Betty Cauler has the names of some of the thirty reporters eliminated in The Mourning Call's Saturday smackdown. In the last blood bath, calls went out Sunday night. This time, instead of forcing people to sit on pins and needles, word went out on Saturday.Very compassionate.
Betty claims good reporters like Tom Coombe and Will Ford have been axed, and I've confimed that through other sources.
Tom Coombe, pleasant and unobtrusive, wrote acounts for many of the meetings I've attended over the years. His reports have always been both balanced and informative, no easy feat.
Will Ford was one of the paper's two black reporters. I suppose a good reporter can still cover a racial issue with sensitivity, but I honestly doubt members of the black community will be as willing to share information with a white reporter as they might be with Will. If the paper is still interested in gathering information, this is bound to hurt.
Finally, there's the rumor that Comments Page Editor Glenn Kranzley has one month. If this is true, that's a mortal blow. There is simply no way the paper can recover from the loss of someone with his deep understanding of local government shenanigans.
The copy desk and features department were decimated.
News for Monday and Tuesday will come mostly from Chicago. On Wednesday, some form of local coverage will resume. In the meantime, we have this little thing called a municipal primary, involving hundreds of local offices, on May 19th. Brace yourself for more fried pizza stories.
But the layoffs will continue until someone realizes that the problem is at the top, not the bottom.
Update: Ironically, these layoffs occur the very week that the Pennsylvania Women's Press Association (PWPA) named four Mourning Call reporters in their annual journalism contest. Pam Varkony has those details.
Update #2: In my original post, I mentioned that Will Ford - one of The Mourning Call's two black reporters - was laid off. Looks like the other one was axed, too. So was the paper's only black copy editor.
60 comments:
Mr. Kransley a tight friend of Jack Bradt and John Stoffa has brought this on himself. He has been unable to keep his personal felings about these two pol's seperate from his obligation to be objective.
That is one reason Stoffa has been able to get a way with so many games that go unmentioned by the media.
Kranzley is an editor. He is supposed to have a point of view. I don't read too many "objective" editorials.
The Long Dems are unhappy already.
Judging by the spelling and grammar ability, I have to ask who this (anonymous 12:25) very precocious 4th grader is, so interested in local politics at such a tender age. He or she is obsessed with John Stoffa and pops up in your blogs day after day.
"rumor that Comments Page Editor Glenn Kranzley has one month."
Smartest move the "newspaper" can make albeit long overdue. Crossing my fingers.
This mean-spirited and irrational comment is obviously posted by the Villas, who currently are working very hard to have me incarcerated.
Does your dramshop trial still start today, Villa?
BOH, you redefine the meaning of the word "DICKLESS"
It's a simple question. Is the trial starting today or not? I'd like to cover it.
We're expecting you. Please don't disappoint.
Thank goodness for Varkony's blog and your blog, Bernie - I wouldn't have known anything about the Call's layoffs were it not for these two sources.
I am beyond sad to consider the losses at the Call. Not only is the paper going to suffer terribly, and maybe even die, but Allentown itself is in real peril if the 6th Street building goes vacant. Gosh, this is making me almost as depressed as the day I got my newly shrunk down Rolling Stone a few months ago.
As I get older, I realize corruption in public office is rampant. Without investigative journalists living side-by-side with politicians, who will be our watchdog?? I love blogs, but the comments right here plainly show why blogs have their limits.
My condolences to everyone at the Call. At this point, I can only hope they "fold," making way for the real journalists of the valley to rally and bring back a LOCAL paper. Good luck to everyone remaining there - I will remain a loyal customer til the end. And thanks to Bernie (and Varkony) for such detailed insights into the situation. I appreciate it.
It's really too bad that Villa hasn't channeled his grief into something constructive such as many many other parents who lost children too early have done.
There are literally dozens of examples of parents, stricken by grief, who have lobbied for legislation, started foundations, and changed careers to one they felt could do some good.
Unfortunately Bill took his grief and channeled into hate.
