Updated July 16, 2020 – What is the NewsGuild doing to save jobs and protect journalism as our industry faces a potential “extinction-level” downturn amid the COVID-19 pandemic? NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss and a panel of leaders from across the Guild discussed the fight to save our newsrooms during a virtual town hall on Wednesday, July 15.
The town hall included updates on the impact of the pandemic on our industry, the Guild’s advocacy campaign for federal aid to keep journalists working during the pandemic, and finding long-term solutions to sustain our industry. The panel presentations were followed by a Q&A session.
Speakers included:
Evan Brandt, the only remaining reporter at the Pottstown (PA) Mercury, and the subject of a recent New York Times feature by Dan Barry.
Carolina Miranda, founding member of the Los Angeles Times Guild
Rebekah Sanders, chair of the Arizona Republic Guild
Liz Bowie, leader of the ‘Save Our Baltimore Sun’ campaign
Bill Baker, chair of Guild’s New York Times unit
Joey Flechas, co-chair of One Herald Guild, representing the newsrooms of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald
Kim Trynacity, CBC/Radio-Canada, branch president of the Canadian Media Guild
Andy Grimm, vice president of the Chicago News Guild, exploring alternative ownership for NewsGuild
The Save the News Town Hall also was live-streamed on the NewsGuild Facebook page.