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Newspapers only care about the bottom line, says Norwood resident

Posted 11/30/15

To the Editor: Three weeks ago in the wake of Alcoa’s devastating announcement to its workers, The Massena Courier-Observer published a poignant and moving editorial that perfectly characterized …

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Newspapers only care about the bottom line, says Norwood resident

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To the Editor:

Three weeks ago in the wake of Alcoa’s devastating announcement to its workers, The Massena Courier-Observer published a poignant and moving editorial that perfectly characterized the vital nature of Alcoa’s place in Massena’s past and future.

Apparently, the owners of Northern New York Newspapers and its parent Johnson Newspapers do not see the need to practice what they preach. The recent announcement by Johnson Newspapers to “restructure” is a perfect example of what’s wrong with the corporations that currently run the long time institutions of the North Country. Those companies no longer care about the employees or the area, they care about the bottom line.

In his press release describing the restructuring, John Johnson stated, “These actions were the hardest thing that I have ever had to do,” Mr. Johnson said. “These employees were a mix of experienced and new employees. They were all good at their jobs and this had nothing to do with personal performance.” Those are hollow words to the employees who will lose their jobs December 11. Translation: This had nothing to do with people; this had everything to do with profit. Where is the dedication to employees to at least allow time to find new work?

Does anyone really think that this restructuring will improve the quality of the newspaper? I submit that it will only degrade the quality of reporting and editorial comment as staff is spread thinner and thinner. The ALCOA editorial (arguably the finest piece of writing to appear in the paper in years) was the result of an editorial staff in Massena.

I predict that real news from real reporters in the local communities, and thoughtful editorials will be replaced by “cleaner more attractive pages” and editorials that reflect the corporate vision of wherever the “cloud based design suite” resides. We do not live on a cloud; we live in real towns in the North Country.

I suggest that Johnson Newspapers take its own advice, it implored ALCOA to put a black curtain over the water tower, but don’t just put a black curtain over the masthead. Change the name of the paper.

As you abandon your local roots and send you employees out the door, stop holding on to the names like Courier Freeman, Advance News, Malone Telegram, and Massena Observer that bring history and integrity

Mike Zagrobelny

Norwood