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In response to Globe’s “50 objects” story in Sunday paper

Globe Gazette, owned by Lee Enterprises.
Globe Gazette, owned by Lee Enterprises.

Editorial by Matt Marquardt –

I’ll start by saying this is no offense to Globe Gazette editor Jane Reynolds, who I once worked with and know to be a fine person.

However, the brazen, indecorous propaganda that the Globe published in Sunday’s paper with her name under it is just loathsome.  I realize Jane is a servant to her corporate masters. We can’t all pledge allegiance only to our own conscience while writing news stories and building powerful, informative web sites.

Apparently, the Globe wants to describe the North Iowa area using photographs of 50 objects. I’ve got a few recommendations for the Globe, which I will share at another time, but first, a few comments on the opening lines in her propaganda piece.

Some of Jane’s carefully-chosen words are “One of the strengths of Lee Enterprises… is a high value on community journalism … and … first and best source of local information.”

Halt the press.  Stop right there.

Time for a dose of the truth.

John Skipper and Eric Bookmeyer meet in Eric's office regularly.  Only these two men know what goes on in there.
John Skipper and Eric Bookmeyer meet in Eric’s office regularly. Only these two men know what goes on behind those closed doors.

Lee Enterprises, Inc. has no strengths.  It is struggling to survive, Jane, and you know this. I could talk about your difficulties in even delivering your papers, dwindling revenues or the fact that some of your employees are more dedicated to making and serving beer than contributing to your news endeavors.  I could discuss your $2 million gamble on a used printing press, an investment in a terminally-ill business model.  I could talk about John Skipper, the tired old fart who sits in his red-haired Fuhrer’s City Hall office with the door closed and the shades drawn every time he has a hankerin’ for an Eric Bookmeyer snow cone.

I’ll “skip” all that and educate Jane on the real Lee Enterprises, the one she works for and knows all too well.

Lee enterprises stole the jobs of good Americans and sent them overseas.  How is the Globe proud of this?
Lee enterprises stole the jobs of good Americans and sent them overseas. How is the Globe proud of this?

Lee is $800 million in debt and been forced into desperate measures to survive. As Lee struggles, it has proudly proclaimed that outsourcing its work has been a success as it continues to “transform” its “business model” ($2 million paper printers). The Globe knows first-hand what this outsourcing has entailed, and its former employees were the victims.  Globe management has, for example, systematically dismantled its design department – you know, the people who design ads – and through its corporate labyrinth, sent the work to people who are not Americans. These jobs used to be done by our friends and neighbors here in North Iowa. They were paid a wage, and spent that money at local businesses that the Globe expects to advertise in its paper. Not so, anymore. Those dollars that used to pay local wages are now shipped overseas to stimulate economies in places like the Philippines and India.  I can tell you all, I worked at the Globe for years, and I watched the creative people get laid-off and treated like second-class employees while the sales people were given awards and parties.  Once, I watched a limo come to the Globe and pick up the publisher’s favorite sales person, to be taken to a celebration.

Lee proudly proclaimed on its website this year “We have outsourced ad production in 13 locations so far, resulting in faster turn-around time for advertisers, improved quality, less redundancy and lower cost.”

Apparently, to Lee and the Globe, foreigners work cheaper and do better work than our friends and neighbors.

Jane left that out of her story.

Shame on the Globe for again misleading its dwindling print readership.

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