The Orlando Sentinel has produced a talented pool of journalists who’ve gone on to have successful careers. Although they’ve left the newsroom, these former staffers stand behind their unionizing colleagues to support the Sentinel Guild.
“Now more than ever, Sentinel journalists need a voice — a counterbalance to corporate ownership that's far more interested in raking in profits than serving the people of Central Florida.
A union gives reporters a chance to be heard — a chance to make their case.
If you care about news in Orlando, if local journalism matters to you, you should be rooting for them.”
— Jim Stratton, former senior reporter. Employed at the Orlando Sentinel: 1995-2014
“I’ve never felt camaraderie like I did at the Orlando Sentinel. The reporters, photographers and editors deeply care about their communities — the joys, the painful moments, the ways in which they can shine a light on injustices in Central Florida. Writing about criminal justice is often emotional work. We faced members of our communities during some of the most difficult moments of their lives because we knew their stories were important. They were worth telling. They mattered. But during my four and a half years at the paper, while my colleagues worked longer hours to serve a growing region, the paper’s absentee ownership kept chipping away at every area of the organization. The copy desk? Laid off. The web team? Inexplicably cut. The company churned through young reporters and regularly encouraged employees with years of valuable experience to leave. It’s a fallacy that newspapers are not making any money because the work is shoddy and everything is online — money is still coming in, but instead of supporting our communities it’s going to leasing the jet of an out-of-town shareholder or paying off people who accused corporate leadership of bad conduct. Orlando is growing so quickly. If the Tribune company knew the first thing about Central Florida — which would require them to visit once in a while — they might see the potential in a thriving, robust, fearless paper the community can rely on. Until then, I am proud to support my former colleagues.”
— Gal Tziperman Lotan, metro reporter at the Boston Globe
Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 2014-2019
“The Orlando Sentinel is my hometown newspaper. I subscribed before I ever worked there and I continue to subscribe even after my 21-year career there ended. I am proud that its newsroom staff has unionized in an attempt to not only protect their jobs but also to protect the primary means and mechanism of accountability we have for keeping tabs on local government.
Who will do that if the newspaper is gone?
Yes, Central Florida has a healthy number of broadcast outlets and they do an outstanding job. But newspaper reporters are on the ground every day, embedded in the communities they cover, providing a deep level of scrutiny that is crucial to our quality of life. A newspaper subscription is a vote for a healthy democratic republic. You have mine. Godspeed, Sentinel staff.”
— Rick Brunson, associate instructor of journalism, University of Central Florida. Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 1997-2018
“A healthy community and functional democracy demands aggressive, independent journalists who are both financially secure and emboldened to challenge the powerful.
Recent moves by Publisher Nancy Meyer and Editor Julie Anderson are heartening in both regards. However, Alden Global Capital's arrival there poses an imminent threat to the survival of the Orlando Sentinel and local journalism in general.
I fully support recognition of the Sentinel Guild union, and I am disappointed that Tribune Publishing did not do the same. Central Florida will never reach its fullest potential being covered by hollowed out newsrooms.”
— David Damron, deputy chief of staff and communications director for a current Member of Congress. Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 1997-2014
“It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Orlando Sentinel to the Central Florida community — and the potential harm that would be inflicted on the region if the newsroom is further gutted. I have the unfortunate honor of serving as the Orlando Sentinel’s last Washington correspondent and let me tell you — politicians on Capitol Hill LOVE that they don’t have to worry about having to deal with pesky reporters who can hound them in person. A vibrant newsroom, the kind I knew when I started as a Sentinel intern in 2001, is critical to holding public officials accountable. Not just in Washington but also in small towns and communities — such as Lake County where I began my career. I cheered when I learned the Sentinel team planned to unionize. There has to be — has to be — some kind of counterweight to corporate decision makers who don’t take into account how their staffing choices impact both the newsroom and the surrounding community. Simply put, more journalists mean more community connections. And those connections help shed light on problems both regionally and nationally. I was lucky enough to be a part of the Sentinel crew that kept close tabs on NASA. And like those Capitol Hill politicians, agency officials rejoice at not having their actions scrutinized. And not just for big policy decisions either. During the shutdown of the space shuttle program, the Sentinel provided critical coverage on how the agency’s plans would affect workers — and families — on the Space Coast. One last thing. I also have the unfortunate honor of being the last Washington correspondent for The Denver Post. (I’m cursed. I know!) In that case, distant and absentee investors with Alden Global Capital — interested only in profit — tore apart that newsroom. A union is essential to fighting back. I proudly stand with the Sentinel Guild.
