The unionizing wave: How they did it, what they wish they had known

Jan. 27, 2019 – The one thing Tessa Duvall wishes she had known before she got involved in the campaign to form a union at the Florida Times-Union was how emotional it would be.  Continue reading “The unionizing wave: How they did it, what they wish they had known”

Activists to share lessons of union upsurge at NewsGuild conference Jan. 26

Jan. 25, 2019 – An upsurge in union organizing among journalists and other news industry employees will be the focus of a panel discussion and a question-and-answer session at The NewsGuild-CWA Sector Conference on Saturday, Jan. 26. Video of the session will be aired at about 4 p.m. on Facebook. Continue reading “Activists to share lessons of union upsurge at NewsGuild conference Jan. 26”

Mic Union to Management: We Are Watching

This is a reprint of an article published on the website of, on The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 of The NewsGuild-CWA on Jan. 18.

Jan. 22, 2019 – It’s been over a month since Mic and Bustle Digital Group (BDG) abruptly laid off more than 100 hardworking reporters, editors, filmmakers, graphic artists and support staff. Mic’s sudden shutdown confirmed our long-held suspicions that management had been repeatedly and consistently misleading employees, investors, and the public, when asked about the company’s financial state, the surety of deals with distributed media platforms, and other factors that culminated in the company’s closure.

Since Mic’s closure, it’s become apparent that Mic and Bustle management are in cahoots, repurposing and posting unfinished content produced by laid-off, unionized workers, often without their consent. This past Friday evening, five weeks after the closure of our newsroom, BDG began quietly posting “content” on Mic.com. Continue reading “Mic Union to Management: We Are Watching”

What would a DFM takeover of Gannett mean for the news industry?

By Julie Reynolds

This is a reprint of an article that appeared on Jan. 17 on DFMworkers.org.

Jan. 17, 2019 – Picture this: Hundreds of U.S. newspapers – essential to our democracy – are controlled by one secretive New York hedge fund, with no obligation to disclose its small group of wealthy investors, hundreds of millions of dollars hidden in offshore tax havens, and a history of ethically questionable investments. Continue reading “What would a DFM takeover of Gannett mean for the news industry?”

Hedge fund Alden attempts takeover of Gannett newspaper chain

Digital First Media’s profits “near the top of the industry,” company says in takeover letter

By Julie Reynolds

This is a reprint of an article that appeared on Jan. 15 on DFMworkers.org.

Jan. 15, 2019 – Billing itself as a savior of newspapers, vulture hedge fund Alden Global Capital has made a $1.36 billion hostile takeover bid to acquire Gannett’s chain of more than 100 local papers.

If successful, the move would make Alden’s Digital First Media the largest newspaper chain in the country (in terms of circulation), while extending Alden’s heavily criticized slash-and-burn strategy to hundreds of U.S. communities. Continue reading “Hedge fund Alden attempts takeover of Gannett newspaper chain”

NewsGuild statement on Digital First Media’s proposal to purchase Gannett

The destruction of local newspapers by hedge funds and private equity firms is an underreported national crisis for our democracy, so today’s announced proposal by Digital First Media to purchase Gannett is of the greatest concern. The NewsGuild opposes any such purchase by DFM. Continue reading “NewsGuild statement on Digital First Media’s proposal to purchase Gannett”

NewsGuild seeks, receives assurance from DoubleTree Hotel that racist incident won’t be repeated

By Martha Waggoner, TNG international chair

Jan. 10, 2019 – The NewsGuild-CWA has been assured that racist incidents such as the one that occurred at a DoubleTree Hotel in Oregon will not occur during the Guild’s sector conference in Florida.

The Guild’s Executive Committee wrote the manager of the DoubleTree in Orlando and to the president of Hilton Hotels, which owns DoubleTree, after an African-American guest at the hotel in Portland, OR, was ordered to leave. Continue reading “NewsGuild seeks, receives assurance from DoubleTree Hotel that racist incident won’t be repeated”

TNG sector conference to focus on organizing

By Martha Waggoner, TNG international chair

Organizing will be a main focus of national and local leaders when they gather for the 80th convening of The NewsGuild-CWA.

That’s because TNG saw an unprecedented year of organizing in 2018. We organized more than 20 workplaces in 2018, which means more than 1,400 people, mostly media workers, have or will have the protections of union contracts. Continue reading “TNG sector conference to focus on organizing”