In response to an outpouring of criticism over the firing of longtime Post-Gazette editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers, The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh and the PG’s newsroom managers purchased advertising space in Tuesday’s print editions to emphasize that the newsroom operations are separate from the editorial pages and to promote the paper’s journalistic mission.
The newsroom editors’ ad, signed by 18 managers including executive editor David Shribman, says the news pages “honor centuries of the best traditions of journalism, which have always held that the news pages and the opinion pages stand apart.”
The Post-Gazette on Thursday fired Mr. Rogers, who had worked for the paper for 25 years, after killing 19 of his cartoons or preliminary ideas since March, including some featuring President Donald Trump.
Mr. Rogers said his work did not appear because his editor disagreed with his anti-Trump cartoons.
Keith Burris, editorial director, said that Mr. Rogers wanted to be the “sole arbiter” of his work. Mr. Burris said he found it difficult to collaborate with the cartoonist.
Michael A. Fuoco, an enterprise reporter and the president of the guild, said the union wanted to “decry the firing of a Pittsburgh institution” and remind readers that news content is not linked to the paper’s editorial pages. The guild represents about 150 reporters, photographers, designers, artists, copy editors, web editors and others at the Post-Gazette.
“We are independent, impartial journalists who work without interference or influence to provide our community with news that matters,” the guild’s ad states.
The guild’s ad also seeks continued support from readers.
Two reporters, Kate Giammarise and Paula Reed Ward, spearheaded the guild’s ad.
“There are committed journalists here working hard everyday to uncover stories about our community. Canceling your subscription only hurts our ability as journalists to bring you the news,” said Ms. Giammarise, who covers poverty and social services issues.
“We are all frustrated by the recent changes happening on the PG’s editorial page,” said Ms. Reed Ward who covers Allegheny County and the state court system. “But we also know that the positions espoused there have nothing to do with the work done in our newsroom.”
Lisa Hurm, vice president and general manager of the Post-Gazette said, “We have a great deal of respect for our newsroom and management staff during this crisis.”
In a Twitter post on Monday, Mr. Rogers said he was back working on a cartoon for syndication and he reposted a cartoon that was rejected by the Post-Gazette.
Joyce Gannon: jgannon@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1580.
First Published: June 19, 2018, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: June 19, 2018, 11:10 a.m.