Posts Tagged ‘Wendy McCaw(ful)’

Wendy McCaw(ful) (pictured here) and her precious Santa Barbara News-Press was denied its request to delay the start of its federal copyright infringement trial against The Santa Barbara Independent.

The Independent reports:

The daily wanted more time to prepare for their case and determine what evidence they could take from The Indy, requesting a start date of the jury trial no sooner than late March 2008. But Judge Rafeedie determined that the News-Press’ attorneys failed to show good cause, and denied their request with no further explanation.

Specifically, the News-Press’ attorneys requested an extension because they are hoping to compel The Indy’s executive editor Nick Welsh to reveal his sources. This may be the first time ever that one newspaper has tried to get another newspaper’s reporter to divulge his or her sources, as confidentiality of sources is a privilege that’s usually treated as sacrosanct in the profession of journalism.

Earlier:

Craig Redding Fired for Joke at Santa Barbara Paper

Santa Barbara News-Press Wins Some, Loses Some In Court

Santa Barbara News-Press Circulation Drops, Surprising No One

When Lawyers Attack: News-Press Sicks Litigators On Santa Barbara Independent

There’s no joking at the Santa Barbara News-Press, at least not when pals of the owner, Wendy McCaw(ful) are involved.

Cliff Redding, a veteran copy editor, felt the wrath of Wendy, when he authorized a mock-up of the paper’s front page as a gag gift for departing copy editor Lara Milton. He got fired.

The joke page featured a column from “Dr. Lara”, referencing the all-too real Dr. Laura Schlesinger column. Due to a glitch, the fake column spilled into the real one on the website.

Redding was one of the few, the very few, African-American employees on staff, but maybe diversity isn’t high on the paper’s internal agenda.

Nearly 50 employees have been fired or quit since July 2006. The paper’s looking for a business writer, too.

McCaw’s lawsuit against former editor Jerry Roberts started on Monday, but the proceedings aren’t open to the public. According to Craig Smith:

It is believed that McCaw initiated the litigation by suing Roberts for breach of contract. Roberts counter sued claiming constructive firing. McCaw responded by upping the ante and asking for $25 million in damages from Roberts.

Earlier:
Santa Barbara News-Press Wins Some, Loses Some In Court

Santa Barbara News-Press Circulation Drops, Surprising No One

When Lawyers Attack: News-Press Sicks Litigators On Santa Barbara Independent

There still at it up north. A U.S. District Court judge this week allowed most of the claims in a lawsuit filed by the Santa Barbara News-Press against the Santa Barbara Independent to go to trial. Included in those claims is a copyright infringement allegation, but the judge dismissed three key claims of unfair business competition, intentional interference with business advantage, and negligent interference with business advantage. He also left a claim of trade-secret stealing to be determined later.

You might recall, the News-Press made headlines in July 2006 when owner Wendy McCaw(ful) and editorial page editor Travis Armstrong started meddling with news content.

The Independent linked to a PDF version of an uncensored N-P story that detailed the paper’s meltdown. This didn’t sit well with the litigious N-P. Neither did the rumor that an Independent reporter got his mits on an unpublished story detailing the arbitration between McCaw(ful) and former editor Jerry Roberts (whom she tried to insinuate was a fan of kiddie porn — yeah, she’s a classy broad).

You can read the whole story here. Do it before the relatives arrive. It’ll make your own family dramas seem a little less … expensive.

Wendy McCaw(ful) owns a newspaper, but the LA Times gave her online space to trash Lou Cannon while wrapping herself and her fish-wrap paper in the cloak of self-righteousness:

We intend to write more about the scourge of child pornography and we intend to uncover and expose anyone, including any former or current employees of our paper, who traffics and delights in the sexual abuse of children. The story has just begun.

What was the Times thinking? She can afford a full-page advertorial, like every other entity with an axe to grind.

FBLA wonders why there’s no comment section.

