Although the believers of the "pro" argument in this debate realize the need for profits in the newspaper industry, they more strongly argue that the desire for profits have, in many cases, consumed the newspaper industry in such a way that has decreased the quality of journalism. This greed has resulted in many actions that have hurt the caliber of journalism which includes considerable cost cutting, the printing of cheaper, fluff sensationalism news reporting instead of expensive, serious reporting, the demoralization of the best reporters and editors and the undercutting of the credibility of newspapers. (1) Jay Harris, who recently quit his job in protest of the increasing focus of profits at the San Jose Mercury said, "The drive for ever-increasing profits is pulling newspapers down." (2) Supporters of this belief argue the need of newspaper industry to focus on the original goal of any newspaper: to print quality journalism that informs the public in a credible, honest and quality way. The newspaper industry cannot let profits drive their minds.

The pro side of this argument argues that they see that newspapers need to make a profit; however, they also say that this "need" has consumed journalists so much that the quality of journalism has decreased. Profits cannot be completely ruled out. The pro side knows that newspapers have to make a profit to exist. "Of course, a newspaper that fails to make a profit and eventually goes under is of no use to the community it serves. But neither is a publication that has so lowered its standards that it no longer produces journalism of specific relevance to that community," (3) said the President of the Periodical Writers Association of Canada Kathe Lieber. The pro side also argues that better quality of papers will bring profits up: the newspapers do not have to rely on techniques such as staff cuts and sensationalism reporting. Robert Giles, former journalist and current Nieman Foundation curator, commented that "shareholders are interested in quality, whether the business is newspapers, cars, or electronic devices." (4) Thus, if a newspaper improves its quality, it will attract more shareholders, which will necessarily actually improve profits. Decreasing the quality of a newspaper is not necessarily the best way to increase profits.

Meeting certain profit margins has caused newspapers to layoff some staff, thus, arguing the pro side of this debate, causing the decline in the quality of journalism. This is the strongest and most fervent argument on this side of this debate. Jay Harris, former publisher of the San Jose Mercury News, resigned because of the staff layoffs that Knight Ridder was ordering him to do in order to meet a profit target. In a speech given to the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), Harris said he believed "in Knight Ridder, greater priority was increasingly given to the business aspects of the enterprise than was given to fulfilling the public trust." (5) Harris believed strongly in the power of newspapers to affect the community. After Knight Ridder acquired the Mercury News, Harris, as well as many other staff members, believe that "there's been a great deal of pressure to improve profitability since Tony Ridder took over." (6) Staff layoffs have not only happened at the Mercury News. An Editor & Publisher Online article announced that the Miami Herald Publishing Company, owned by Knight Ridder as well, was planning a 10% cut in its full-time work force to meet profit targets. (7) This decrease in profits has been a result of "a decline in advertising revenue." (8) The company is offering buyouts to the employees who decide to quit, but will resort to layoffs if the buyouts are not successful. (9) The article also announced that Knight Ridder "planned to cut jobs at most of its 32 daily newspapers." (10) These layoffs result in a smaller staff at many newspaper companies that in turn result in less intensive reporting and the decline in the quality of the newspapers.

Newspaper companies' drive for profits have also resulted in the printing of cheaper, sensationalism reporting, the demoralization of the best editors and reporters and a deterioration of public trust. A rise in the "yellow journalism" characteristic of the Hearst and Pulitzer days can be seen in many newspapers. "Today's journalists are in danger of becoming entertainers, celebrities and spokespersons for the rich and powerful," (11) said one article concerning the "new" yellow journalism. Today's journalists find little motivation in "[reporting on] social conscience, disclos[ing] injustice, uncovering wrongdoing or giving voice to the voiceless." (12) Instead, they do little actual reporting, which helps decrease costs and raise profits. Also, this concentration on profits have demoralized many of the industry's top reporters and voices. Jay Harris's resignation shows how not focusing on its responsibility to the public can cause the industry to lose its best advocates. Lastly, public trust in the credibility and quality of newspapers has dwindled due to the focus on money. One article reported that "in poll after poll, public trust in newspapers as decreased." (13) Geneva Overholser, a syndicated columnist and former editor of the Des Moines Register, said on a PBS panel, "I think the public is worried about the degree in which money is controlling media interests these days." (14) With these three results of the focus on profits, as well as the staff layoffs, one can conclude that the quality of journalism has been severely hurt.

