No hometown hero
More ‘oops!’ than scoops at News
This hometown paper doesn’t know its own town.
Since being sold to Chicago-based Tribune Publishing, the New York Daily News seems to have lost track of how NYC works — including who runs City Hall and the difference between Long Island and Staten Island.
Thanks to a new, centralized editing staff based in Chicago, the “Daily Snooze” is racking up gaffes in its print edition, including a blooper this week that brought the city back to the days when billionaire Michael Bloomberg was still running the show.
The Thursday story focused on a question from Wednesday night’s Public Advocate debate over whether Mayor Bill de Bla- sio, who is in his second term, should make a run for the White House in 2020.
All seven public advocate candidates gave the idea a universal thumbs down, leading to the headline: “PREZ? NO WAY, MIKE.”
The headline — written in 72-point, 1-inch-high capital letters — came with a pic of de Blasio. There was zero mention of anyone named “Mike” in the story.
The story’s author, City Hall Bureau Chief Jillian Jorgensen, could not be reached for comment. But like most reporters, she does not likely write her own headlines.
Bloomberg, often referred to as “Mayor Mike,” left office in 2013 after three terms.
One day earlier, the tabloid ran a headline that confused Long Island, which is not even one of the five boroughs, with Staten Island.
The Wednesday story by Michael Gartland was about the 23 co-workers from Long Island who won the $473 million NY State Lottery jackpot but opted to remain anonymous.
In line two of his story, Gartland clearly states, ‘Twenty-three Long Island co-workers have claimed a $437 million jackpot...”
But the headline read: “23 coco-workers on SS.II. got $437M, but stay anonymous.”
After buying the Daily News in 2017, Tribune moved most of the copy and design functions for all seven of its newspaper titles to a universal copy desk at its Chicago headquarters.
The moves were designed to stem Daily News losses estimated at $20 million to $30 million a year.
When the paper continued to bleed red ink, Trib- uneune shocked the city anand the newspaper industry by slashing 50 percent of the Daily News’ editorial staff to about 45 people.
Publisher Grant Whitmore and Editor-in Chief Robert York — an out of towner who was shipped from Tribune’s Morning Call paper in Allentown, Pa., after the Daily News’ Jim Rich was canned — could not be reached for comment.