Those photos bring back incredible childhood memories: excitedly getting to go to work with you on “take your child to work day” or really, any day I could fake being sick so I could come with you. The smell! The noise in the printing press room! The dark room for processing pictures. The winding halls with twists and turns. The friendly security guards giving me a “visitor” badge. Your coworkers - some of who babysat me. This is like watching one of my favorite parts of childhood being neglected and trashed. I’m so sad.
And I’m really really upset they have your archive and won’t donate it.
The saying used to be that the only things inevitable were death and taxes. Corporate greed and dirty deeds done on Fridays must now be added to that list.
Thank you, Davd, for expressing the anger and outrage that I feel about these totally unnecessary layoffs at The Star. Gannet and Lee didn't have the guts to report on this major business news event. At least, in the issues since Monday, I didn't see one. I didn't know about it until I read your post today and went to the Tucson Sentinel looking for an article. (I don't watch TV news as it has been worthless for a couple of decades.) Jill Jorden Spitz has been an incredible editor and leader of The Star. Sometimes I have wondered how she has managed to keep reporters working so hard to deliver the news we can't get elsewhere. I have read The Star Opinion Page since I moved to Tucson. It was the best place to find out what people are thinking, both local residents and national columnists. And of course, it was where I discovered Fitz's brilliant political cartoons. Curt Prendergast was continuing quality Opinion Page leadership after covering the borderlands like nobody else in Arizona, or perhaps, in America. He will be missed greatly. $9M on $34M revenue is doing quite well -- unless there are greedy bastards who own the enterprise which is clearly the case here. I used to respect Lee Enterprises, but they agreed to and executed these layoffs and thus are complicit in removing the role of the free press in ensuring democracy.
As a 19-year Star subscriber who rushes to read the rag daily, I am stunned and heart-broken, too. I lived most of my adult life, before moving here in 2004, in rural areas with only weekly fish-wrappers for news. Upon moving to this area, I was totally delighted to find that not only were there like-minded folks down here, but also a newspaper I could read and enjoy daily! Reading the opinion pages has always been a treat. I think we could all see the writing on the wall during the past decade, but when the bomb finally came, it was far worse than I had anticipated. Yes, we need our local news, our local reporters, a third eye to keep people relatively “honest.” The Tucson area has been the recipient of a wonderful gift, the AZ Daily Star, and watching it die is horrendous. I am so sorry your toons aren’t at the UA. What a terrible loss to students of Tucson’s history.
Dave, I feel your pain. This is the latest death to Freedom of the Press, a Democractic right in the U.S., that is dying by a thousand cuts. I have been an avid fan of yours and many other journalists at the Star since I moved to Tucson in 2003. Laughing at your cartoons over morning coffee in the morning, studying the latest report by Tony Davis on water scarcity, mining invasions and other environmental issues, and finding out what is happening in my town, have constantly informed, delighted and enlightened me. This is so sad.
This may well be the final straw. We've been hanging on to our Star subscription, mainly to support good ol' local newspaper, read in hand with the morning coffee, but the quality has continued to deteriorate, and the greed has accelerated. So, looks like it is time to pull the plug.
It is tragic, and it’s happening across the boards, not only in print, but in broadcast journalism. We so need diverse local reporting . Thank you for fighting the good fight. There’s ink in my blood, and I will continue subscribing. But I am far from happy.
With all its warts, the Star still delivers much-needed local news, sports and opinions. So, we are re-upping our hardcopy subscription at $38/mo. Don't pay any more than that. God bless ya, David.
Those photos bring back incredible childhood memories: excitedly getting to go to work with you on “take your child to work day” or really, any day I could fake being sick so I could come with you. The smell! The noise in the printing press room! The dark room for processing pictures. The winding halls with twists and turns. The friendly security guards giving me a “visitor” badge. Your coworkers - some of who babysat me. This is like watching one of my favorite parts of childhood being neglected and trashed. I’m so sad.
And I’m really really upset they have your archive and won’t donate it.
The saying used to be that the only things inevitable were death and taxes. Corporate greed and dirty deeds done on Fridays must now be added to that list.
Thank you, Davd, for expressing the anger and outrage that I feel about these totally unnecessary layoffs at The Star. Gannet and Lee didn't have the guts to report on this major business news event. At least, in the issues since Monday, I didn't see one. I didn't know about it until I read your post today and went to the Tucson Sentinel looking for an article. (I don't watch TV news as it has been worthless for a couple of decades.) Jill Jorden Spitz has been an incredible editor and leader of The Star. Sometimes I have wondered how she has managed to keep reporters working so hard to deliver the news we can't get elsewhere. I have read The Star Opinion Page since I moved to Tucson. It was the best place to find out what people are thinking, both local residents and national columnists. And of course, it was where I discovered Fitz's brilliant political cartoons. Curt Prendergast was continuing quality Opinion Page leadership after covering the borderlands like nobody else in Arizona, or perhaps, in America. He will be missed greatly. $9M on $34M revenue is doing quite well -- unless there are greedy bastards who own the enterprise which is clearly the case here. I used to respect Lee Enterprises, but they agreed to and executed these layoffs and thus are complicit in removing the role of the free press in ensuring democracy.
OK. Just read your last line. I'll rethink cancellation....
I will keep taking the Star although it has been gutted and there is little content. My deliverer needs the job.
As a 19-year Star subscriber who rushes to read the rag daily, I am stunned and heart-broken, too. I lived most of my adult life, before moving here in 2004, in rural areas with only weekly fish-wrappers for news. Upon moving to this area, I was totally delighted to find that not only were there like-minded folks down here, but also a newspaper I could read and enjoy daily! Reading the opinion pages has always been a treat. I think we could all see the writing on the wall during the past decade, but when the bomb finally came, it was far worse than I had anticipated. Yes, we need our local news, our local reporters, a third eye to keep people relatively “honest.” The Tucson area has been the recipient of a wonderful gift, the AZ Daily Star, and watching it die is horrendous. I am so sorry your toons aren’t at the UA. What a terrible loss to students of Tucson’s history.
Dave, I feel your pain. This is the latest death to Freedom of the Press, a Democractic right in the U.S., that is dying by a thousand cuts. I have been an avid fan of yours and many other journalists at the Star since I moved to Tucson in 2003. Laughing at your cartoons over morning coffee in the morning, studying the latest report by Tony Davis on water scarcity, mining invasions and other environmental issues, and finding out what is happening in my town, have constantly informed, delighted and enlightened me. This is so sad.
And so it goes.
Money talk and, well, you know.
This may well be the final straw. We've been hanging on to our Star subscription, mainly to support good ol' local newspaper, read in hand with the morning coffee, but the quality has continued to deteriorate, and the greed has accelerated. So, looks like it is time to pull the plug.
It is tragic, and it’s happening across the boards, not only in print, but in broadcast journalism. We so need diverse local reporting . Thank you for fighting the good fight. There’s ink in my blood, and I will continue subscribing. But I am far from happy.
In our capitalist system only capital matters. All else is frivolity.
Very sad, Dave.
With all its warts, the Star still delivers much-needed local news, sports and opinions. So, we are re-upping our hardcopy subscription at $38/mo. Don't pay any more than that. God bless ya, David.
Miss you Fitz. We had a great gig in the 1990’s. Tough biz today. Maybe the world of AI will remind Americans to trust specific sources.