1X
Hawaii's two major daily newspapers and their coverage of public affairs formed the subject of this 1996 discussion, with the central question being whether the press was serving readers well. Tom Brislin argued that both papers had become too closely aligned with the political and economic establishment, covering government through insider personality conflicts rather than explaining how decisions affect ordinary citizens. John Flanagan acknowledged some of those criticisms while pointing to the Star-Bulletin's investments in investigative reporting and economic coverage. Jim Gatti, drawing on his experience in Detroit, defended the Joint Operating Agreement between the two papers as necessary to preserve dual editorial voices; without it, he argued, Hawaii would almost certainly become a one-newspaper market, and Flanagan confirmed the Star-Bulletin would likely not survive its dissolution. Two participants appeared via recorded clips: N.L. Amaral, a member of the legislature, called the JOA lazy-making for both newspapers, and Dave Pellegrin, president of Honolulu Publishing, argued it impeded the development of truly independent editorial voices. Whether Hawaii's newspapers have grown complacent under shared business operations, or whether the agreement is the only barrier against a single-paper market, remains the standing question.
Transcript
Read or download the full transcript (.txt). Speaker labels were assigned automatically and may contain errors.
Companion newspaper commentaries
Commentaries by the guests, published in The Honolulu Advertiser around the broadcast.
