Cash-strapped McClatchy splurges for gay group -- McClatchy donates $25,000 to underwrite homosexual media conference

Despite being in significant financial danger, McClatchy donated $25,000 to sponsor a homosexual media conference. The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) held its annual convention in Washington, DC this month. The conference was attended by hundreds of journalists and received enthusiastic support from major media organizations.

McClatchy donated $25,000 to sponsor the conference, far more than any other media organization:

At the $25,000 level: the McClatchy Company. At the $15,000 level: CBS, CNN, Gannett Foundation, ESPN, and Hearst Newspapers. Kicking in $10,000 were NBC, Fox Business, Fox News, News Corporation, and The Washington Post. Good for $5,000 were ABC News and Bloomberg. Publisher and broadcaster Cox Enterprises bought the inside cover of the program, and CBS News "salutes NLGJA" on the back cover. Gannett (USA Today) "salutes" NLGJA in a full-page ad, as does The New York Times in a half-page ad. A.H. Belo Corporation (Dallas Morning News, Providence Journal) declares it is a "proud sponsor" in a full-page ad, while The Washington Post "congratulates" NLGJA in its full-page ad.

McClatchy is in dire financial straits. Ten percent of McClatchy's workforce was laid off in June. This month, the company initiated a company-wide wage freeze, and 8 McClatchy newspapers announced employees were being offered buyouts. The company has said it is committed to other cost-reductions, and most observers believe layoffs are looming. So what are they thinking by giving $25,000 -- far more than any other media organization -- to sponsor a homosexual journalist conference?

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