Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page editor Harold Jackson wrote contributors, asking them to protest a decision to cut op-ed pages from the paper. Daniel Denvir reported last week that such a move was in the works.
Jackson’s email, WHYY’s Elizabeth Fiedler reports, says the plan “not only does a disservice to the greater Philadelphia community, but represents a reduction in the status of one of America’s largest cities.” He asked contributors to email the owners of Interstate General Media, which owns The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, to protest.
IGM gave Fiedler the same statement it emailed Poynter over the weekend, saying the Inquirer’s editorial decisions “are only at the discretion and direction of the Publisher Bob Hall and/or Editor Bill Marimow.” The statement continued:
The Publisher and Editor consider the interest of readers, first and foremost, in their mission to best preserve the integrity of The Inquirer and its responsibility in serving the citizens of our region.
Melanie Burney, one of the paper’s opinion writers, told Richard Prince she’d been “reassigned to the Jersey bureau (Cherry Hill) effective Sept. 9.” … “It is a sad day for journalism when a major daily newspaper loses a significant component of its voice and public conscience.”
Previously: Philly Inquirer reportedly cutting opinion pages