I can't imagine the pain he must feel, so I sympathize. But looking at examples like Adam Walsh's father, who started a television show to try to catch criminals at large, or Megan Kanka's mother who has lobbied for years for sex offender laws, it makes you wonder if there isn't something more he could be doing besides posting here and spending his days attacking the newspaper.
Bernie, I was sort of wondering out loud with that last post, so - though I know you are not a fan of Villa- if that came across as mean spirited, please fell free to remove it.
"your dramshop trial ... I'd like to cover it" -Bernie O'Mcall
So O'Hare .. are you and attorney (for now) Najarian backing off of your earlier published threats (at your Troll blog) to sabotage this trial?
How pussillanimous of you (and Dull Dave).
anon 7:47, seems to me the Villas are doing exactly what you, in your passing judgment, suggest they do. They believe the DA (with the help of the newspaper) is not doing his duty. And so far as Bernie removing a mean-spirited post, that was a joke, right?
"anon 7:47, seems to me the Villas are doing exactly what you, in your passing judgment, suggest they do. They believe the DA (with the help of the newspaper) is not doing his duty. And so far as Bernie removing a mean-spirited post, that was a joke, right?"
But wouldn't the more effective route, Bill, be to try to unseat the DA? Find a candidate, back him, fund him and work for him? Do you believe you do ANY good at all with this? You've gotten to the point where people completely ignore you. As for the newspaper, do you think anything will change there because you post hate messaged here and at your own blog. Do you think Kransley's departure will change anything where you are concerned?
Anyway, Bill, peace to you. Maybe one day you'll find a constructive way to channel all of that rage and grief.
8:09, it's 8 am here: gee, I didn't know my name was Bill. (you are ASS-suming) But I'll reply anyway, ... Villa is always demanding that DA Martin be dumped and is always urging he be opposed at re-election. But I won't get into a pissing match with you. Peace be with you, too.
BOHO, that you are mocking this guy in a civil suit concerning his dead daughter speaks as much about you as him.
Bernie,
What's happening with your online paper idea? Now you'll have 100 reporters to consider?
Maybe someone knows what happening w/ Mr Bradt's building in Allentown @ 11th Street. Think we saw a "for sale" sign. Not sure though.
In the old days we all went to ABC, NBC, or CBS for the news and we chose which of the three to watch based often on which anchor we liked best even though the news was pretty much the same on each channel. Back then we had, what? 12 channels in the Valley? Newspapers were the same way: Express, Globe, Call pretty much gave you similar accounts of what happened that day with extra focus on the city that the paper was serving. Now we have hundreds of cable channels and people watch channels that cater to their demographic, getting their news from places that slant toward their political thinking with a LOT of commentary mixed in (Drudge and Fox vs. Huffington Post and MSNBC being the two ends of the spectrum). I don't know if it's good or bad but it seems that newspapers are suffering the same changes that the major network news shows did.
Just took a glance at Press Awards. One division had no winner for "investigative reporting." wonder how many others don't either.
To Monkey Momma:
If you can, take a glance at politicans' contributions posted online for public view. You'll get an eye-full as you realize how many of the donors names you recognize.
I like online news and blogs. I think there are many advantages. I like the comments. Sometimes people comment that know just as much if not more than the person that wrote the article so you get more info than a newspaper article could offer. Sometimes you read something in a newspaper that doesn't seem right but it's not "alive" like online news or a blog. It's frozen in time so you are left wondering. For instance, last week the Call published a front page article about Northampton County's preparations for the swine flu and in the caption to the photo of John Conklin it said he was Lehigh County Administrator even though he was sitting next to john Stoffa in the picture. All day I was like, "Isn't he from Northampton County?" In a blog, someone (maybe Conklin himself) would have commented "I work for Northampton County and so does John Stoffa" and the administrator would have commented an apology and fixed it right away. In a newspaper it went to press that way, confusing readers as to which County the article was about, readers that may not know better and who will never notice the tiny retraction run the next day, if one was at all. I hope the Call builds up it's website, invites more people to comment and can make up for losses that way. I would go to them for news more often.
