Move On delivers petition to LAT CEO needs more signatures

Sorry if this is a dupe.

Here is the entire e-mail I got. Also for your FYI, LA Times is closing the Chatsworth printing facility. 110 more jobs will be cut there.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-times6dec06,1,4866913.story

MoveOn Media Action Delivers!
You and 45,000 others signed a petition calling on the Tribune Company to stop local news cuts. This week, MoveOn members hand-delivered the signatures to the corporation's CEO! Asked to meet with concerned customers, he said "No" and walked away. We must let him know the public will not be ignored. Please forward the petition to your friends and help us reach 60,000 signatures.
Dear MoveOn member,

When we promised to deliver your petition signature to the corporate owner of the Los Angeles Times, we never imagined handing it to the company's CEO in person. But when we found out he would be speaking at a conference of Wall Street investors in New York City, we knew this was a perfect way to make sure your voice was heard.

Here's the amazing story of how it happened, followed by a way for you to continue our momentum by telling your friends about this petition.

This Wednesday, MoveOn Media Action members met with reporters outside the hotel where the CEO of the Tribune Company was speaking. They unveiled 45,000 petition signatures from people like you in 8 newspaper markets around the country—asking the Chicago-based Tribune Company to stop cuts to local newspaper staff that will hurt local news coverage.

Reuters news service quoted one MoveOn member who felt staff cuts hurt local watchdog journalism: "Josh Douglass, a lifelong reader of Tribune Co.'s Newsday, said layoffs at the Long Island, New York-based newspaper could prevent political scandals from coming to light. 'If there are no reporters there to...find out what might be going on behind closed doors, that's a real problem,' Douglass said."

Inside the conference, Tribune's CEO bragged to a ballroom full of stock analysts about cutting 800 newspaper staff at 8 local newspapers this year—despite reaping large profits from these newspapers. When the question and answer period began, MoveOn Media Action took the corporation's CEO by surprise and presented him with the 45,000 signatures. In front of all the investors, we asked if he would meet with some of you to hear your concerns. He refused to answer.

After the presentation, we approached the CEO, hand-delivered him the petition, and asked him to meet with some of you—his own customers. He flatly said: "No" and left the petition behind (until an aide took it later). We caught it all on audio tape, so you can read the transcript or hear it for yourself below!

The corporate owners of the Los Angeles Times know the public is angry about their cuts to your newspaper, but they think the worst of the backlash is over. We've got to show them this isn't going away—we demand they protect quality journalism at their newspapers. Our goal is to add 15,000 new petition signatures in the next week—for a total of 60,000. Can you tell your friends and co-workers about the petition to stop newspaper staff cuts at the Los Angeles Times?

Here's a sample note you can send to your friends:

Subject: Check this out—petition to save the Los Angeles Times

Hi,

The corporation in Chicago that owns the Los Angeles Times and is forcing our paper to slash local reporters and staff, despite large corporate profits. This means watered-down coverage of local news in our area. Politicians and corporations who should be held accountable by strong watchdog journalism will instead be covered by a staff that is stretched too thin.

I signed a petition last week against these local cuts, and MoveOn Media Action actually hand-delivered 45,000 petition signatures to the CEO of the company when he spoke at a conference in New York. They asked him to meet with local customers from around the country who were upset about his cuts to local news coverage, and he said "No" and left the petition behind.

We want to let the corporate executives know they cannot hide from the public on this issue and expect us to go away. MoveOn Media Action is trying to increase the number of petition signatures from 45,000 to 60,000. Can you read the petition and consider signing it? Just click here:

http://civic.moveon.org/latimescuts/

You can also listen to the audio of MoveOn Media Action presenting the signatures by clicking here:

http://civic.moveon.org/mediaaction/stopcuts_nyc.html

Thanks!

Once you've encouraged other concerned the Los Angeles Times readers to join us, be sure to check out the transcript or audio recording of our petition delivery to the Tribune Company CEO this week by clicking here:

http://civic.moveon.org/mediaaction/stopcuts_nyc.html? ==6513-1763549-KejyJK2.0uMP9xXcuWYMCQ=1 <http://civic.moveon.org/mediaaction/stopcuts_nyc.html? =&id=6513-1763549-KejyJK2.0uMP9xXcuWYMCQ&t=1>

We've also included some links to news stories about the petition delivery below.

With your help, we'll reach our goal of 60,000 signatures by the end of next week and keep the pressure on the Tribune Company executives. They know we're out there and they know we're upset. Now let's make sure they know we're not going away until they take watchdog journalism seriously.

Thanks for all you do.

–Noah T. Winer and Adam Green
MoveOn Media Action
Friday, December 9th, 2005

P.S. MoveOn Media Action is a new project of MoveOn.org Civic Action—distinct from MoveOn.org's political action committee. MoveOn Media Action empowers regular people to reform the media and fight back when news organizations abandon their duty to deliver strong watchdog journalism to the public. It was formed because MoveOn members felt this was an important priority for the organization. If you're not already an official Media Action member, you can join at:

http://civic.moveon.org/mediaaction/join/?id=6513-1763549-KejyJK2.0uMP9xXcuWYMCQ=2 <http://civic.moveon.org/mediaaction/join/?id=6513-1763549-KejyJK2.0uMP9xXcuWYMCQ&t=2>

P.P.S. Wednesday's petition delivery got great press coverage in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Newsday, Reuters, Columbia Journalism Review, Editor & Publisher, and AdAge.

Here are several of the news articles:

"Newsroom layoffs stifle journalism-lobbying group," Reuters, December 8, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1253

"Tribune chief defends recent job cuts," Newsday, December 7, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1254

"National petition drive challenges newspaper cuts," Newsday, December 7, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1255

"The Big Freeze-Out; In a Close Call, Tribune Co. Almost Meets Its Public," Columbia Journalism Review Daily, December 7, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1256

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