Bylines   

To Recovery – or Out to Pasture?

When two Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reporters recently complained of severe, work-related repetitive stress injuries, the newspaper reassigned them to "light duty" – as security guards at a distant printing plant. Sallie James , 31, and Berta Delgado , 30, ensure that nobody walks off with the huge rolls of newsprint and that delivery drivers block their tires so their trucks don't roll. Although both women declined to speak with AJR, sources say many newsroom staffers are concerned the paper's action will discourage others from reporting RSI. And some say managers don't seem receptive to the problem. According to one source, Editor Gene Cryer became angry when asked about the reassignments during an employee orientation meeting, saying he felt such injuries are largely psychological. (Cryer did not return phone messages from AJR.) Spokesman Jim Smith says the Tribune Co.-owned paper tries to reassign injured reporters in the newsroom but that there isn't always work available. That explanation doesn't satisfy some reporters. Scoffs one, "Just because you can't type doesn't mean you're an idiot."

Let the Sunshine In

Three days before the White House Correspondents Association held its annual dinner on May 1, board members voted to allow television cameras inside for the first time in the organization's history. C-SPAN , which had requested access, jumped at the chance. Karen Hosler of the Baltimore Sun , until recently association president, says because of recent press complaints about access at the White House, "it was a question of us looking like hypocrites." Steve Scully , C-SPAN political editor, says the network understood that the reporters wanted their event to remain low-key, "but it also involved the president of the United States [who spoke] and we wanted access... There were 2,400 journalists and lobbyists and public officials there and it's part of how Washington works." Scully says C-SPAN also asked another reporters' group, the elite Gridiron Club, for access to its annual dinner but was turned down.

Catholic Controversy

The top editors and editorial board of a weekly Catholic newspaper in Hartford, Connecticut, resigned in March, arguing that the local archdiocese's restrictive oversight was eroding the 108-year-old paper's credibility. The Rev. John Gatzak , appointed in December as executive director of the award-winning Catholic Transcript , immediately began reviewing all local stories to ensure they reflected the proper "Catholic perspective," according to former Editor David Fortier . Fortier says Gatzak (who did not return phone messages seeking comment) soon was pulling letters to the editor and at one point axed a news story about a local priest accused of sex crimes. "We thought [running such stories] benefited the church in the same way healthy dialogue benefits society," says Fortier, who left the 17,500-circulation Transcript along with News Editor Daria Keyes and the two priests and laywoman who comprised the editorial board.

Jumping the Fence

In an unusual move, Larry Green leaves a job in the Chicago Sun-Times newsroom to become an advertising exec at the paper. As deputy managing editor during the past three years, Green oversaw the development of weekly editorial sections such as MedLife and AutoWeek. He does much the same in his new position, from the ad side. Green, who came to the Sun-Times after serving as Chicago bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times , says he hopes to be a liaison between the advertising department and newsroom editors. "We're looking for ways to work smoothly and more quickly" on 40 or so projects produced by the editorial staff each year but marketed and often conceived by advertising. (Green also will help assemble 40 advertorial sections.) "It's very rare that you have anyone in advertising who understands the ins and outs of the newsroom," Green says, "just as it's unusual for the newsroom to have someone in advertising who understands their concerns."

Burgin Moves On

David Burgin , editor in chief of the Alameda Newspaper Group , which includes the Oakland Tribune , resigns. He's succeeded by Robert Cochnar , editor of the group and of one of its five dailies, the Tri-Valley Herald . Burgin, who previously edited the San Francisco Examiner , Orlando Sentinel , Dallas Times Herald and Houston Post , says he hopes to become part-owner of a new golf magazine. "I've played golf all my life," he says, "and the newspaper business has changed so drastically in my time, I thought, 'Maybe it's time to go.' "

NBC News

Freshly appointed President Andrew Lack quickly makes changes, naming "Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw and "Today" co-anchor Katie Couric as hosts of the upcoming newsmagazine, "Prime Story"; they'll continue in their present positions. Faith Daniels , Fred Francis and Mike Schneider , earlier named as hosts, remain as reporters. The show's single-subject concept, pushed by Executive Producer Steve Friedman , has also been abandoned, and Friedman leaves the show to become executive producer of "Today." His producing partner, Paul Greenberg , stays to work with new Executive Producer Jeff Zucker , who leaves "Today." Jeff Gralnick , formerly vice president for special events at ABC, takes over as executive producer of the nightly news, a spot held previously by Friedman and then Zucker... Former Pentagon spokesman and current NBC reporter Pete Williams has been assigned to cover the Justice Department. He takes the beat held by Carl Stern , now director of public affairs at Justice. (Whoosh! goes the revolving door.)

