News more important than profits

Journalists are paid to cover the news. They are exposed to the world and are trained to write about it. Some say journalists are desensitized, but one thing that we aren't accustomed to is the departure of one of our own--especially for the good of the industry.\nFolks at the San Jose Mercury News found themselves that way after Jay T. Harris, their chairman and publisher, announced that he was quitting his post because his ethics were on the line.\n He said his corporate bosses at Knight Ridder had profit targets that were too high for the financially squeezed newspaper in the Silicon Valley and that risked "significant and lasting harm to the Mercury News as a journalistic enterprise." \nWhen Harris left the building, he opened the door to widespread dialogue about an age-old industry some worry is in decline because of falling advertising revenues. Harris's quitting was a clarion call to his bosses that journalists aren't concerned with profits nearly as much as they are concerned with the news. \nNewspapers' purpose is the news, and they must continue to be allowed to report news for the good of their readership. One of journalism's goals is acting as a watchdog on government. Journalism is concerned with democracy, not profit, and from that ideal, journalists are interested in ethics.\nThe Mercury News has a circulation of mort than 200,000 daily and is located right in the heart of Silicon Valley. The main thrust of the paper is to cover that news, and it had even brought 30 additional reporters to its staff to do so. \nHarris, who had been publisher at the paper for seven years, said in his resignation letter that he was stepping down in the hope that his action would cause them "to closely examine the wisdom" of corporate profit targets.\nThe determination to achieve and maintain profit margins near or above 20 percent has led Knight Ridder management to turn back requests for financial flexibility from several newspaper editors and publishers. Declining advertising revenue, particularly high-margin, help-wanted advertising, has made cost-cutting and rebudgeting a regular occurrence at Knight Ridder newspapers such as The Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Akron Beacon Journal.\nBefore Harris informed his staff of his resignation, Knight Ridder announced disappointing February results and lowered its expectations for first-quarter earnings. \nToo many times, newspapers put their stockholders' needs above those of their readership. \nIt's naive to think that newspapers aren't built on profit, and, without revenues from advertising, newspapers could cease to exist. But it benefits newspapers to practice good ethics, because that's what readers need and without it, they will not buy newspapers. \nHarris won't likely suffer professionally. He has received national attention for his decision along with widespread praise for his courage.\nAnd he opened the door to a forum for journalism students and experts. Men and women who work at newspapers must be willing to discuss the future of the industry in light of declining advertising revenues and the increasing Internet news presence.\nNewspapers need to be creative to survive, but that doesn't mean going back on their promise of service to their readers. \nThe day Harris left the Mercury News was both sad and joyous. It was sad because a fine newspaper lost one of its best employees, but joyous for the way he left. \nIt takes a different kind of person to stick to his values, and Harris is one of those fellows. \nJournalists are often accused of being sensational, lazy, careless and ignorant. While they are not perfect, people like Harris show that some are still willing to fight for what's right. That's why many got into the business in the first place.