I HOPE BILL Wylie-Kellermann's article concerning the Detroit newspaper strike ("Readers Before Profits," in "Groundswell," January-February 1996) will help other related issues to be seen more clearly. Whatever happens in Detroit to the News and The Free Press will be felt in the other cities where Gannett's other 81 newspapers are located as well as the cities of the 27 newspapers owned by Knight-Ridder. One would assume that the eventual settlement in Detroit will affect the newspaper industry in general.
What is happening in Detroit is a concern for the nation. To use a pun, how much "news" concerning both sides is being reported in the "free press"? If the industry is unwilling to report on two of their companies, then why would the public trust their reporting on similar issues in other industries? The newspaper strike in Detroit is but a tip of the issues concerning a free press.
If the strike were settled today, would issues of integrity and trust be resolved? Can we trust the truthfulness of their reporting where newspapers have profits as the bottom line? The strike isn't just about what is happening in Detroit, but how what is happening in Detroit will affect the whole country.
John McNaughton
Frankfort, Michigan
Read the Full Article