I agree wit anon 920. I'm a liberal and I read Pam Varkony's and this blog everyday. I listen Rush, Hannity, and Fox along with my MSNBC. I like hearing the same news reported by different sides of the aisle.
Bernie -
I understand that Mr. Kranzley is an editor and supposed to have an opinion. However...
Here in Allentown it has long been rumored that Mr. Kranzley has frequent lunches with the Mayor. While nothing "criminal" in itself, I think it does taint the objectivity of the paper (or at least the public's perception of the paper's objectivity).
Couple that with the many editorials which seemingly ignore the reality on the streets and blindly support the current Mayor (and Mayor Afflerbach before that), and you can understand the frustration many have developed with the Call's editorial staff (and story editors).
For an editor to develop an opinion based on available facts is one thing. For an editor to have an opinion based on a personal relationship or on one-side of the story (spoon-fed to him by the subject of the story) is quite another.
FYI, there are at least two black reporters left at the Morning Call, Andre Williams and Tyrone Richardson.
The newsroom certainly is less diverse than it was last week, though.
who is the paper's only black copy editor? so sorry to learn this news for everyone involved.
where will reporters get work as reporters? they'll have to go into different careers. this is why someone asked you last week about NCC journalism classes.
I must agree with post 9:56. I often read of folks seeing the two luncheon. how can one be impartial after (repeatedly)
sharing tuna with a mayor?
anon 10:03
Isn't it weird that Tyrone Richardson is on vacation til 5/11? Who leaves town when their employer is swinging a machete around the office?? Hopefully his vacation won't be extended...
anon 10:03
Isn't it weird that Tyrone Richardson is on vacation til 5/11? Who leaves town when their employer is swinging a machete around the office?? Hopefully his vacation won't be extended...
This could be the dumbest thing I've read today. You're teh same person who earlier criticized the call for not posting more about its layoffs. Did you see the names of people laid off at MAck, Air Products or Olympus in the news? The paper reported they were laying off people- Do you really need to see names, you damn vulture? Tyrone is on vacation and you somehow feel qualified to comment on that? Get a life that involves something other than reading obits would you please.
Birds of a feather, flock together. So why is anyone surprised that the vultures are here at this blog?
Bernie's so fat he can't fly anymore, so they drop the carcasses on him.
" Did you see the names of people laid off at MAck, Air Products or Olympus in the news? The paper reported they were laying off people- Do you really need to see names, you damn vulture?"Cool it. The names appear in Betty Cauler's blog and she's a former MC employee. She did not post those names to hurt these people. Nor do I.
I think names are relevant for these reasons: 1) The paper tries very hard to keep everything under wraps, even to the point of prohibiting commentary on the article it publishes; 2) Those of us into blogs know many of these people or at least have read them; and 3) Reporters whose names appear associated w/ their articles become mini-celebrities of a kind. So I would not compare them to mack employees. I would compare them to minor league ballplayers.
"What's happening with your online paper idea? Now you'll have 100 reporters to consider?"Can't seem to generate the interest in it.
You cool it. These are people who have families. They are not minor league ball players or celebrities of any kind. They are people who tried to do a good job. Because you and your voyeuristic following somehow feel better knowing who got cut doesn't make it relevant or right.
Betty Cauler is a vulture too and she's worse because she was one of the unlucky ones last time.
I used to think this blog had some string points, but when I see nonesense like this fascination with people's hardship, I see you for the pathetic wannabe you are.
You are the ringleader of this macabre little bunch and I thought you had more class. I should have known better. You and your 6 readers, enjoy the hardship of others. Your time will come...Oh, I guess it already did.
Hello Anon 11:01. Glad you got a kick out of my last post. When I postulated on Tyrone's vacation, I was just wonderin' about the timing. I know when I was in the corporate world, I cancelled my vacation during a layoff round. Of course the man's entitled to a vacation - it's just odd timing, given the circumstances here at home.
