Media reformers welcome new SF voice

09.24.09 - 2:34 pm | Steven T. Jones |

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By Steven T. Jones

The Bay Area News Project – a new media collaboration that will be formally announced tomorrow, but which we wrote about earlier today – is already generating excitement from San Franciscans who have long been concerned about the journalism industry’s decline.

“I very much like the idea of another locally owned and edited news voice in San Francisco. The Guardian and I wish them well,” Bay Guardian Editor and Publisher Bruce B. Brugmann said.

While principal investor Warren Hellman discussed the project with the Guardian, none of the other local partners – KQED, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, the Media Workers Guild, and the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, which is handling the managing editor hiring process – returned our calls or were willing to discuss the project before its formal announcement in the morning.

Yet the long-rumored news was greeted warmly by local media innovators, including some who have been closely watching the scene and waiting to see what Hellman and company would do. “I’m absolutely thrilled that significant resources are being put into an alternative business model for the local media because it’s sorely needed,” said Michael Stoll, project director for The Public Press, a noncommercial news outlet that launched earlier this year after years in development. “It represents the first hopeful sign in a long time that watchdog journalism is on the rebound.”

Stoll (who I work with as a steering committee member for The Public Press) has been struggling to find money to maintain his project in this tight economy. “I hope this announcement will inspire others with resources and an interest in civic-focused journalism to match Hellman’s generosity because there are many other good ideas out there for how to bring back the independent press.”

Eve Batey, a former Chronicle employee who founded and edits the SF Appeal, told us, “I’m just thrilled this actually came to fruition. I’m excited to see what they do.”

None of the journalists we interviewed said they feared the new competition, saying it’s only good for journalism. “The more people out there writing stories, the better. There are way more good stories than there are working journalists,” Batey said. “With all respect to my former colleagues at the Chronicle, being a monopoly doesn’t help you…The more locally owned and operated news outlets there are, with management that’s invested in the city, the better it is for the city.”

Sup. Chris Daly, who has often clashed with the Chronicle and the Examiner and shares the Guardian’s progressive worldview, reacted to the news by saying, “I’m not holding my breath that it’s going to be like the Bay Guardian running seven days a week, which is what we really need. But a voice other than the McCain/Palin Examiner and the god-awful Chronicle would be helpful.”

Yet running under the praise, there is a subtle undercurrent of concern that this collaboration of such large and powerful players could squeeze out or take funding from some of the independent media start-ups. Local blogger Susan Mernit wrote, “I hate the idea that big entities can suck the air--and perhaps the funding--from smaller more grassroots efforts.”

Fog City Journal Editor Luke Thomas said, "It sounds like a great idea. The only thing I'd be concerned about is who has editorial control and what's the agenda?" The San Francisco Chronicle did not return Guardian calls for comment.

But most say the nonprofit nature of the new project is a good sign, particularly if what appears to be a collaborative approach to journalism ends up extending beyond the initial partners.

“It’s too soon to tell what the details will be,” Stoll said, “but Hellman’s folks have learned many valuable lessons by researching existing projects on the ground and it would be great if this new organization reached out to partner with innovators who are currently struggling to find their voice as well.”

Comments

Steven T. Jones

Update: Carl Hall from the California Media Workers Guild returned my call shortly after I posted this item and had this to say:
"I hope it's the start of a new era in journalism. There's a need for the evolution of the big city newsroom and I hope this is it," said Hall, who worked with Hellman on the project.
Hall, who left the Chronicle earlier this year as layoffs loomed, said he doesn't blame media companies like Hearst Corporation for what's happened, but the problem is a huge threat to society.
"We can't just let our industry devolve to the point where the public interest is threatened," he said. "We as journalists have to be creative and build a foundation for what's next."
Beyond just the funding from Hellman -- whom Hall praised at "just a great guy, he saw the need for this and put his money up" -- Hall said the involvement of significant players like KQED and the New York Times give him hope that this could be a lasting institution.
"On behalf of the California Media Workers Guild, we had an obligation to do something other than sit back and let these layoffs wash over us."

Posted by Steven T. Jones on Sep. 24, 2009 @ 3:05 pm

glen matlock

You read this article and there is a call for a watch dog media, but the Guardian is a harping servile ode to Chris Daly and other progressives.

A watch dog media would point out how stupid Daly is after this quote of his "“I’m not holding my breath that it’s going to be like the Bay Guardian running seven days a week, which is what we really need. But a voice other than the McCain/Palin Chronicle and the god-awful Examiner would be helpful.”

http://www.sfgate.com/nov2008endorsements/

The Chronicle endorsed Obama.

In the mono culture of the far left Chris Daly is a deep and clever thinker? I find this all amazing on a certain level, the fringe left has created such a paranoid world that Gavin Newsom is far right and the Chronicle is akin to what? Rush Limbaugh?

Posted by glen matlock on Sep. 24, 2009 @ 3:49 pm

Chris Daly

I actually said McCain/Palin Examiner and God-awful Chronicle. Just ask Sabatini at the Ex what I call his publication. Nice try, Glen.

Posted by Chris Daly on Sep. 24, 2009 @ 7:17 pm

glen matlock

So I'm supposed to know when you are quoted wrong? In your lap dog media of the Bay Guardian even? You would think that the servile Guardian would get your quotes down better, saints should always be quoted correctly.

Maybe I should only take your quotes literally from your home town paper, the Fairfield shopper.

Why in the name of your imaginary zombie Jesus would I care what you think of the Examiner?

