Poynter, a renowned journalism advocacy and training organization, published a deep-dive piece on what has befallen The Buffalo News since it was purchased by the media chain Lee Enterprises in 2020. And the vivid picture it painted was one of disinvestment and disillusionment.
Reporter Angela Fu highlighted how Lee has systematically laid off, outsourced and centralized many operations and recently demanded $1 million in newsroom cuts, resulting in the departure of veteran journalists and the elimination of other open positions.
She spoke with many Buffalo News Guild members who talked about what the community has lost and how reporters still manage to cover amazingly difficult stories during one of the hardest periods in the Buffalo region’s history despite being shortchanged – literally and figuratively – by an uncaring Iowa-based company.
That was evident by the fact that even Poynter reporters were surprised that Lee had no response at all to its requests to comment for the story.
This in-depth story is one every community member should read. We commend Angela Fu and Poynter for taking the time to recognize and cover our story. The Buffalo News has been an incredible community asset. But as the story tells its readers, there’s no way to know how that will continue as long as Lee continues to dismantle many elements that have made it great.
Read the story here:
https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2023/buffalo-news-owner-lee-enterprises-cuts-layoffs-outsourcing-berkshire-hathaway/
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 