Tribune Tower in Chicago.

Times Mirror Company tower in LA.

Despite the con argument that newspaper companies simply have to deal with an economic recession, the pro side disputes that the economic recession is actually an invalid reason. Industry analyst John Morton said, "This is not a financial calamity. A recession for the newspaper industry just means that you can't take in truckloads of money to the bank." (15) Instead, the pro side argues that the media industry is simply looking for an increase in profits. A recent trend in the media industry has been merges: AOL and Time-Warner being the most famous one. Also, the Chicago based Tribune Company, which owns a number of newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, television and radio stations and Internet holdings, and Times Mirror Company, which owns many newspapers, including its flagship the Los Angeles Times, recently merged. (16) These merges are meant to bring in even more profits in the already profitable media industry. Although these merger companies have the same journalistic responsibility as any other company, they lean towards pleasing investors. Geneva Overholser, a syndicated columnist and former editor of the Des Moines Register, said on a PBS panel discussing the Tribune ­ Times Mirror merge, "There's no one wanting to hurt the newspaper, but there is a business deal that has taken place, and the new owners need to get their investment." (17) She continued by saying "people are not investing in newspapers these days out of the same sense of civic responsibility as they used to." (18) The increasing focus on profits becomes obvious with acquisitions such as the Tribune ­ Times Mirror merge.

The pro side, composed of many journalists and some of the public, believes firmly that the drive for profits has severely hurt the quality of journalistic reporting. This has led to a decline in the public trust of the newspaper industry. The pro side argues the need of newspaper companies to focus on serving its responsibility to the community, rather than its business responsibility. After all, poor journalism and a diminished sense of public trust will not bring in profits.

(1) Reid, Robert D. "Are profits killing newspapers?"

(2) Fitzgerald, Mark, Shields, Todd and Strupp, Joe. "Harris: Drive for profits pulls newspapers down."

(3) Liber, Kathe. "Open Letter to London Free Press."

(4) Kirtx, Bill. "Nieman head warns about profit margins."

(5) Gaurdian Unlimited. "Ex-Publisher discusses newspapers."

(6) Kaplan, Karen and Wilson, Dave. "Publisher of San Jose paper quits to protest staff layoffs."

(7) Editor & Publisher Online. "Miami Herald to cut 180 jobs."

(8) Ibid 7.

(9) Ibid 7.

(10) Ibid 7.

(11) Andrews, Allan R. "How yellow is today's journalism?"

(12) Ibid 11.

(13) Vuong, Mary and Fernandez, Icess. "Kalb Report addresses profit-vs.-quality."

(14) Online NewsHour. "Tribune buys Times Mirror."

(15) McDonald, Marci. "A different paper chase."

(16) Ibid 13.

(17) Ibid 13.

(18) Ibid 13.

A survey that contains beliefs about the quality of journalism and how profits and other aspects have affected it. A recent Editor & Publisher Online poll find that profits dominate at parent newspaper companies. This has resulted in several cutbacks. At this site you will find the stats.

Rober D. Reid, a journalism professor in Illinois, wrote an article entitled "Are profits killing newspapers?" that argues that the drive for profits has hurt journalism. An Editor & Publisher Online article discusses the reasons for Jay Harris's resignation and the increase in staff layoffs in the newspaper business. A short article about the Knight Ridder owned Miami Herald discusses a 10 % staff cut: the result of Knight Ridder's drive for profits.

The Committee of Concerned Journalists Website discusses a variety of issues concerning the decrease of quality of journalism. The American Society of News Editors has many articles concerning this topic.