The Hartford Courant Guild, the union representing 50 of the Hartford Courant’s reporters and editors, recently announced that it is trying to save the 256-year-old newspaper from the clutches of Alden Capital, a New York hedge fund that recently acquired a majority of shares in the Tribune newspaper group, parent company of the Courant. The Guild has started the Save the Courant campaign, aimed at finding local investors “who value the critical role our newspaper has in the community and the essential coverage we provide.”
“The Save the Courant campaign comes as we continue to cover a global pandemic and a civil rights movement, a time where the public’s need for fact-based, accountability journalism has never been more relevant or important — and at a time where the paper’s survival is at risk,” The Hartford Courant Guild stated.
The Guild is trying to stave off the fate of other newspapers across the country that have been taken over by Alden Capital only to have their newsrooms and resources slashed in order to increase shareholder returns. The Guild has started an online petition as a first step in its campaign. The petition can be accessed via the link above or directly at saveourcourant.org.
As we approach the Fourth of July weekend, we couldn’t help but be reminded of the courageous stand taken at the end of the movie Independence Day, with Will Smith and Bill Pullman leading the charge against alien invaders known for overtaking a planet, decimating all its natural resources, and leaving the planet nothing but a dry, desolate shell. We hope that the Hartford Courant Guild is just as successful in saving the country’s oldest continuously published newspaper from the fate suffered by other newsrooms across the country that have been systematically dismantled by Alden. In solidarity with the Guild, we give to you the Independence Day speech, delivered by Bill Pullman as the POTUS, as the world prepared for the final, epic battle against the aliens.
Okay, it’s a little over the top, but we think the essential message is applicable.