And in terms of being a vulture...I am just interested in what's happening at the Call, as it affects everyone in the Valley and not just Call employees. As Bernie stated, reporters are mini-celebrities. They are in the public domain already, unlike your typical Mack middle-manager or Agere engineer. I love Tyrone's blog and column, so of course I pay attention to his whereabouts during a layoff round.
My interest is certainly not mean-spirited in any event. I do take offense to the vulture smack. I wish the best for the Call, but it sure doesn't look good for the team out on 6th Street.
Anon 2:17,
I stand by my earlier justification. You are clearly grasping for a reason to launch a personal attack. Have at it.
I have done nothing inappropriate and have read many news stories about layoffs in which specific individuals are mentioned and sometimes featured.
Monkey
Does Tyrone come down to your job and comment on how you make the fries? Well, then why do you feel the need to have an opinion on the man's vacation? When you were here...did you get booted? Why are you so interested n others' misery. Does that make you feel better to know the names of the people who are unemployed today? They are not "mini-celebrities." They are people with children and husbands and wives who worked in a career they loved but one that didn't love them back.
You buch of blood suckers must sleep well knowing there are people out there tonight as sad and miserable as you are.
I'll repeat...Vultures.
Standing byt it doesn't make you any less of a blood sucker. Knowing 70 poeple got cut is news. Knowing that Will Ford, who has a wife and children, got cut, is voyeurism.
I understand your point of view, anon. And, I'm sorry if you are suffering in this economy. I'm just a little fan of some of the writers at the Call - it's natural for me to be curious about their whereabouts, and I make no apologies for being concerned.
I never worked at the paper - I was in the pharma business. No more, though! Motherhood has proven to be much more time consuming and rewarding. Maybe one day I'll swim with the sharks again, but not today.
Anyways, feel free to bash me if it makes you feel better. Everyone has their own way of dealing with grief and setbacks - maybe this is yours. In the mean time, you can be assured that I am not reveling in the losses suffered by the Call's employees. I liked this paper a lot, and I recognize its importance in our community. Not only are the families who lost a paycheck suffering, but our whole Valley suffers when investigative reporting disappears.
Good luck to you...
"Standing byt it doesn't make you any less of a blood sucker."I am very comfortable with what I wrote. Your attack, which smacks of survivor's guilt, is no different than the attacks launched at you by many people who consider you the vultures.
I never approached someone at a funeral to ask a question. I've never done many of the things that are standard fare for most reporters.
I mentioned three names. I fellt comfortable doing that. in Tom Coombe's case, I mentioned his name bc he is an excellent reporter, not some cub. I mentioned Will Ford because the paper loses diversity when it loses him. I mention Glenn bc the paper loses its soul if it loses him.
I think this is all quite relevant to my story and I am not picking at their carcasses. But there are other reasons to justify this. As mentioned, the MC has attempted to keep everything under wraps, even to the point of not allowing topix comments. People who are used to reading certain reporters have a right to know they are gone. And, like it or not, many of them achieve some sort of mini-celebrity status. People have a right to know.
I thought about your objection before I published this and felt it should go as is. I still feel that way. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll call it the way i see it, not the way you see it.
Bernie O'Hare
Ah, Villa and his snappy wit return...
At least he thought of this one all on his own, instead of copying Sweet with the "Mellow Yellow" stuff.
O'Hare ponders O'Hare, "I am never wrong".
Why are layoffs at the MC so sacred and tragic compared to everyone else's? Everyone's getting laid off. They're acting like they're the first people ever to experience this. Are newspapers so much more important than any other companies? Are newspaper people more important than any other professionals? My company laid off two people just today for kicks. They are single mothers with three kids each who were making no more than $12 an hour. I've been laid off three times since Bush became President. Stop crying and update your resume.
I don't think there is any shame to being laid off. Maybe listing the names will help people in the industry know who's available, at least for free lance...if I get laid off, Betty whatshername can list my name, rank, serial number, and post my resume if it will help me get another job.
