NORFOLK, Va. — Local journalists at The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press are on strike Thursday in Norfolk, joining six other newspapers across the country protesting "stagnant wages" and demanding protection of benefits from parent company and hedge fund Alden Global Capital.
Both The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press newspapers have been providing news for Southeast Virginia and Northeast North Carolina for over a century.
In a press release from Tidewater Media Guild, the labor union representing staff at the Hampton Roads papers, employees say Alden has decimated their newsrooms, cutting staff at "twice the rate of their competitors," and has failed to give most employees pay increases since 2018 while threatening to take away their 401K match benefit.
They also accuse the company of "slow-walking" union contract negotiations for years, and failing to address long-standing wage inequities on race and gender lines.
Mike Hixenbaugh, a former reporter at the Virginian-Pilot, said on social media that it is a sad era to be a newspaper journalist: "The combined staff of the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press newspapers is now just 38. We had more than 250 staffers at The Pilot alone when I started there in 2011."
"Alden’s cuts have hurt journalists’ ability to provide quality public information and hold power to account," the News Guild release stated.
In response, more than 200 journalists across Alden's seven newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel, are participating in a 24-hour walkout. According to the News Guild, it is "the single biggest collective action journalists have taken against Alden since it purchased Tribune Publishing in 2021."
Katie King, a current reporter for the Virginian-Pilot, said on social media Wednesday that "we want a $50,000 salary minimum for all reporters to ensure our entire staff can afford 'crazy luxuries' like comfortable housing & medical care for their kids. Alden said no. So tomorrow, they can put out a paper without us."
Workers also held a Zoom rally Thursday morning, a picket outside current or former office buildings, and a virtual press conference to lay out their demands.
In Norfolk, the picket took place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pilot Place on West Brambleton Avenue: the site of the historic Virginian-Pilot building that was sold by Alden and turned into luxury apartments in recent years.
“They bought us with the intention of selling this building behind us. They made millions off of this, and the rest of it is just managed and declined until it’s no longer profitable for them," said Virginian Pilot Breaking News and General Assignment Reporter Gavin Stone.
Stone is also a part of the bargaining team. He said Alden Global Capitol does not seem receptive to hearing out journalists.
“Their overall tone is pretty dismissive, and they don’t seem to think that we’re capable of stuff like this," said Stone.
“When I first started working there, all I covered was Virginia Beach Courts. I cover Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Federal Court. Four people used to do that job," said Virginain Pilot State and Federal Court reporter Jane Harper.
Journalists said it was not the first time they had gone on strike. They also went on strike in 2021.
“We had a very similar thing where we were trying to oppose Alden Capitol from purchasing the Daily Press and the Virginian Pilot," said Daily Press reporter Peter Dujardin.
Now, almost three later, journalists are fighting to save local news.
“It’s very tough because we want to be here, and we want to serve the community and provide impactful local news, and it’s just hard, you know, to function," said Virginian Pilot Education Reporter Kelsey Kendall.
News Guild members are asking for community support, encouraging people to not read or interact with any news content published by Alden-owned newspapers during the strike. They're also asking the community to send letters to Alden executives, and to support their cause with donations.
A fact sheet provided by Tidewater News Guild showing Alden’s impact on Tribune Publishing newsrooms can be found here.
