Date: June 21, 2002
To: All Staff
From: Leonard Asper
Subject: Editorial Values
This week has not been an easy one for our company. A personnel decision of management has, unfortunately, become a public issue, and has sparked public discussion and debate of much broader issues associated with the media. Relationships of newspaper owners with their publishers and editors, the relationships between government and the media, and the values associated with good journalism are receiving unprecedented attention.
The general public and our readers and viewers have also engaged in the debate, and expressed their concerns to us in no uncertain terms. I recognize that, regretfully, many of you, our employees, have had to carry the brunt of this in the telephone calls and e-mails received from members of the public, many of whom have used intemperate or even abusive language to make their points.
I want all of you to know that we understand how difficult the last few days have been. We appreciate the professional way all of you have handled your communications with the public in very difficult circumstances.
Hopefully, these issues will soon be behind us. We look forward to moving beyond the current controversy to re-focus on the essential business of our company, including the important consolidation and integration initiatives already underway, and other initiatives to increase newspaper circulation, television market-share and to develop and sell new advertising and other products to our clients. Our newspapers must continue to provide compelling news stories, informed editorials and a diversity of stimulating opinions that people want to read. Our broadcast operations should continue to build on their reputation for quality programming and authoritative news that increases viewership of our stations. Our success, as always, depends on generating revenues and profits, and increasing shareholder value for our company.
In the days ahead we will address any ambiguity or uncertainty that may exist both internally and externally regarding the core values we attach to the editorial content of our newspapers. If there is a lesson to be learned from all this, it is that we must be clear about what we stand for. We want our readers to have full confidence in the editorial integrity and independence of our newspapers. Readers must be reassured that our newspapers are reliable sources of both the news, and a full spectrum of informed opinion on the stories of the day. It is equally important that our journalists understand and support the ground rules under which they work everyday to bring the events of the world to our readers. In particular, no journalist should ever feel that the editorial positions our newspapers take on the opinion pages should affect in any way their reporting of the news.
Again, thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Leonard Asper
President and Chief Executive Officer