Previewing today's Save-the-Globe rally
What's the line-up of today's Save-the-Globe fete at Faneuil Hall, you ask? Here it is (remember, the procedings start at noon):
Brian Mooney, Boston Globe reporter
Bella English, Boston Globe reporter
Mike Ross, Boston City Council President
David Jackson, Nieman Fellow and Pulitzer Prize winning reporter from the Chicago Tribune
William McGuinness, editor, Daily Collegian and University of Massachusetts Amherst student
Dorothy Clark, Boston Globe news copy editor
Tim Flynn, Boston Globe features copy editor
Jeannie Shimkus, Boston Globe classified advertising rep
Bob Haynes, president, AFL-CIO of Massachusetts
Mikko Nissinen, artistic director of the Boston Ballet
Dan Totten, president, Boston Newspaper Guild
Some preliminary thoughts:
--Yes, it's awkward to have a politician who the Globe covers speaking on its behalf in a time of duress, even if it's just a city councilor (only the tiniest bit of disrespect intended). According to the Herald's Jessica Heslam, Ross invited himself--but Boston Newspaper Guild head Dan Totten tried to get every member of the Massachusetts Legislature to attend.
--Given Totten's recent overtures to the newsroom members of the Guild, the fact that only four Globe journalists (two with bylines) are speaking strikes me as significant. Wouldn't Totten & Co. prefer to have a couple more reporters on the list in lieu of William McGuinness and David Jackson?
--Last night's Guild meeting was marked by considerable friction between the newsroom and non-newsroom camps inside the Guild, but by the end, both sides seemed to be striking a more conciliatory note. If the Guild is going to get a good turnout from its members today, it needs that fragile peace to hold.
--In terms of public attendance, the Guild really couldn't have asked for a nicer day. What Globe-loving office worker wouldn't welcome an excuse to play hooky on a sunny, seventy-degree Friday?
--Finally, for those so inclined, there's still time to sign the Guild's Save the Globe petition.
