Alright so I know that the gun debate in this country is quite heated and there are well meaning advocates on both side of the issue. But when did the Newport Daily News start schlepping for the pro-gun lobby?
Don’t believe me? Just take a look at the FRONT page of today’s Daily News.
So the Newport Daily News publishes a pro-gun puff piece about the gun shop over on Coddington Highway that is located less than a mile away from the spot where a 22 year-old local man was shot in the chest and is still fighting for life at Rhode Island Hospital? What?
And let’s take a closer look at that front page photo. Are they targeting kids with this placement?
And if that wasn’t enough for the day, just turn to their Opinion Page where they run a letter to the editor titled “Newport County’s anti-gun lobby is based on many lies.”
Read the full letter HERE
I mean, come on guys. At least pretend you’re not in the bag!
This just has to be a coincidence that two blatantly pro-gun pieces appeared on the same day, right? I mean there is no way advertising dollars could possibly inform this decision, right? Right?
Sorry, Charlie but that would appear to be WRONG!
Check out this half page advertisement in their April 21st edition promoting a gun range!
Umm, what? Is this the real world? What has happened to our paper of record?
The United Media Guild might have an answer. It seems that the Newport Daily News’ new Japanese owned, New York based corporate overlords don’t particularly care about the communities they invade.
It’s never good news when New Media Investment Group, the parent company of GateHouse Media, buys your newspaper.
Wholesale newsroom cuts and outsourcing come next, as we have seen at five UMG-represented newspapers: The Peoria Journal-Star, State Journal-Register of Springfield, Rockford Register Star, Freeport Journal-Standard and Pekin Daily Times.
The Columbus Dispatch is a classic example. After New Media/GateHouse bought the newspaper, it set out to slash $10 million in costs within two years.
The Providence Journal has suffered similarly suffered under New Media/GateHouse ownership. After the newspaper changed hands, the Journal immediately laid off prominent journalists and scheduled the outscourcing of its entire copy desk.
Like so many other New England newspapers the company owns, the Journal is losing its identity through all the consolidation. Then there is the issue of advertorial content and the newsroom pressure to produce stories about advertisers.
Here’s a live look at the Newport Daily News’ loyal readership as they realize that this once storied institution is being torn apart bit by bit.
And in case you missed it, the new ownership group killed the Newport Mercury last week.
What sad times, indeed!
PS – if the Daily News would like to borrow this from our “About Us” section, I’d be cool with it.
“If we ever do anything that resembles “real” journalism, it was purely by mistake.”