— Mark K. Matthews, deputy editor at Climatewire.
Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 2001-2004, 2006-2014.
“I spent the vast majority of my career — just shy of 20 years — at the Orlando Sentinel in a number of different roles, first on the print side and then digital.
Although the newsroom shrank dramatically during that time, one thing never changed: everyone's dedication to digging and writing and telling stories important to the community. Sept. 11, the space shuttle Columbia tragedy, hurricanes, elections, the Casey Anthony and George Zimmerman trials, the Pulse nightclub attack and so many others. I consider myself lucky to have worked alongside and learned from so many talented people. Central Florida needs the quality journalism they produce now more than ever.”
— Dan Wine, copywriter at Marriott Vacations Worldwide. Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 1999-2019
“I can think of no one who cares more about Central Florida than the journalists at the Orlando Sentinel. Their job is hard. The time pressures are enormous, and in the aftermath of a disaster, people in that newsroom work themselves to exhaustion and beyond. They do it because they believe it's important to give people the best, most reliable information they can get and to fight for open government and healthy communities.
Journalists there have now formed a union, and that's a good thing. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Publishing Company, based in Chicago. For the past decade, executives there have kept the Sentinel profitable - generally with an annual return of 15 to 20 percent or more - by making deep and damaging spending cuts. Do you ever wonder why the morning newspaper doesn't tell you who won the Oscar for best picture the night before? Or why it doesn't publish a story about the biggest college football match-up of the season, a game that concluded the night before? The reason is budget cuts. The Sentinel laid off all the people who operated its printing presses then dismantled and sold the hardware, so now the paper is printed in Lakeland, and that requires earlier deadlines. Ever wonder why there are news stories on page 3 of the Local & State section from Broward County that have no discernible connection to Orlando? Budget cuts. So many reporter and writer jobs have been cut over the past 13 years, there aren't enough people to write stories to fill the space. The Sentinel has either laid off or allowed its news staff to dwindle from more than 300 to about 80. A union will help protect those who are left. It will mean more stories, better journalism and a stronger community. That's why I support it, and you should, too.
There are two specific indignities I want to point out: Tribune sold the Sentinel's building to a Miami company, and the paper now pays rent for a portion of it, but it doesn't pay enough for keep that space warm in winter. On cold days, people wear their coats in the newsroom. Several use small space heaters. That's not a problem from the 1940s. That's happening now.
Another issue for the news staff: For many years, no one in the newsroom got pay raises. It didn't matter how hard they worked or how good their work was, year after year after year there were no raises because Tribune executives in Chicago refused to approve Sentinel budgets that provided for them. There was, however, enough money for bonuses for executives.
I love the Sentinel. I worked there for more than 25 years. The journalists there are my friends and deserve job protection, decent pay as well as reasonable benefits and working conditions. A union will help make sure they get them.”
— Rene Stutzman
Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 1990-2017
“The best of the Orlando Sentinel is built by the most soulful people I have ever worked with. They continue to cover one of the fastest-growing regions in the state of Florida with true tenacity, pride and empathy. Yes, they are fearless, and resilient, and flexible, and adaptable. But none of these skills can make up for Tribune’s constant misuse of funds, inhumane cost-cutting decisions and listless decimation of local journalism. It is clear that the only way to protect our work and assure future generations can continue to hold our leaders accountable is to unionize. I am so proud to see my colleagues come together to preserve their work and continue to serve their community. Central Florida deserves a strong, free and independent local press now more than ever.”
