N&O subscriber sues the paper for cutting staff
Published: Thu, Jul. 10, 2008 02:22PM
Modified Thu, Jul. 10, 2008 02:27PM
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closeRALEIGH -- A News & Observer subscriber is suing the newspaper for cutting staff and the size of the paper.
Keith Hempstead, a Durham lawyer, filed the suit last month in Wake Superior Court. He says he renewed his subscription in May just before the paper announced on June 16 the layoffs of 70 staff members and cuts in news pages.
The paper, he says, is now not worth what he signed up for and therefore the cuts breached the paper's contract with him.
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"Plaintiff alleges fraud in that the newspaper announced changes in the coverage after procuring renewals from Plaintiff and other subscribers," Hempstead says in the complaint.
In a phone interview today, Hempstead, 42, said he could cancel his subscription but filed the suit to make a point.
"I wanted to get the newspaper's attention and the news industry's attention," said Hempstead, who is a former reporter at the Fayetteville Observer, adding that he loves The News & Observer.
"I hate to see what companies that run newspapers are doing to the product," Hempstead said. "The idea that taking the most important product and reducing the amount of news and getting rid of staff to me seems pointless to how you should run a newspaper business."
Hempstead said he wants to keep the paper from reducing news coverage and wants the newspaper industry to revisit its business model. His suit asks for an unspecified amount of damages and attorney's fees.
John Drescher, executive editor of The News & Observer, said he's glad that Hempstead is a loyal reader and that the N&O has meant so much to him.
"We've had some really good papers recently, and they're worth more than the 36 cents a day that Mr. Hempstead is paying us," Drescher said.
"In fact, he owes me money," Drescher continued. "So when he gets a lawyer, he can work with my lawyer and figure out how much he's going to pay me for the excellent coverage he's been getting recently."
Hempstead is currently seeking a law firm to take his case, and, he added, he's not in it for money.
leah.friedman@newsobserver.com or (919) 932-2002
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