While workers at many newspapers owned by Advance Publications have tried to brace themselves for what seems to be the inevitable - layoffs and the end of a daily print product - reporters and editors at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland are fighting back in an unusual way: they are taking their case directly to the public.
The staff there has started a campaign to rally community support and to try to prevent cuts like the ones Advance has made in other cities. Using money provided by Local 1 of the Newspaper Guild and a grant from the Communications Workers of America, organizers have produced a television commercial, created a Facebook page that has attracted nearly 4,000 “likes†and started a petition that has nearly 6,000 signatures so far. They have also enlisted some celebrities, like the “Hot in Cleveland†star Valerie Bertinelli, to support their cause.
“We've been surprised and gratified and really humbled by the amount of response we've gotten, †said John Mangels, a science writer for the paper who is involved in the organizing efforts.
It is not clear whether these measures will be enough to preserve The Plain Dealer as a daily newspaper. According to the Alliance for Audited Media, the paper's Monday through Friday circulation declined 19 percent, to 293,139 from 363,750, over the last decade. In January, a three-year agreement between the paper and the guild will end. That agreement promised that there would be no layoffs in exchange for the guild accepting furloughs and 12 percent pay cuts; now, Mr. Mangels said, the staff has been warned that layoffs are inevitable.
Among the more lively efforts to stave off a reduction in the print schedule is a “Save The Plain Dealer†party planned for Thursday night at the Market Garden Brewery and Distillery. The brewery is releasing a new beer, 7-Day Lager, which it says is “best when enjoyed daily, because one a day keeps ignorance at bay.†A local musician, Alex Bevan, who wrote a song called “Ink on Paper,†will perform.
Sam McNulty, one of the owners of the Market Garden Brewery and a former delivery boy for The Plain Dealer, said he just wanted to see the paper survive. He said he had invited Steve Newhouse, chairman of Advance.net, the corporate digital arm of Advance Publications, to the party and offered to pay for his plane ticket.
Mr. Newhouse declined to say whether he would attend Thursday's event, and referred a reporter to local management. But in an e-mail to Mr. McNulty, Mr. Newhouse said the company was “working to develop a localized approach that will allow us to continue to fulfill our commitment to quality journalism in an increasingly digital world.†He added, “I support the work of our team in Cleveland and have passed on your input to them.â€
