Journalists On Strike in This New York City

These newspaper reporters and employees want a living wage from the largest distributor of newspapers in the United States.

Hundreds of journalists across the country walked off the job today and are on strike against Gannett Co., Inc. According to the Associated Press, the strike is happening in 8 states, including New York. Gannett claims there will be no disruptions in news coverage and the strike will last up to 2 days.

Journalists On Strike in This New York City

For New York, Unionized workers at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle walked off the job and are picketing. According to 13WHAM, they are demanding a living wage, basic job protection, and protection from the misuse of Artificial Intelligence.

As part of the strike, D&C workers are asking to not click on anything promoted and distributed by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Gannett has laid off a lot of the workforce at their Newspapers across the country. That's one of many reasons workers on strike want a change in leadership. Gannett shares have dropped 60% since their merger with GateHouse Media in 2019.

Gannett owns major publications like USA Today and was founded in Rochester, New York in 1906. It is now based in Tyson, Virginia.

An Opinion on the Strike

Many people accuse media formats like radio and newspapers of being "dead." The fact is, they are not. Many have shifted to digital strategies and their demise has been greatly exaggerated, and even completely made up, by certain competitors to create this false narrative. For example, 92% of the United States population listens to traditional radio weekly. That is a factual statistic.

For newspapers that have embraced digital publishing, physical newspaper sales are more of a tradition and source of employment than a necessity. Most of their revenue comes directly from digital articles and advertising.

To put it simply, these "traditional" forms of media make plenty of money and exist for a reason: people use them all the time. Plus, they are often the only local and reliable source for news, information, and conversation. Local radio, newspapers, and television are critical to a community.

For those who disagree or do not like these organizations because of your political affiliations, please read about the Fairness Doctrine (CLICK HERE).