— Bianca Padró Ocasio, reporter at the Miami Herald
Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 2017-2019
“‘Thank goodness for them.’ That’s what I thought recently when I heard that a majority of the Orlando Sentinel newsroom staff were organizing with a union. As a digital subscriber and former reporter and editor there, I’m thankful for the hard work and dedication of these local journalists nearly every day. I’ve seen how hard they work to bring our region its daily news to help all of Greater Orlando function as a more informed society. I’ve held the same frustrations they have in recent years of witnessing many of the most experienced reporters and editors in the newsroom leave due to corporate-promoted buyouts. I’ve seen this staff have to reinvent its approach to news nearly every 12 months due to fewer bodies in the newsroom, or corporate shifts in business strategy that are meant to placate shareholders for the next few quarters. I appreciate the effort given by Orlando Sentinel journalists every day, and applaud them for unifying to fight for the best work environment possible. I know that I’ll benefit as a reader more from that than I will from Tribune Company trying to boost profits through labor cuts.”
— Bob Moser, business development manager with Carnahan Proctor & Cross in Orlando. Employed at GrowthSpotter: 2015-2018
“I support and endorse the creation of the Sentinel Guild as a necessary act by Orlando Sentinel journalists to protect the jobs they love, the work they do, and the quality of the news organization for which they work.
Under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Publisher Nancy Meyer, the Orlando Sentinel has improved tremendously in recent years.
But it can't stay that way if the newsroom continues to be hollowed out.
The creation of the Guild is more than an act of self-preservation.
It's a proclamation of faith in the future of our profession and belief in the necessity of strong local journalism in today's threatened democracy.”
— Jeff Kunerth, lecturer on journalism and mass communication at the University of Central Florida. Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 1974-2015
“Whenever a former publisher at the Orlando Sentinel was asked a difficult question about the business we all love, he could be counted on to utter one phrase. ‘Eyes wide open.’ I thought of those three words when I heard the Sentinel’s wonderful journalists were unionizing. It is a big step — and a necessary one. At their best, unions can do for journalists what journalists have done for the public so many times through the years. They can advocate for transparency. They can fight for the underdog. They can give voice to the voiceless. They can foster an aura of accountability. They can bring about change. At the end of January, I walked out of the Sentinel building for the final time as a journalist. After 23 years, my newspaper career ended. But it’s not so easy to cut the strings when someone invests nearly a quarter-century of his life into one place. I love journalism, and I want to see journalists succeed. I am rooting for my former colleagues, because I always will consider myself one of them. With all due respect to my former publisher, I would like to amend one of his favorite sayings. It’s not just, ‘Eyes wide open.’ As far as unions are concerned, it’s always good to have another set of eyes.”
— Stephen Ruiz
Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 1996-1998, 1999-2020
“I would like to add a word of support to The Orlando Sentinel’s move to unionize. I worked in the Sentinel newsroom for 14 years, in many capacities, from regional desk to national desk to wire desk, and ultimately as county editor.
I am proud of all the stories I worked on in my decade and a half at the paper, but at the top of my list is the work of the Orange County team that uncovered (literally) the horrifying layer of WWII ordinance that lay just under the surface at a school in the south of the county, and in people’s backyards around that area. That story required many hours of diligent digging through records in dusty, remote storage rooms around the city. It also required the support of the legal team at the Sentinel, since the information we uncovered made developers and the School Board very, very unhappy. They lawyered up to get us to back down. Nevertheless, the digging continued, and the resulting photo of a tank lying inches beneath the school’s track made it an A-1 story.
I will always remain thankful for the whole editorial team for supporting the story, for making sure it ran. This is a story that required the determination of a whole newsroom. It is a story that might not be covered in today’s atmosphere of reduced finances and staff. Quality local journalism is vital to our democracy, and is better protected and nurtured when colleagues can come together and speak with one voice on employer/employee issues. I support the guild's work to ensure the paper's owners don't continue to shrink the Sentinel in the name of profits.
Our community deserves to have a newspaper that serves us all.”
— Jennifer Greenhill-Taylor, writer and editor.
Employed at Orlando Sentinel: 1994-2008