News-Press to one of his nephews, Stuart S. Taylor, father of writer Stuart Taylor, Jr.. (The Philadelphia Bulletin
continued to be run by Robert McLean). In turn, the paper was sold to the New York Times in 1984. In 2000 the paper was bought by Wendy P. McCaw
, an ex-wife of billionaire Craig McCaw
.
and fiance Arthur von Wiesenberger are co-publishers, and share "overall responsibility for news and opinion pages and all business activities." Their stated goal is to provide strong, unbiased local coverage of news, unbeholden to any outside interest group.
has expressed the view that the News-Press newsroom staff had become sloppy and biased. Tensions had existed between McCaw and the newsroom since she bought the News-Press in 2000.
Between July, 2006 and February 2007, 60 staff (out of 200 total employees), including all but 2 news reporters, resigned or were fired from the News-Press. Newsroom employees voted to unionize with the Teamsters
, and both the News-Press management and the Teamsters
made multiple appeals to the National Labor Relations Board
. Former employees have encouraged subscribers to cancel their subscriptions to the News-Press, and have encouraged advertisers to cease advertising in the paper. McCaw's attorneys have filed lawsuits against former employees, journalists, as well as competing newspapers, and have issued numerous cease and desist
letters, to websites linking
to the News-Press website, to local business that display signs in support of former employees, and to former employees who speak to the local media.
The parent company of the Santa Barbara News Press, Ampersand Publishing, filed a Federal lawsuit November 9, 2006 for copyright infringement against the Santa Barbara Independent ("SBI") -- where many former News-Press columnists became contributors to the community weekly -- claiming a link on independent.com violated copyright law. The case never reached trial, as an undisclosed settlement was reached April 28, 2008 resulting in a dismissal at the request of the parties. Federal District Court Central District of California. CASE NO. CV 06 6837 (R) (AJWx)
A Federal Judge finally dismissed the employees' suit on the grounds that a newspaper has a right to control both its content and its personnel under the guarantees of the First Amendment. [ McDermott v. Ampersand Publishing LLC, Central District of California, No. CV08-1551 (2008) ] A request for En Banc review by the US Court of Appeals is pending.
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
based in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.
History
Thomas M. Storke
Thomas More Storke was an American politician, rancher, journalist and publisher. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in 1962....
and merged with his paper, the Santa Barbara News, to make the Santa Barbara News-Press. Storke, a prominent local rancher and booster descended from the Spanish founders of Santa Barbara, brought the paper to prominence. For many years his father, Charles A. Storke
Charles A. Storke
-American Civil War:Charles Albert Storke was a veteran of the Union Army. He survived "the terrible slaughter of Cold Harbor, where, out of four companies, sixty-nine percent were killed, and the rest captured. The prisoners were sent to Libby, Andersonville, Savannah, and other prisons .......
, ran the editorial page; his son, Charles A. Storke II, oversaw operations between 1932 and 1960. In 1962, T.M. Storke won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction...
"for his forceful editorials calling public attention to the activities of a semi-secret organization known as the John Birch Society
John Birch Society
The John Birch Society is an American political advocacy group that supports anti-communism, limited government, a Constitutional Republic and personal freedom. It has been described as radical right-wing....
". His children did not express interest in continuing to run the paper, however.
Storke then sold the paper in 1964 to Robert McClean, owner of the Philadelphia Bulletin
Philadelphia Bulletin
For the 2004 resurrection of the Bulletin, see The Bulletin .The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the...
, who turned over publishing of the News-Press to one of his nephews, Stuart S. Taylor, father of writer Stuart Taylor, Jr.. (The Philadelphia Bulletin
Philadelphia Bulletin
For the 2004 resurrection of the Bulletin, see The Bulletin .The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the...
continued to be run by Robert McLean). In turn, the paper was sold to the New York Times in 1984. In 2000 the paper was bought by Wendy P. McCaw
Wendy P. McCaw
Wendy McCaw is the owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press.She was born Wendy Petrak in Palo Alto, California in 1951. She attended Stanford University where she majored in history and met Craig McCaw during their sophomore year. They married in 1974 a year after graduation. During their marriage...
, an ex-wife of billionaire Craig McCaw
Craig McCaw
Craig McCaw is a Seattle-area businessman and entrepreneur who achieved success as a pioneer in the cellular phone industry. He is the founder of McCaw Cellular and Clearwire Corporation.-Early life and cable TV beginnings:Craig is the second of four sons of Marion and John Elroy McCaw...
