Jilted Reporters Take Expertise Online

Lose your job?  Well, you didn’t lose your knowledge base - why not give your old employer a run for its money?  That’s what eight former reporters at the Santa Barbara News-Press did when they were fired, and they named the result the Santa Barbara Newsroom.

The reports.  And it seems that union protection was very necessary: “The newsroom exodus has now swelled to 40 people, including us . . . .”

It’s possible that the owner and co-publisher of the Santa Barbara News-Press, Wendy McCaw, had her reasons for making these drastic cuts.  But other reporters, including the Santa Barbara Independent’s Drew Mackie, have rallied around the fired employees (who, as Mackie notes, are their new competitors).

In an opinion piece titled “Thumbs Up for Santa Barbara News Room,” Mackie