When Jay Harris resigned March 19 as publisher of the San Jose Mercury News, the paper quoted him as saying that he feared corporate budget demands could result in “significant and lasting harm” to the newspaper and the community it serves. Harris’ action has touched off intense debate in the newspaper business, and you’ll find links to many of the relevant texts, articles and commentaries below. We’ll add links as developments occur.
Harris Laments “Widening Gap Between Creed and Deed”
Jay Harris addressed the American Society of Newspaper Editors on April 6.
Good afternoon and thank you very much.
It is an unexpected pleasure to be back at ASNE this year. Until quite recently budget difficulties were going to prevent me from being here.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve spoken at the annual convention of this organization since my first major address in 1978 on the tenth anniversary of the Kerner Commission report.
MN Will Remain Strong in Hard Times Knight Ridder CEO Tony Ridder presents his view. First let me say that I was as surprised by Jay Harris’ resignation as anyone reading this column. I learned of it on the afternoon of Monday, March 19 — a few minutes after he announced it to the Mercury News staff via e-mail. He came to the Knight Ridder office, stayed only a few minutes and made clear that he did not wish to discuss the issue with anyone on the corporate staff — including me. That, too, was surprising; I was in my office at the time. To this day I still haven’t heard from him. |
But I can tell you that at no time have I been more honored by the invitation or felt more at home.
I find myself, for the moment at least, at the symbolic center of a debate that extends in substance and consequence well beyond the specific circumstances surrounding my resignation as publisher of the Mercury News.
Frankly, I was taken aback as I watched it grow and came to understand the breadth, depth and passion of the concern in the journalistic community nationally. After a few days I concluded that while I did not seek or expect the role, if I had the courage of my convictions I would hold high the banner of our noble cause in forums such as this. If for no other reason, I owed it to the hundreds of journalists, publishers, journalism educators, readers and members of the Silicon Valley community who wrote or called to support me and the beliefs that led to my resignation.
So, let me tell you over the next few minutes why I did what I did, how I came to that point and that decision, and offer a few preliminary thoughts on where we might go from here.
Full text
RealAudio
C-SPAN Video
Q&A from the ASNE session
Commentary on Profits and the Press
April 5, 2001
- Ex-Beacon Journal reporter Mark Schlueb’s letter to Tony Ridder (fourth letter)
March 31, 2001
March 28, 2001
March 27 , 2001
March 26, 2001
- Claim: Merc News publisher’s resignation won’t shake industry
- Muwakkil: Harris is no starry-eyed idealist with a bogus agenda
March 22, 2001
March 20, 2001
- Merc News staffer: “It’s a pretty somber newsroom right now”
- NABJ Stunned by Resignation of Top African American Publisher
March 19, 2001
March 16, 2001
March 12, 2001
March 11, 2001
March 8, 2001
March 5, 2001
