The Reporter and The Hartford Courant

I posted something Saturday morning about Georgy Gombossy's departure from The Hartford Courant but there have been several updates since.

I don't know all the facts of this case. I did work with George many years ago and find it difficult to believe he would quit, after 40 years at the paper, over a column being held for fact checking. That said, there may well be other issues, and so my main interest in posting is to keep discussion going and perhaps flag a bad decision.

But I do know that the old rules of journalism no longer obtain at all newspaper companies and so what might have seemed unbelievable or truly contrary to good journalism practices may no longer be the case. Some people running newspapers these days--and this isn't aimed specifically at The Hartford Courant--simply don't recognize or respect the value of the franchise as truth-tellers and as the people's source of news, a community resource and institution. And a newspaper founded in 1764 and operated continuously ever since is an institution.*

When I worked for a tech magazine a few years ago, I was surprised by the number of tech company officials who would simply refuse to comment. They didn't believe in the right to know, thought they owned information and the press could go to hell. Coming from newspapers, I certainly wasn't used to that. Now those same kinds of people are often in charge of newspapers, or running companies and controlling the technology and conversation about journalism.

A few years ago, many of us fervently wished that some business type with a stake in the community would come along and buy the paper from the debt-ridden newspaper companies. Well, we got Zell. And plenty of others like him, some even worse.

This isn't good.

*Permit me a little memory. For years, the Courant's slogan was "The oldest newspaper of continuous publication." To which all of us wiseguys added, "to never have won a major journalism prize." But then it did, for 1992 (and did again in 1999). When the Pulitzers were announced for 1992, we Courant alumni then working at Newsday were ecstatic, far happier for The Courant than we were even for our paper's win that day, and even though we had to retire our smart-assery.

There is lingering affection and a need for respect for a grand old institution that can count Mark Twain as one of its own.

Reporter Says Column Cost Him His Job

SECOND UPDATE: The fight moves over to Poynter.

UPDATE: The Hartford Courant Alumni Association and Refugee Camp and Watchdog Nation weigh in.

Former Hartford Courant colleague George Gombossy has started a new consumer web site in Connecticut, saying he was fired over a column he wrote about the paper's biggest advertiser.

My four-decade-long career at The Courant ended Friday as I was fired for doing my job – being the advocate for consumers.


My career began in June 1969 as a reporter in the Willimantic bureau and ended as the first – and likely last – investigative consumer columnist at the nation’s oldest newspaper of continuous publication.


The last three years have been the most satisfying, working as a team with literally thousands of consumers, shining the light on companies and public servants who failed to perform as promised.

Not a Headline Name

From the Los Angeles Times

BEIJING -- Chanpim Kantatian from Thailand was a little worried that she might not make her country's Olympic team. So last year, she went to see a fortuneteller, who told her to change her name.
Headline writers in Bangkok might have suggested something like Madonna.
Kantatian chose: Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon.
It seems to have worked. She won the gold medal Sunday in the 53-kilogram class.

Which sort of reminds me of a story the late Don D'Elia used to tell when discussing tight headline counts at The Hartford Courant, though I don't remember whether he said he'd actually written this headline or was just speculating about the Illinois football team becoming sick:

Ill
11
Ill

Chauncey Bailey

The murder of Chauncey Bailey justifiably caught everyone's attention in the journalism world but it wasn't until an e-mail from my good pal Andy Kreig, ex-Hartford Courant colleague, now president of the Wireless Communications Association International, that I felt compelled to say anything. Andy helpfully provided these links to stories about "Skip," as he was known back in our time at The Courant.

Black Muslim bakery members suspected in Bailey death


Oakland journalist shot dead in street


Brenda Payton: Bailey was a champion, not a cheerleader



and from the LA Times

A bit oddly, NABJ doesn't seem to have anything to say about him on its web site, which is focused on its national convention, though presumably, it will later in the week.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has a pretty comprehensive list on journalists killed covering stories.