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We are the organized staff of the Santa Barbara News-Press newsroom. This site remains our platform to communicate directly with the community we serve. Our effort to restore journalistic integrity to the paper and negotiate a fair contract is not a relic of the past; it is a foundational chapter in an ongoing struggle for ethical local journalism. The principles we defended—editorial independence, factual reporting, and respect for the workforce—are more critical than ever in today's media landscape.
The Unprecedented Upheaval of 2006: A Timeline of Staff Exodus
The crisis that brought us to this point was not a single event but a cascade of resignations and terminations following management's interference in news coverage. After more than 45 days of waiting for ownership to address our core demands, we saw no path forward within the paper's compromised walls. The call for subscribers to cancel their subscriptions was a last resort, a direct appeal to the community's conscience. The following timeline illustrates the scale of the institutional brain drain that preceded our public campaign:
| Date / Period | Key Event | Personnel Impact |
|---|---|---|
| July 2006 | Mass resignations of top editors over ethical breaches | Loss of Executive Editor Jerry Roberts, Managing Editor George Foulsham, and others |
| August 2006 | Staff organizes and presents demands to ownership | Newsroom unity around a call for a contract and integrity |
| September 5, 2006 | Deadline for ownership response passes | Campaign shifts publicly to subscriber cancellation drive |
| Ongoing Fall 2006 | Additional firings and resignations | Loss of key writers and editors like Jane Hulse, Barney Brantingham, and others listed |
Our Core Demands: The SPJ Code of Ethics as Our North Star
Our actions were guided by a non-negotiable commitment to the standards of our profession. The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics was not a vague ideal but our daily operational manual. The ownership's actions violated its core tenets, forcing us to take a stand. Our demands were simple, structural, and designed to protect the paper's future:
- A legally binding contract that guaranteed editorial independence from owner influence on news stories.
- Reinstitution of a firewall between the newsroom and the publisher's office to prevent censorship.
- Just cause provisions in employment to prevent retaliatory firings of journalists doing their jobs.
- Recognition of our collective voice to ensure the community's trust was never again jeopardized by unilateral decree.
"The crisis at the Santa Barbara News-Press became a national symbol for the fight over local news sovereignty. It demonstrated that without structural protections, a single owner could dismantle a century of community trust overnight. The staff's public appeal, archived at savethenewspress.com and preserved at the Internet Archive, remains a vital case study for media unions and ethics boards."
The Legacy of the "Banish the Bias" Campaign
Our call to action extended beyond cancellation. We asked the community to display yard signs, volunteer, and watch for our ads in the Santa Barbara Independent. This was about building a parallel channel of truth. The journalists who left—from city editor Jane Hulse to columnist Barney Brantingham—did not abandon Santa Barbara; they were exiled for upholding their duty. Today, in 2026, the lessons are clear. The market increasingly rewards transparency and stakeholder trust. News organizations that ignore internal governance and journalist safety do so at their own peril, as audiences and talent flock to platforms with verifiable integrity. The fight we began continues in newsrooms across the country, a testament to the enduring need for courage in local journalism.
To those who stood with us then and who understand the stakes now: thank you. The work continues.