Johnstown newspaper considers Tribune without Democrat

[quaoar]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06176/700763-85.stm

By Caitlin Cleary, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For 54 years, what many Johnstowners called their daily newspaper depended on family history.

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Now, The Tribune-Democrat, its official name since 1952, when the afternoon Tribune merged with the morning Democrat, could become simply The Tribune. Newspaper officials are thinking of dropping Democrat as part of a major redesign that will roll out July 2, over the objections of some readers and employees who detect political overtones in the shift.

In a recent internal memo to Tribune-Democrat employees, publisher Chris Voccio listed several reasons in favor of changing the name, including an effort to cast off any appearance of political-party affiliation.

"The term Democrat means something very different today than it did in years gone by," Mr. Voccio wrote. "We are not a house organ for any political party, so why should we continue to use the name Democrat?"

[CatholicEdHead]

1. Is Johnstown in a red or blue area of PA?

[RamboLiberal]

5. Was Blue but is increasingly turning red IMHO

Less union labor as mills/mines shutdown and as smaller mines went away from union labor. They elect Murtha - but till now Murtha was considered a hawk. I think they'll still back him, but otherwise they're buying in to the "Guns, Gods and Gays" crap the Repukes like to spew out.

[Avalux]

6. It's blue-collar; Murtha is their Rep

From growing up in the area although I haven't lived there for years, I'd say Blue.

[Sequoia]

2. Uh oh, in Santa Rosa, CA their paper is: The Press Democrat

and I've got to wonder how many other paper have the name Democrat in it.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

is a right wing rag-and the Democrat was a right wing paper before it merged with the Gazette. So I don't see how names of papers really have much to do with political affiliation.

[Rose Siding]

4. I'm sure The New Republic is in a similar quandry

:eyes: