Tell Hearst: Respect Austin's local news!
Hearst Corporation CEO, Steve Swartz
Your local paper has been bought. What happens next matters.
Austin journalists have been telling this city’s stories since 1871. For more than 150 years, the Austin American-Statesman has helped keep Central Texas informed and accountable.
Earlier this year, Hearst Corporation purchased the Statesman from Gannett as part of a major consolidation deal. Hearst praised the newsroom’s award-winning journalism and said the acquisition reflected its commitment to “high-quality journalism” and “thriving communities.”
But for the journalists who actually produce that work, the reality has been very different.
When Hearst took ownership, the journalists’ union contract was discarded—erasing hard-won protections and forcing workers to start over. Since then, Hearst has refused to:
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Commit to fair, sustainable pay so journalists can afford to live in the community they cover
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Set clear limits on the use of generative AI in local reporting and editing
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Provide the same retirement and leave benefits that Hearst already gives non-union employees in Austin
The Statesman has been recognized as Texas Newspaper of the Year, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and a Murrow Award winner. That level of journalism doesn’t happen by accident—it happens because skilled, experienced reporters are supported and treated with respect.
A strong local newsroom matters to Austin. If Hearst truly believes in the value of local journalism, it must invest in the people who make it possible.
Stand with Austin American-Statesman journalists and support the future of local news in Austin by signing our petition to Hearst’s leadership.
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To:
Hearst Corporation CEO, Steve Swartz
From:
[Your Name]
The journalists at the Austin American-Statesman have been providing vital news and lifting the stories of Central Texas since 1871. But for the past five years, these journalists have been fighting for guaranteed protections in their basic working conditions.
Unionized journalists at the Statesman have been fighting to provide a more secure work environment for the people producing Austin’s news every day, but are still working without the security of a contract. These protections are ensuring that local journalists can continue living in the community they cover and providing essential news to the Austin area.
Austin NewsGuild journalists deserve to have basic guarantees on issues like wages, safety, job security and use of artificial intelligence written into an agreed-upon contract. In an ever-changing industry, the journalists who work to keep Austin informed deserve a voice at the table.
Hearst management must respect employees’ right to organize and stop efforts to discourage union action.
Engage with unionized Austin journalists in good faith — and with respect — to work toward closing a contract so the Pulitzer Prize finalist Austin journalists can continue covering Central Texas news.