Even though daily newspapers across thenation are suffering from the loss of subscribers and plummeting advertisingrevenues, the Santa Barbara News-Press should not blame all of its troubles onthose factors.

Sure, the paper faces labor and legaltroubles, but these were brought on by mishandling of employee relations and aneventual purge of almost all editors.

News-Press Co-publisher Wendy McCawsaid in a May 1 letter to her dwindling staff that she has “implemented acompany-wide reorganization.” She wrote, “This reorganization includes theelimination of certain positions. Without it, other layoffs certainly wouldoccur in the future.”

One of the 10 staff members to lose hisjob in this most recent round of purges is Barry Punzel, the sports editor whofor 25 years was committed to providing the South Coast with the only in-depthregional coverage of events and athletes. This truly is a loss to thecommunity. The South Coast already has been deprived of day-to-day coverage ofnews events that will be missing among the historical archives for futuregenerations to see.

Area sports coverage was among very fewhome-grown franchises the News-Press had to offer its shrinking subscriberbase.

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