Earlier:
Wendy McCaw(ful) Will Have to Look Elsewhere For Kiddie Porn

Our Lady of Free-Speech Suppression, Wendy McCaw(ful), got hit with another complaint by the National Labor Relations Board, which plans to prosecute Santa Barbara News-Press management for the firing of seven journos in that ongoing ugliness up North, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.

Up in sunny Santa Barbara, the plucky editors of the Santa Barbara Independent publish a letter from former NewsPress editor Bob Guiliano to Mayor Marty Blum. Seems Wendy McCaw(ful) wasn’t happy with a story written by Anna Davison about a downtown renovation project, and wanted Davison reprimanded for bias–she’d quoted the Mayor more than once, and that was too much for the Empress of the NewsPress.

Guilano wrote:

I advised Wendy that having Anna write a news story saying there’s a controversy, when none exists except for the one on our editorial page, would make the newspaper look bad, as if we were creating a controversy to sell newspapers.

So you can clearly see McCaw(ful) had no choice but to fire the guy. That whole journalistic integrity thing? That’s for the little people. He’s lucky he’s still got his head.

But, Wendy–you’re never going to get an invitation to Oprah’s. Never.

Earlier
Wake Up Wendy Wednesday
Did Wendy McCaw Break the Law? Protest Planned for Valentine’s Day
Breaking: Wendy McCaw(ful) Strikes Again, Firing Three News-Press Staffers This Morning

More than 200 people gathered Wednesday to rally against Santa Barbara News-Press publisher Wendy McCaw(ful), calling out the bullying tactics that have resulted in the loss of 41 staffer jobs and demanding that local businesses stop advertising in the paper.

Matt Kettmann, Senior Editor of the Santa Barabara Independent sops up all the juicy bits in a two-ply story:

[City Councilman Brian] Barnwell then began listing off Santa Barbara’s myriad natural disasters over the past century. He mentioned city-smashing earthquakes, neighborhood-ravaging fires, and coast-contaminating oil spills, and surmised that, “The loss of the News-Press is in that category and yet the chronicler of our history is not recording these events….Our storied institution is dead.” The crowd applauded resoundingly.

Earlier: Wake Up Wendy Wednesday

We’re one hour away from what Santa Barbara residents (Santa Barbarians?) promise will be the biggest rally against Wendy McCaw(ful). Dubbed “Wake Up, Wendy, Wednesday,” it’s the first rally organized by community members — not Teamsters or fired journos — to protest questionable practices by the Santa Barbara News-Press publisher.

Says the Santa Barbara Independent:

“It’s possible that there’s already too much indifference over newspapers in this media-soaked age for anyone to care enough to use their lunchbreak to protest. Of course, those of us in the business hope that’s not true, because we still believe that an active, responsible daily newspaper is a key to both a healthy democracy and an enjoyable life. Does the rest of Santa Barbara feel the same way? Wednesday will give some clues to that answer.”

No matter how average Joes feel about the McCaw(ful) debacle, journalists all over California are watching the events with furrowed brows and fixed gazes. Bob Aul, a cartoonist for the OC Weekly, even drew this here “portrait” in a sign of his support.

The Santa Barbara Independent is reporting that Bob Guiliano, the editor who was canned from the Santa Barbara News-Press on Jan. 26, “probably holds the golden key to uncovering just how much power” N-P publisher Wendy McCaw(ful) and editorial writer Travis Armstrong wield over the newsroom.

McCaw and Armstrong say they keep their noses out of the newsroom, but Guiliano “clearly sees it another way,” the Independent reports. And he’s filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board to prove it.

Publisher Wendy McCaw(ful) strikes another blow to free speech. Per LA Observed, the Santa Barbara News-Press is looking less like a newsroom than a paintball field.

Reporters Melissa Evans, Tom Schultz and senior sports writer John Zant were all fired this morning, after participating in a rally on Friday in which protesters hung a banner over the 101 telling people to “Cancel Your Newspaper Today.”

Today’s firings follow the axing of Dawn Hobbs, Barney McManigal, and Rob Kuznia on Monday for participating in the same rally. Courtesy of Santa Barbara Independent’s Craig Smith’s blog, here is McManigal’s termination letter.

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