Dean: Lean or mean?

Unlike my mother, I'm not that much of a worrier. But the more I learn about Dean Singleton, the more I worry about the future of both the people who work for him and for the quality of journalism at his newspapers.

Singleton has earned the nickname “Lean Dean” from fellow publishers and owners, many of whom seem to admire his penny-pinching ways. But his actions over the past couple of weeks make “Mean Dean” seem like a more appropriate moniker. “Out of Control Dean” might work, too, but it doesn’t have that rhyming thing going for it.

By now we’ve all heard of Singleton’s commitment to strong local journalism, and how he’s saved so many local newspapers. That commitment was missing a week or so ago in Connecticut, where, shortly after assuming control of the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time (He didn’t actually buy them; Hearst purchased the papers and gave them to Dean to manage. But that’s a topic for another item), he fired seven top editors plus three reporters, three copy editors and a paginator. Many had been long-time employees, credited with making the small papers two of the best in the country.

So much for loyalty, institutional memory, knowledge of local history and traditions. So much for strong local journalism.

Then Dean seemingly went off the deep end, ordering up an anti-labor editorial and placing it on the front page of his flagship paper, the Denver Post. In it, he ripped the Colorado governor for signing an executive order that allows state workers to join unions. And he did so in a particularly nasty fashion, likening the governor to Jimmy Hoffa and accusing him of being “a toady to labor bosses.”

Now, we always knew that Dean didn’t particularly like unions, but it always seemed like more of a business thing. But the editorial makes it seem that Singleton harbors a deep hatred for organized labor.

So, what exactly does that mean for his promise of letting the journalists of ANG Newspapers and the Contra Costa Times decide — without undue influence or misinformation from MediaNews management — whether or not they want to be members of The Newspaper Guild?


As I said at the start, I’m worried.

Welcome to the Media Guild Blog

Welcome, at long last, to the new Northern California Media Workers Guild website — and this blog. Yes, it’s a long time in coming, but, hey, we’ve been busy.

The site, designed by Mindy Pines, an at-large member of our local and Russ Cain, of the San Jose Guild, with the endless advice and “help” of many Guild officers, has a crisper, cleaner look and some new features – like this blog. Please browse the site, and let us know what you think about our new look.

The website is just part of an effort to move the Northern California Media Workers Guild forward – even as we face tough challenges. We’re beefing up and modernizing our communications, training new shop stewards and activists, and organizing.

As for this blog, it’s my job to fill this space, and provide timely entries. I’ll do my best to let you know what’s going on. Like the rest of the site, it will probably evolve.

As I said above, we’ve been busy here in Guild Land. After spending the summer averting layoffs but helping our members through the long and painful buyout process at the Chronicle, we’re working hard to rebuild the local, and our power.

You can read the details elsewhere on the site, but here’s a brief account of some of what’s going on around the local:

— Our court interpreters unit just concluded a six-week strike – and managed to get the attention of not only the courts but state legislators and officials who will be able to make a difference.
— Our brothers and sisters in the ANG unit are standing strong – stronger than ever, in fact – even after the company reorganized and tried to use that “as an excuse,” as Editor & Publisher called it, to withdraw recognition from the unit. We disagree, of course, and we’re fighting back, while continuing to advocate for our members.
— At the same time, workers in virtually every newsroom in the Bay Area – including San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Walnut Creek – are coming together to forge a powerful new bargaining unit at the Bay Area News Group-East Bay. The MediaNews Group promises to make this a showcase of efficiency – and it could be a showcase of quality journalism, too, if the journalists have a say. If you’d like to join the campaign -- we call it “One Big BANG: One Guild Universe” -- let us know.

Even though we’re facing a lot of challenges, I’m feeling positive about the direction of the Guild. We’re meeting the challenges head on, and I know we can prevail.