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MoveOn Media Action 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Wednesday, December 7, 2005

***Audio Available Upon Request***

Readers Confront Tribune Execs.Over Newspaper CutbacksTribune CEO Refuses to Meet With Readers

Or Accept Petitions Signed By 45,000

Over 900 Jobs Cut Despite $585.9 Million Profit For Company’s Publishing Division

MoveOn Media Action confronted Dennis FitzSimons, CEO of the Tribune Company, one of the nation’s largestnewspapers chains, at a conference in New York City attended by top executives of media outlets and media beat

reporters.

Noah Winer, Media Action Director for MoveOn.org Civic Action opened with a statement calling on the Tribune Co.to reverse its decision to cut hundreds of jobs at papers including the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, andOrlando Sentinel, and then attempted to present petitions carrying 45,000 reader signatures to Mr. FitzSimons. TheCEO refused to accept the petitions and responded to Winer that he would not meet with readers about his decision.

Over 900 staff positions were cut at these papers this year, despite a $585.9 million profit at the Tribune Company’spublishing division through September – a $93.6 million increase from the same time last year.

The action was organized by MoveOn.org Civic Action, whose members believe such cutbacks would weaken journalists’ ability to perform strong watchdog journalism for the public.

“These staff cuts mean watered-down coverage of local, state, and national news,” said Winer. “Politicians andcorporations who should be held accountable by vigilant watchdog journalism will instead be covered by a staff that isstretched too thin.”

In the last week, MoveOn Media Action launched local petition drives in eight Tribune Company readership areas:Newsday, Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Hartford Courant, Daily Press (VA)and Morning Call (PA). 

Online petitions are the first step in a consistent campaign aimed at the Tribune Company, and potentially othercorporate media owners. Other actions may include person-to-person petition drives in local communities, localpetition deliveries, phone calls to the Tribune Company, and actions aimed at influencing stockholders.

“Our big goal is to raise public awareness of this issue and give regular people a way to fight for good journalism,” said Adam Green, Civic Communications Director for MoveOn.org Civic Action..  . “Today’s action is merely theopening salvo of a growing public backlash corporate media owners will face if they continue to abandon quality journalism.”

MoveOn Media Action is a new project of MoveOn.org Civic Action – a 501(c)(4) distinct from MoveOn.org’spolitical action committee. MoveOn Media Action empowers regular people to reform the media and fight back whennews organizations abandon their duty to practice strong watchdog journalism. It was formed because MoveOn.orgmembers felt this was an important priority for the organization.

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