In an unsigned column, Fort Worth Weekly bids farewell to its "fiercely independent and damn-the-torpedoes" editor John Forsyth, who was fired this week by new owner Lee Newquist. "We can only hope that Lee Newquist will make good on his promise to support the same kind of gutsy journalism that Forsyth did," says the author(s).
Last week, several news outlets reported that the coffee chain was pursuing marketing deals that would provide local dailies with exclusive distribution in return for free advertising and the papers' agreement to stop selling at competing coffee shops. Now Starbucks officials say the proposal was the result of internal miscommunication.
Voas, the highly decorated former editor of Phoenix New Times, takes over the editorial helm in Detroit on Oct. 22. Working under Voas, New Times writers won the past seven consecutive Journalists of the Year awards in Arizona, and also won the state's top investigative reporting prize for five consecutive years.
In an internal memo posted on Jim Romenesko's Media News Web site, Metro Newspapers asks its staff members for feedback on a proposed 5% pay cut, which it says is necessary to reduce the need for layoffs. According to the memo, company officers have already taken a 20% reduction in compensation, and top managers voted to cut their own pay by 10%.
A Boston judge urges the city to reconsider its ordinance that bans news boxes in the Back Bay. The Boston Phoenix, a plaintiff in a suit against the law, reports that the city has agreed not to enforce the ban for three months.