.
Circulation and Ownership
The News-Press had a Monday-Friday combined average circulation of 25,973, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation Publisher's Statement dated March 31, 2011. This is down from 45,389 daily in 2000. Owner Wendy P. McCawWendy P. McCaw
Wendy McCaw is the owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press.She was born Wendy Petrak in Palo Alto, California in 1951. She attended Stanford University where she majored in history and met Craig McCaw during their sophomore year. They married in 1974 a year after graduation. During their marriage...
and fiance Arthur von Wiesenberger are co-publishers, and share "overall responsibility for news and opinion pages and all business activities." Their stated goal is to provide strong, unbiased local coverage of news, unbeholden to any outside interest group.
Controversy
In early summer, 2006, the News-Press was featured in international news when six editors and a long-time columnist suddenly resigned. The group publicly cited the imposition of McCaw and her hired managers' personal opinions onto the process of reporting and publishing the news; McCawhas expressed the view that the News-Press newsroom staff had become sloppy and biased. Tensions had existed between McCaw and the newsroom since she bought the News-Press in 2000.
Between July, 2006 and February 2007, 60 staff (out of 200 total employees), including all but 2 news reporters, resigned or were fired from the News-Press. Newsroom employees voted to unionize with the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
, and both the News-Press management and the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
made multiple appeals to the National Labor Relations Board
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
. Former employees have encouraged subscribers to cancel their subscriptions to the News-Press, and have encouraged advertisers to cease advertising in the paper. McCaw's attorneys have filed lawsuits against former employees, journalists, as well as competing newspapers, and have issued numerous cease and desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
letters, to websites linking
Deep linking
On the World Wide Web, deep linking is making a hyperlink that points to a specific page or image on a website, instead of that website's main or home page. Such links are called deep links.-Example:...
to the News-Press website, to local business that display signs in support of former employees, and to former employees who speak to the local media.
The parent company of the Santa Barbara News Press, Ampersand Publishing, filed a Federal lawsuit November 9, 2006 for copyright infringement against the Santa Barbara Independent ("SBI") -- where many former News-Press columnists became contributors to the community weekly -- claiming a link on independent.com violated copyright law. The case never reached trial, as an undisclosed settlement was reached April 28, 2008 resulting in a dismissal at the request of the parties. Federal District Court Central District of California. CASE NO. CV 06 6837 (R) (AJWx)
A Federal Judge finally dismissed the employees' suit on the grounds that a newspaper has a right to control both its content and its personnel under the guarantees of the First Amendment. [ McDermott v. Ampersand Publishing LLC, Central District of California, No. CV08-1551 (2008) ] A request for En Banc review by the US Court of Appeals is pending.
See also
- Wendy McCawWendy P. McCawWendy McCaw is the owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press.She was born Wendy Petrak in Palo Alto, California in 1951. She attended Stanford University where she majored in history and met Craig McCaw during their sophomore year. They married in 1974 a year after graduation. During their marriage...
- Santa Barbara IndependentSanta Barbara IndependentThe Santa Barbara Independent is a news, arts, and entertainment newspaper published every Thursday in Santa Barbara, California.-History:The paper was founded in November 1986...
- Santa Barbara Daily SoundSanta Barbara Daily SoundThe Santa Barbara Daily Sound is a daily newspaper in Santa Barbara, California that is published Tuesday through Saturday. It is distributed through newspaper racks and in stores, coffee shops, restaurants, schools and major workplaces. The founder and publisher is Jeramy Gordon, former managing...
- History of Santa Barbara, CaliforniaHistory of Santa Barbara, CaliforniaThe history of Santa Barbara, California, begins approximately 13,000 years ago with the arrival of the first Native Americans. The Spanish came in the 18th century to occupy and Christianize the area, which became part of Mexico following the Mexican War of Independence...
- Labor relations at the Santa Barbara News-PressLabor relations at the Santa Barbara News-PressFor activities prior to and surrounding this topic, see Santa Barbara News-Press controversy.Organized labor relations at the Santa Barbara News-Press were highlighted by a 33-6 vote of editorial department employees at the Santa Barbara, California, newspaper on September 27, 2006, to join the...
External links
- Santa Barbara News-Press, official site
- Thomas M. Storke at the California Newspaper Association Hall of Fame
- Charles A. Storke at the California Newspaper Association Hall of Fame
Controversy
- Save the Santa Barbara News-Press, site critical of the News-Press