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By Miriam Raftery
July 10,2023 (San Diego) -- Today is a sad day for journalism in San Diego. The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper has been sold to Media News Group, which is owned by Alden Global Capital. Employees have been notified via email of the sale.
The new corporate owner has a reputation for “evisceration” of U.S. newspapers,according to NPR. Alden is a “vulture” capital company known for gutting newsrooms, laying off journalists and even closing some newspapers, the Atlantic reports. They also ended reader comments at all of their newspapers, which include many Southern California publications.
This is troubling for our region, particularly East County communities that already lack adequate coverage in San Diego County's largest newspaper. It’s also bad for democracy, with no robust discussion of issues and the focus on profits, not in-depth news such as investigative reporting,
Now, the need to maintain and expand -- not cut -- our coverage at East County Magazine is critical. But we've struggled to keep up with our reader's requests for news coverage amid rising costs-- and we urgently need your help.
Will you please make a generous donation at www.eastcountymedia.org/donate and consider becoming a sustaining monthly donor?
Without more readers committed to saving local journalism, there could someday be no news outlets left to cover news that matters in many local communities nor even important countywide news.
We thank you for your past support, and deeply appreciate your help to make sure that community journalism stays alive and thrives in our region.
Miriam Raftery, Editor and Founder
www.EastCountyMagazine and the East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts
Comments
One of my very first book reviews was with the UT
What got me started at being a prolific writer of book reviews for the East County Magazine, was a book review for the San Diego Union-Tribune Newspaper. I still have the receipt for the money I was paid for that review, more than 10 years ago.
I've subscribed to the UT for decades, under every owner
from the Copleys to today. Despite shifting editorial slants at times, as the region's largest newspaper they've often been the only newspaper with deep enough pockets for major investigative news, as well as covering important local stories in more depth than TV stations can provide. One can always ignore editorials or topics one doesn't like, but support the broader mission of community journalism. If everyone had cancelled subscriptions when they didn't like some UT editorial decisions, it would have failed years ago and we wouldn't have a regional newspaper.
I hope the new owners don't decimate the UT newsroom as they have so many other places, but their track record is not a good one. They've already offered employees a buy-out or early retirement option,and said if not enough take it, there will be lay-offs--and the journalism staff is already down to far fewer reproters than in the newspaper's heydey.
“Mad As Hell” by Dominic Sandbrook
I was honored to have written the review of Dominic Sandbrook's book; "Mad as Hell: The Crisis of the 1970s and the Rise of the Populist Right", for the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2011, for which I was paid $200.00 by the newspaper. "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" The words of Howard Beale, the fictional anchorman in the 1970s hit film "Network", struck a chord with a generation of Americans. From the disgrace of Watergate to the humiliation of the Iran hostage crisis, the American Dream seemed to be falling apart.
Cautiously optimistic.