I find the far right and left incredible, you all think we are all so stupid when we don't have the common courtesy to agree with you.

Posted by glen matlock on Sep. 24, 2009 @ 9:15 pm

jenga

Is this a blog post or a press release?

Posted by jenga on Sep. 25, 2009 @ 5:11 am

Steven T. Jones

Glen, you and the other critics of progressive politics are far more obsessed with Daly than we are. The Guardian has been doing award-winning journalism for 43 years, most of it haven't nothing to do with Chris Daly. As far as the quote, I'm not sure whether Chris misspoke or I misquoted, but I'm going to fix it now.
And Jenga, I'd respond to your point if I understood it, so perhaps you could explain.

Posted by Steven T. Jones on Sep. 25, 2009 @ 8:19 am

glen matlock

Uhm, I think perhaps I have read Guardian articles where the author stands by their notes quite resolutely. I wouldn't want to drive a nail into the lovefest though.

I think Jenga's point...

Isn't it the start up's job to write some impossibly upbeat and self-serving press release where they quote fellow travelers? When all those dot com's were crashing and they were giving out ridiculously upbeat press releases about how they were relaunching in another direction, meaning bankrauptcy, didn't you think that was all bullshit? Like reading your press release.

Posted by glen matlock on Sep. 25, 2009 @ 10:24 am

Chris Daly

"Why in the name of your imaginary zombie Jesus would I care what you think of the Examiner?"

Glen, you seem to care a lot about what I think of the Chronicle, but in terms of San Francisco issues, there isn't that big of a difference between the two.

I know that the Chronicle endorsed Obama. I was an early Obama supporter who pitched the Guardian for an Obama endorsement. I'm glad that we agreed. With that said, I've pitched several candidates that the Guardian took a pass on. In those instances, the Guardian has taken the favorite over the better progressive.

As for the Daily Republic, my in-laws get it, so I see it sometimes on the weekends. As a smaller city paper, you get wire stories (which I've read the night before on the internet) with some local news.

With that said, Glen Matlock, I don't know your connection to San Francisco or anywhere else for that matter. I'm proud of my contributions to San Francisco in the past 16 years and counting.

Posted by Chris Daly on Sep. 25, 2009 @ 1:13 pm

Steven T. Jones

I feel silly even having to write this, Glen, but advocating for strong journalism, the cornerstone of democracy, is not the same thing as advocating for some random dot.com startup.

Posted by Steven T. Jones on Sep. 25, 2009 @ 2:12 pm

glen matlock

Steve, you do know what an analogy is right? When I compare your press release (I mean fawning ode) to that of a press release of a dot bomb, I'm not comparing business models.

More progressive news sources in SF isn't strong journalism, it's just more of the same. I think everyone has got it already; Newsom equals George Bush, obeying this nations laws is racist, the government is evil, we want more government and "my first person outrage needs to be paid attention to"

What did I miss?

Posted by glen matlock on Sep. 26, 2009 @ 9:47 am

Michael Strickland

Please don't feed the trolls. It only gets them all excited and it's a huge bore for everyone else.

I hope to be wrong, but the proposed Warren Hellman/New York Times/KQED partnership sounds like just more of the same bad journalism that helped us to invade Iraq and glorify rich financiers over everyone else in this society. There needs to be a more fundamental change.

Posted by Michael Strickland on Sep. 26, 2009 @ 10:16 am

glen matlock

Michael, It's strange I was opposed to the war in Iraq and I only read the mainstream news in general. I don't know if I have ever read an article that glorified a "rich financier," is Donald Trump one? If so I think Trump is an asshole and always have thought same. I also voted no on 8, am for single payer and was a member of the ACLU for 15 or so years until they became too ridiculous... but then I'm not a fan the progressives of garbage cops. So unlike many Guardian authoritarians I draw the line somewhere, I guess that makes me a nazi and racist.

My guess is that you think that if the peasants were spoon fed better news they would agree with you more?

Although I don't read news from the extremes all that much anymore, I have read a book or two, for instance "The Paranoid Style in American Politics: And Other Essays" by Hofstadter, there are many other exposes on the crazy right out there but he set the bar, so I use him as the example.

One of the points Hofstadter makes is that right wing extremists think the rest of the population is duped by (get this) the mainstream media. Over the years various extremists have said what you are saying from both ends of the spectrum. I would suggest Lippsets "The Paranoid Style of American Politics" where he matches up the crazy right and left in tactics and antics, or perhaps "the True Believer" by Hoffer, not as well documented though.

So a peasant is left with who to believe when the left and right call the rest of us peasants stupid. They both claim the same things; a revealed knowledge, to speak for the people, a god of some sort often times, the right knowledge on race, the correct view of the conspiracy etc... If we would only listen to the extremes we would live in a heaven on earth (free of the secret cabal), I guess as a dumb peasant I need to pick your utopia, you seem so righteous.

Do you think flouridation is a commie plot or 9/11 was an inside job or Bush just let it happen so that robots could steal our liberties?

I find it odd you call Daly and Jones trolls, they seem to agree with your authoritarian world view, that only a troll would advocate.

Posted by glen matlock on Sep. 26, 2009 @ 11:05 am

Barton

While we've got Supe. Daly's attention here:

When will the new BA News Project, or any other media organization with investigative gumption, look into the fact that Daly got $1 million from his parents (he admits this)...

...while he lives in a San Francisco condo built specifically for low-income San Francisco (not Fairfield) residents?

Posted by Barton on Sep. 27, 2009 @ 8:15 am