I agree. I really did consider whether this might hurt the people being described. I know one reporter who wrote a great essay describing all the details on his F/B page. I would not use that. But I honestly do think people have a right to know who is gone, if only bc they may follow a particular reporter.
There is no shame in being laid off.
To deal with the shots taken at Mr. Kranzley:
Mr. Kranzley was Vice-President and Editor of the OPINION PAGES. He, along with the other members of the now defunct editorial board, developed the newspapers' endorsement of candidates and his routine responsibility was to edit all other content found on the OPINION PAGES.
He did not and could not shield Stoffa, or anyone else from coverage. If that were to have happened, (and I do not believe that it did) it would have been at the direction of News (Hilliard, Erdman) or the Publisher (who believe me, has no time for such nonsense).
I worked there, and my political views are 180 degrees opposite Mr. Kranzley's. Yet, I will tell you this: Anyone who thinks there is a conspiracy to protect Stoffa, or any politician from either party, from a story that would sell papers is pissing up a rope.
Was there left wing bias that has contributed to the current mess? Absolutely. But there is a big difference between slant and what is alleged in some of these comments.
Once again, I agree. I think papers might tend to have an incumbent bias, regardless of particular party, because they provide access. But I have never discerned any political bias at either the MC or ET.
Scott Armstrong has maintained for years that the paper protects Pawlowski, a Democrat. But back when Bernie Kieklak weas commenting here, he claimed the paper ws protecting Reichley, a conservative Republican.
Go figure.
Dear Glenn Kranzley:
I've read in the local blogs (with great delight) unconfirmed rumors that you've been given 30 days notice.
I hope this is true.
From a professional standpoint, it would be the smartest move your "newspaper" would have made in a long, long time.
Wishing you the absolute worst possible.
Sincerely.
The above comment, posted by the Villas, reveals just how much they care about their fellow man. If you're not w/ them, you're against them.
Uh, Monkey Mama, the story about the layoffs was in the newspaper. And on its web page.
What do you mean when you say you'd know nothing about the layoffs if it wasn't for O'Hare and Varkony?
Seems like your ass-kissing is in hyperdrive.
O'Hare, now Morning Call copy editors and municipal beat reporters are minor celebrities? Sounds like your BS-ing is in hyperdrive.
Oh, and O'Hare, when you stop referring to Erdman as a prick (as in the memo snark) then you can spout off about personal attacks and feelings for your fellow man. Meanwhile, why don't you start a canned goods drive for Kranzley's family?
Poor Bill. His dramshop case must be going badly.
I just left a paper sack of canned corn and peas outside the front door at Sixth and Hamilton streets.
I left a box of fried pizza.
To Annon 8:42, as someone with inside information myself;respectfully, Bullshot!
"Poor Bill. His dramshop case must be going badly." -Bernie O'MCall
You wish. But how would you know? You're too pusillanimous to attend. You just publicly threaten to "sabotage" the trial, along w/ your Troll Parade blog co-creator pal attorney (for now) David C. Najarian, Lynn Township Supervisor.
anon 9:43 said, "Uh, Monkey Mama, the story about the layoffs was in the newspaper. And on its web page.
What do you mean when you say you'd know nothing about the layoffs if it wasn't for O'Hare and Varkony?
Seems like your ass-kissing is in hyperdrive."
No, Bernie and Varkony had this particular story first. Sorry, but check your facts and you'll see they plainly beat the Call's website and paper version to the punch.
No ass kissing here...just some simple interest in the story.
Anonymous personal attacks will not be tolerated. They will be deleted.
Didn't say they had it first, only that you would have known about the story even if Ohare and Varkony didnt post it. you check your facts, maam.
12:31 - Well, perhaps your inside info refutes mine. I pointed out my reasons for why I did not believe Mr. Kranzley ran interference for anyone.
"Bullshot" implies that I am posting erroneously, and that you have details that would disprove my contention and prove that of Mr. Kranzley's detractors.
Respectfully, I'm all ears (or eyes, in this case). Do tell, if you have the goods.
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