Could There Be Nonprofit Alternatives To Tribune’s Los Angeles Times?
As an avid Los Angeles Times reader (since moving to LA in 1991) I have been extremely distressed to watch the downward trajectory of the Times as Otis Chandler relinquished his leadership role in day to day operations, the Tribune Company purchased the paper, and Sam Zell burdened it with a mountain of debt. If big media companies cannot turn a profit – at least not high enough for aggressive investors – with newspapers, if corporations have no vision of journalism as an essential asset for civic engagement and a well-informed citizenry, then might the nonprofit world provide an alternative? One can always hope.
James Rainey, Los Angeles Times media columnist, writes on page two of today’s paper about a number of recent philanthropic initiatives to foster nonprofit journalism in California. The most recent was last week’s announcement that San Francisco philanthropist Warren Hellman was launching the Bay Area News Project – in collaboration with public radio’s KQED, UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and possibly the New York Times. Hellman, who put up $5 million, is seeking additional funding from foundations for the venture.
Earlier this month, a group that included two former state senators, several experienced reporters (including two former LA Times’ staffers), prominent attorneys, and UC Irvine law school dean Edwin Chemerinsky announced the launch by year’s end of Voice of OC, an online nonprofit newsroom devoted to investigative journalism in Orange County. Their press release notes the dwindling coverage provided by the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register, both of which are in bankruptcy proceedings. Voice of OC, designed to fill the void, follows a similar venture, Voice of San Diego, which was launched in 2005.
Rainey also mentions California Watch, which describes itself as “the largest investigative team operating in the state,” created by the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) earlier this year. CIR is a Berkeley-based nonprofit that has covered national and international stories since 1977. With the launch of California Watch, it will have a staff of reporters, editors, and multimedia producers to focus on California issues in education, health care, the environment, criminal justice, and government activities.
Since Rainey’s focus is on California initiatives, he doesn’t mention Pro Publica, a nonprofit investigative journalism enterprise based in New York that has teamed up with a number of news organizations – including the Los Angeles Times. I recall at least a couple of investigative pieces that appeared in the Times in the past six months and had by-lines by both Times and Pro Publica reporters.
There were at least a couple of articles last July on the dismal failure of California’s Board of Registered Nurses to perform its oversight role of protecting the public. The first article, “Problem nurses stay on the job as patients suffer,” led to Governor Schwarzenegger’s replacing 6 of 7 appointees on the board the day after the story ran. This article was credited to Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, both of Pro Publica, and Maloy Moore of the Times.
An earlier article, “Injured war zone contractors fight to get care,” by T. Christian Miller of Pro Publica and Doug Smith of the Times, shed light on civilian workers (among more than 200,000 people working last year as contractors supporting U.S. military efforts – far higher than American troop levels) who suffered devastating injuries in the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones, but who were denied coverage for care by insurers – while the insurance companies, led by American International Group, earned hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. (ABC’s “20/20” also broadcast a report based on this investigative project.)
There is another California connection to the New York-based Pro Publica: the Bay Area’s Herbert and Marion Sandler (included in my post last week on the Forbes’ list of the world’s most generous billionaires). The Sandler Foundation made a multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment two years ago to launch and sustain Pro Publica. The Atlantic Philanthropies, the JEHT Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation also provided funding.
Finally, Rainey’s column includes a note that Eli Broad expressed an interest some time ago in purchasing Tribune Company (and rescuing our city’s newspaper). Broad reaffirmed at least a small measure of interest as recently as March of this year and endorsed the nonprofit model. “Newspapers ought to be owned by foundations, not look for great financial returns,” he said.
