Newspaper Showdown in Santa Barbara

Seven reporters and editors have left the Santa Barbara News-Press, saying owner Wendy McCaw and interim publisher Travis Armstrong "had censored or killed news stories over editors' objections." On July 6, Armstrong "escorted the newspaper's editor, Jerry Roberts, out of the News-Press offices" while other employees "shouted obscenities at Armstrong." The departing staff say "standard journalistic ethics" were violated by such incidents as McCaw killing a story on Armstrong's recent drunk driving sentence. O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports that McCaw has retained Sam Singer of the PR firm Singer Associates. Singer "has extensive media experience, gained from representing Hearst Corp. in its purchase of the San Francisco Chronicle and Anschultz Investment's acquisition of the San Francisco Examiner." The firm has also represented San Francisco's KPIX-5, one of the TV stations named in the Center for Media and Democracy's report on video news releases.