The resignation of Jay T. Harris reverberated through newsrooms and corporate offices throughout the U.S. and it is still one of the hottest topics of conservation among newspaper people. Harris is an African American and is regarded as one of the most astute publishers in the business. The reason his resignation stunned so many in our profession concerns what newsmen wrestle with almost every day - creed vs. greed, as Harris put it. I resigned because I could no longer live with the widening gap between creed and greed. I learned in journalism school at the University of Missouri that newspapers were more than just a profit-making business.
Newspapers are in some respect like a public utility.
It is a profession like none other. When a large company suffers a downturn it's because demand has slacked off. Most manufacturers respond by simply reducing supply - not making as many widgets this month. That kind of dynamic is foreign to the newspaper business. Cut backs are familiar to business people but a cut-back for an editor means readers may not get information that is important to them.