Friday, August 3, 2007
The Chron's New, Old Journalism
Media Fri, Aug 3, 2007 at 4:56 PM
In this dog-eat-dog, daily-newspaper-devouring media landscape, the venerable San Francisco Chronicle is looking to its past for inspiration. Evoking the spirit of William Randolph Hearst, Executive VP and Editor Phil Bronstein rallied his troops this morning around his new, community-oriented vision for the paper, insiders say.
After slimming down the staff through recent buyouts and layoffs, the paper, Bronstein reportedly told his people, will no longer be serving up "buffet style" journalism -- simply trying to cover everything that goes on in the region.
Details are a little vague, but essentially the new slogan is: "Journalism of Action." Call it the ChronicleWatch-ification of the Chron: Bronstein reportedly envisions a paper whose staff will not simply report, but seek to effect positive change in the community and drive public policy.
In addition, the editor, who did not return phone calls today, reportedly told his staff that the Chronicle would focus on a handful of "master narratives." He noted five, four of which were local politics, green living, real estate, and technology.
Most reporters and editors contacted would not immediately speak on the record, but tech writer Tom Abate, who attended the meeting, described Bronstein's goal as taking the paper "back to the future," bringing journalism back to it's historic roots of being useful to people. The Internet, Abate says, would be central to this goal.
Yeah, what else is new. -- Eric Klein
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Phil Bronstein was named editor of the San Francisco Examiner in 1993 and presided over the paper's slow decline in both quality and readership. He blamed the joint operating agreement and the fact the Ex was an afternoon paper. Phil Bronstein was named editor of the San Francisco Chronicle in 2000 and has presided over the paper's slow decline in both quality and readership. He has blamed Craigslist, the collapse of the tech bubble, the rise of the Internet as a source for news and, most recently, the popularity of blogs. Phil Bronstein is too narcissistic, too arrogant or too stupid -- or perhaps all three -- to realize that he is a BIG part of the problem. He is an ineffective, incompetent leader who does not have the respect of his staff or the community he purports to serve. It is a fact that he is known more for marrying Sharon Stone and being attacked by a lizard than for any journalistic contributions he has made during a career that can only with the utmost generosity be called mediocre. Now, almost 100 people have been forced out of their jobs in no small part because of Phil Bronstein's incompetence. If Phil Bronstein had any integrity whatsoever, he would resign in solidarity with, and out of respect for, the people whose careers he has helped ruin. His staff has served him with far more dedication, talent and professionalism than he has ever shown. It is time for him to go.
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