United States: Local Journalist Fired For Speaking Out Against Exploitation Of Labor

Location: United States, West Virginia
Date: October 19, 2020

Floyd Press managing editor Ashley Spinks was fired from her job last week after she gave an interview about her working conditions to Radio IQ. Although Ashley’s official title was Managing Editor, she was responsible for everything in the local newspaper. She worked as a reporter, photographer, layout designer and editor for only $36,000 annually in a state where the average wage is $65,248.

Ashley had to step up to publish the 16-20 pages newspaper every week on her own after the newspaper’s shares were bought by Lee Enterprises, one of the largest corporate newspaper chains in the country and all the staff were furloughed.

During the interview she gave to Radio IQ she talked about the hardships that came after budget cuts enforced by Lee Enterprises. Ashley was also furloughed for a while this spring when the company cited Covid-19 and loss of ad revenue for the decision. Covid-19 has been used as an excuse by media corporations to exploit the labor of journalists, especially freelance journalists around the world. The Coalition For Women In Journalism brought attention to this ruthless behavior in April, calling out organizations that refuse to provide support to journalists during this worrying time without taking into account the wellbeing of their staff.

What worried Ashley though was not only her well being, during her interview she mentioned that many freelancers that she assigns stories to find it hard to even do follow-ups of interviews due to lack of resources. Mallory Noe-Payne who interviewed Ashley stated that: “She won an award last year for her coverage of ongoing issues with the county’s water system. She knows there’s more to dig into and she’s got the ideas and sources, but she seriously doubts that the corporation would approve the $300 she needs to chase the story. That’s how much it would cost to do water testing at different locations throughout the county.”

Like journalists at other Lee-owned papers Ashley Spinks was furloughed a couple times this Spring. But for her it meant she had to put together two papers in one week.

"She’s a One-Person Newsroom, But Lee Enterprises Kept Cutting" --> https://t.co/9AnDTDNs2r pic.twitter.com/8lagxM9k1A

— Mallory Noe-Payne (@MalloryNoePayne) October 9, 2020

If making Ashley work for a wage that can merely provide her a living was not enough, hours after she gave this interview Lee Enterprises decided to fire her. She was told the interview wasn’t pre-approved by the management and was informed that she had been terminated for speaking negatively about the company to the press.

An update: I got fired today for doing this interview. Less than 24 hours before the Press goes to print. The paper is not finished, don’t know how it will be. On a personal level: it’s 3 days before my wedding, which my superiors knew. They couldn’t even wait for next week. 1/x https://t.co/CdPeDfbKpN

— Ashley Spinks Dugan (@AshleyinNRV) October 13, 2020

After Ashley took her disappointment to Twitter she was met with an outpouring of support, however the damage had already been done by Lee Enterprises: “I was pretty gutted, I was emotional. It just felt so craven. I think everyone who works at a community newspaper kind of feels like they have the Sword of Damocles over their head; we’re all kind of anticipating that, at some point or another, we’ll be laid off, we’ll be fired, our position will be eliminated—because we’ve seen it happen to so many colleagues.” Ashley said during an interview she gave to the Washingtonian on October 15. 

Indeed, such abrupt decisions are taken by many corporations around the world without considering the value of quality journalism. With buying of news outlets by corporations who have never been involved in media before and who have no managers that come from the profession, the industry becomes shaped in the hands of dystopian capitalism.

In July, The Coalition For Women In Journalism documented the mass resignation of staff from Hungary’s once independent news outlet Index.hu after their editor-in-chief was laid off by the new management. A pro-government businessman who bought 50% shares of the news outlet had taken the decision without considering the consequence for press freedom in the country.

In November 2019, 45 employees among whom well read columnists were fired from Turkey’s mainstream media outlet Hürriyet, after its shares were bought by Demirören Holdings known for its support to the globally criticised AKP government. 

Big corporations tend to overlook the fact that quality journalism takes training, time and tenacity. Much like how fast-food restaurants are not healthy for the public health, “cheap journalism” is not healthy for democracies as it would have a negative effect on the public's right to information. It is therefore of utmost importance that journalists stand up for their rights like Ashley did. During an interview we conducted with immigrant journalist Jinda Zekioğlu she also stated that: “No matter in which field we produce journalism, we have to remember that what we produce is labor. Each news institution is built on a certain financial investment, and your contribution is worthwhile. Journalism is not a business to be pursued to just make a living. But this does not mean that our labor is free.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the decision of Lee Enterprises and stands in solidarity with Ashley Spinks who spoke out against financial exploitation with the awareness that journalists can’t protect society if they can’t protect their own careers.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

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