Today's Top Stories

AP Photographer Describes Rescue Effort at Moore School

Sue Ogronki, an Associated Press photographer in Oklahoma and a Guild member, was at Plaza Towers Elementary School on Monday as children were rescued."Parents and neighborhood volunteers stood in a line and passed the rescued children from one set of arms to another, carrying them out of harm's...

Guild Team Reaches Tentative Agreement at Seattle Times

After nearly five months of negotiations, the Guild bargaining team has reached a tentative contract with the Seattle Times that includes a 1.5 percent wage increase next year and a lump-sum bonus in 2015. A vote is expected within two weeks; the bargaining team is unanimously recommending...

Hawaii Tribune-Herald Negotiations Lack Aloha Spirit

The Guild bargaining committee at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald in Hilo met with the company in Honolulu last week to attempt to narrow the scope of negotiations to critical issues including wages, job security, health care and management rights. The union offered compromises but the only one the...

Single Mom's Story Illustrates Court Interpreters' Struggle

No raises for more than five years and skyrocketing increases in health care costs mean making "decisions I wish I didn't have to make," writes California court interpreter and single mom Katy Van Sant. Her story illustrates why the Pacific Media Guild-represented interpeters are fighting so...

Former CMG Leader Wins Nomination for Parliament

Former journalist, Canadian Media Guild officer and sector vice president Percy Hatfield won his party's nomination Thursday to run for Parliament from Windsor-Tecumeh, saying he's convinced he can win the general election and turn his area back into a New Democratic Party stronghold. Photo:...

Deadline Soon for Guild-Sponsored Labor Photo Contest

For the second year, the Guild is sponsoring a photography contest as part of the Labor Heritage Foundation’s Great Labor Arts Exchange in June. The aim is to encourage photography that shows union and community activism, in the spirit of the theme of the festival: “Gonna Take Us All: Labor and...

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The peril of lower standards in the 'new journalism'

Leonard Pitts Jr. — March 7, 2011 — Miami Herald

A few words about three words, courtesy of one Barry Ritholtz, a financial analyst, author and TV commentator who reported recently that Roger Ailes -- the controversial chairman of Fox News-- was to be indicted. When Salon.com questioned Ritholtz's sourcing, his response, in part, was "If it's true we'll find out. If it's not, no big deal." No big deal? Let us regard that as a signpost on the road toward America's secession from objective reality.

Tribune Co. bankruptcy nearing finish line

Michael Oneal — March 7, 2011 — Chicago Tribune

After 27 months of legal wrangling, Tribune Co. and its creditors are finally headed into what could be the deciding chapter of the company's tangled bankruptcy saga. As the case today enters what bankruptcy law practitioners call confirmation hearings and an army of lawyers argues for and against two competing visions of how to restructure the Chicago-based media conglomerate, here are some answers to help explain where the case stands as the battle begins:

The Wisconsin union fight isn't about benefits. It's about labor's influence.

Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson — March 7, 2011 — Washington Post

The battle between Republicans and labor unions in Ohio, Wisconsin and other states is ostensibly about public workers' pay, benefits and bargaining rights. What is really at stake, however, is labor's influence -- not just in the American workplace but in American politics. Unions operate as a counterweight to the demands of corporations and Wall Street, and that is precisely why its opponents have seized upon state fiscal troubles to try to destroy its remaining clout.

Bill to shield more records from public clears Senate

Lee Davidson — March 7, 2011 — Salt Lake Tribune

The Utah State Senate gave final legislative approval Friday to a bill that would shield more records from public release and allow charging more for records that are still available. It came just 72 hours after its text was unveiled, and despite loud protests from the news media. Gov. Gary Herbert said he will â€œcarefully considerâ€ it and â€œweigh all optionsâ€ as he decides whether to sign it. The legislature took the unusual step of having the bill take effect immediately.

Thousands Protest Detentions of Turkish Journalists

Sebnem Arsu — March 5, 2011 — New York Times

Thousands of people protested in two Turkish cities on Friday in response to the detention this week of seven journalists, a development that has prompted new expressions of concern from Europe and the United States. Protesters in Ankara and Istanbul, many of them media workers, called for an end to repression of Turkish journalists and chanted in support of Nedim Sener of the newspaper Milliyet and Ahmet Sik, who is known for his reporting on human rights abuses.

Julian Assange: At the Forefront of 21st Century Journalism

Kevin Zeese — March 5, 2011 — thepeoplesvoice.org

If there were ever a doubt about whether the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, is a journalist, recent events erase all those doubts and put him at the forefront of a movement to democratize journalism and empower people. The list of WikiLeaks revelations has become astounding. During the North African and Middle East revolts WikiLeaks published documents that provided people with critical information. The traditional media has relied on WikiLeaks publications.

The Revival of Labor

The standoff in Wisconsin has energized the labor movement. The question is: Now what?

Mike Elk — March 5, 2011 — The American Prospect

The Wisconsin protests have represented something of a rebirth in the labor movement more generally -- that is to say, in trying to bust unions, Walker may have made the labor movement as strong as it has been in some time. The Wisconsin protests are some of the biggest labor protests in more than 30 years; they have covered the national news; and support for the public employees' right to bargain shot up to 62 percent according to a recent Gallup/USA Today poll.

Isthmus, Wisconsin Associated Press sue Gov. Scott Walker over access to emails

— March 5, 2011 — The Daily Page

Isthmus newspaper and the Wisconsin Associated Press have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Scott Walker over his office's failure to respond to open records requests regarding emails received by his office. "The governor said he had gotten more than 8,000 emails as of Feb. 17, with 'the majority' urging him to 'stay firm' on his budget repair bill," says Isthmus News Editor Bill Lueders. "We're just trying to see these largely supportive responses."

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