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Another Step Back for Area Arts Coverage?


by Jerome Weeks 23 Jun 2008 9:53 AM

The McClatchy Company, the newspaper chain that owns the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, announced hefty layoffs last week — 1,400 jobs nationwide — which led to 130 jobs getting cut at the Star-Telegram, about 10 percent of the workforce. What I’ve yet to see anywhere, even a week later, is whether these job losses will directly […]
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The McClatchy Company, the newspaper chain that owns the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, announced hefty layoffs last week — 1,400 jobs nationwide — which led to 130 jobs getting cut at the Star-Telegram, about 10 percent of the workforce.

What I’ve yet to see anywhere, even a week later, is whether these job losses will directly affect the Star-Telegram‘s cultural reporting. Back in April, the Star-Telegram had already endured the loss of 15 people, none from the arts.

But this time, management said, cuts would come from every department.

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About Jerome Weeks

Jerome Weeks is the Senior Arts Reporter/Producer for KERA. Previously at The Dallas Morning News, he was the book columnist for 10 years and the drama critic for 10 years before that. His writing has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, American Theatre and Men’s Vogue magazines. View more about Jerome Weeks.

COMMENTS

  • If the FWST’s coverage is no better than the Dallas Morning News coverage of local arts (they treat it as fluff art you tack to your refrigerator – and deny local artists of all kinds fair honest reviews ) then the loss is not great.
    I think I’m correct that many years ago our Dallas daily stopped having even one single reporter cover local arts exclusively. 3 Million people in the area and all the arts and culture of our metroplex doesn’t deserver ONE reporter who’s sole job is to cover that massive amount of art and culuture? Perhaps someone knows if that is true with the FW paper.
    If so then there is nothing to miss.
    When the newspapers spend the bulk of their time on Hollywood arts and little to no time on local arts, they need to go to Hollywood. When they think so little of Texas culture that it always takes second seat to some Hollywood blockbuster or trendy NYC novel, then it’s time they pack up and go to the art centers they seem to love excessively!