Changes at ABC, CNN

Emily Rooney , news director for the past 14 years at Boston's WCVB , joins ABC as executive producer of "World News Tonight." She succeeds Paul Friedman , now executive vice president of ABC News. Other hires: Thalia Assuras , formerly an anchor at CTV 's "Canada AM," becomes co-anchor of the overnight "World News Now," and reporters James Angle of American Public Radio and Michele Norris of the Washington Post join the Washington bureau... Peter Arnett , the CNN reporter who stayed on in Baghdad during the gulf war, returns to the network in July after a two-year hiatus during which he gave speeches and completed his autobiography. Steven Emerson , a contributor to AJR , CNN and other outlets, turns down a three-year contract offer to report for the network full time. He says he wants to pursue various book and film projects.

Chung Joins Rather

Connie Chung joins Dan Rather on the "CBS Evening News," where the two will now be co-anchors. The network says the move will allow Chung and Rather, who had been sole anchor since succeeding Walter Cronkite in March 1981, to report from the field on major stories without also having to anchor. Rather will continue hosting "48 Hours" and providing a daily CBS News radio commentary; Chung anchors the Sunday evening news and is about to launch the newsmagazine "Eye to Eye with Connie Chung."

Ethics Police

ABC News hires New York attorney Lisa Heiden as its first-ever director of news practices. She will report to and assist Richard Wald , senior vice president of editorial quality, enforcing ABC's newsgathering ethics policies.

Evans Leaves Novak

Rowland Evans retires after 30 years teamed with Robert Novak writing their well-known syndicated column. Novak will continue the column, launched at the New York Herald Tribune in 1963, alone but will drop its frequency from four to three times a week.

Around Magazines

Evan Thomas , Washington bureau chief for Newsweek , turns down an offer to take the same position with ABC News . "I like it [here]," he says. He also wants to have time to write books, the latest of which is on the CIA... David Shipley , an op-ed page editor at the New York Times , takes over as executive editor at the New Republic . He succeeds Dorothy Wickenden , now at Newsweek (see Bylines, April)... U.S. News & World Report hires Edward Pound , an 11-year veteran at the Wall Street Journal , for its investigative team... Spy names Tony Hendra , formerly a contributing editor to the satirical monthly and a columnist for the New York Observer , as editor. He succeeds Kurt Andersen , now at Time ... George Curry , chief New York correspondent for the Chicago Tribune , takes over as editor in chief of Emerge . Tribune Washington reporter Jan Cawley succeeds him.

Around Newspapers

The New York Times names Bob
Herbert as the paper's first black op-ed columnist. He leaves NBC News , where he had been a national correspondent since 1991. Prior to that, he spent 15 years at the New York Daily News ... Richard Johnson , who left the New York Post in 1988 when Rupert Murdoch sold the paper, returns to writing the "Page 6" column for the tabloid, again owned by Murdoch... Dan Bischoff , national affairs editor at the Village Voice , leaves the paper. Various editors will now handle the job, which will not be filled... Mary Junck , formerly publisher of the St. Paul Pioneer Press , takes over January 1 as publisher of the Baltimore Sun , the first woman to hold the position in the paper's 166-year history. The Sun also hires Pulitzer Prize winner Bill Marimow , formerly of the Philadelphia Inquirer , as metro editor... The El Paso Times in Texas names Dionico "Don" Flores as its first Hispanic editor and publisher since 1910. Formerly publisher of the Iowa City Press-Citizen , he succeeds Thomas Fenton , now with the Freedom Forum... John Kuhns leaves the Washington Post , where he was vice president for personnel and a former deputy managing editor, to become publisher of the Valley News in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Afternoon Dead

After 102 years, the afternoon Augusta Herald in Georgia published its last edition April 30. The staffs of the Herald and the morning Augusta Chronicle , both owned by Morris Communications, were merged in 1984, and no layoffs were planned... Chicago's daily Southtown Economist switches to mornings, adds a Saturday edition to go seven days and changes its name to the Daily Southtown .

Chicago Changes

Mark Toney leaves Oklahoma City's KFOR to become news director at Chicago's WBBM; Walter Jacobson , who had been at the CBS-owned station for the past two decades, becomes chief anchor for Fox-owned WFLD .


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