Richard A. Boehne
Board Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
312 Walnut Street 2800
Scripps Center
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Fax: 513-977-3024 Phone: 513-977-3000
Board Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
312 Walnut Street 2800
Scripps Center
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Fax: 513-977-3024 Phone: 513-977-3000
Dear Mr. Boehne:
After reading your website I was amazed with the history of the Commercial Appeal and it's long standing affiliation with Scripps.
"In 1841, when Memphis was only 20 years old, Col. Henry Van Pelt produced the first edition of The Appeal in the wooden shack where he lived. Printing it weekly on single sheets of paper, Van Pelt began an institution that 167 years later is the major voice of the Mid-south."
Reading this makes it difficult to announce that after a quarter of a century of being a subscriber, my husband and I are cancelling our subscription with the Commercial Appeal
This decision is based not on one situation. However, a combination of recent developments from the CA leads me to believe your editorial and business staff are misguided and no longer an advocate to enlighten citizens based upon the traditional journalistic ethics and standards.
Often, your reporting is involved in campaigning for the Chamber and against the lives of ordinary working citizens. In fact, the CA's leadership is too entrenched as a member of Memphis Tomorrow and Chamber of Commerce to ever be unbiased in its decisions. In fact, I don't think you have a clue the impact that some of your decisions that support the Chamber's public policy initiatives are having on the working and retired citizens of Memphis.
I have been displeased for some time. But, I kept my subscription because the CA is a major employer for Memphis and I wanted to do my part in supporting that effort. I understand being an employer to support Memphis is not your main purpose, but it was your employees, who were hired to produced your product, that inspired me to be loyal to your publication even when I disagreed. They are hardworking employees who love Memphis and made this town their home, the reporters, carriers, receptionists, but the management is so disconnected.
Here are my reasons for cancelling:
- The editorial opinion that encouraged the Memphis City Council to increase health care insurance on retired city employees from 30% to 100% was heartless. My husband worked for 38 years for this city fighting fires and now that he is retired and living on a limited income you suggest that we pay 100% of our healthcare. Heartless! This is a public policy driven by the Chamber of Commerce and I know they buy ads which is more than my annual garage sale ad and subscription. Apparently,my support of the CA is not valued at all. And if you can encourage them to make me pay 100% of my health care, rather than tell them to honor the commitment they made to the retirees, the first item I should cut to pay for health care is the Commercial Appeal.
- Last week, Columnist Wendi Thomas, wrote a story that revealed the great disparity in county contracts among minority and women owned businesses. It was astounding! We are in the midst of a County election and this information is helpful in framing decisions about the candidates. I don't require your endorsements. I need good investigative reporting on all sides of an issue and help me in making my decisions. Your business team made a decision that it would be her last column and she will be reassigned. She has been a columnist for 10 years and equally distributes her opinions for the good, bad or shame on all groups. I have agreed and disagreed with her equally but protected her write to have an opinion and challenge my thinking. But, I assume the County Government or the Chamber called and changes were made. It may not be all that happened, but as a reader this is all I have to make that assessment.
- Earlier this week, Deidre Malone, Democratic nominee for County Mayor, was unfairly named in a lawsuit by another business. (Now, I think all of this is politically motivated because it was an African American woman suing an African American woman to hurt her political base.) The story was headline, front page, and top fold news. A couple days later, the story changed and the business removed Deidre Malone's name from the lawsuit but there is "no" story at all about her name being removed from the lawsuit.
- I am disappointed that you choose to be a member of the Chamber of Commerce but community relations among neighborhood groups is a low priority. If you would check your endorsements of candidates to our county's recent election outcomes, it is clear that the CA is out of touch with the public.
In the City where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died, and you received your first Pulitzer Prize for efforts against the resurgence of the Klu Klux Klan in 1923, it is sad to think that you have stopped being a champion of ordinary people. It is sad to think that I will join the other citizens gathering information online rather, than enjoying my morning decaf coffee with my paper. I regret this decision, but you've left me no option but to take a stand for what is right based upon principle on issues I believe in.
I am certain that others who are as concern as I am will choose to do the same.
TaJuan Stout Mitchell
