Report from Santa Fe; Richard McCord

KENW-TV, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico · November 9, 2013

This week's guest on “Report from Santa Fe” is Richard McCord, journalist and author of “The Chain Gang: One Newspaper versus the Gannett Empire” and “No Halls of Ivy, the Gritty Story of the College of Santa Fe,” discussing the difficult nature of present day journalism. “No Halls of Ivy” traces the history of the College of Santa Fe which is totally intertwined with the history of the state of New Mexico. Known originally as Saint Michael's College, in 1874 it became the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature. In 1912, when New Mexico became the 47th state of the United States, more than one-fifth of the drafters of the state's first constitution were its graduates. Graced by the support of Greer Garson, the College's arts, theater, and film departments led to its distinction as one of the best liberal arts schools in the West. “The Chain Gang: One Newspaper versus the Gannett Empire,” a nonfiction account of the struggle of a small newspaper to survive competing against a large chain, was commended in a letter from Bill Moyers as “one of the most important books in years for describing in compelling fashion the power of a conglomerate to squelch the journalistic spirit.” A career journalist and writer, Richard McCord worked for Newsday in New York and the Santa Fe New Mexican before founding the weekly Santa Fe Reporter in 1974. For 14 years he served as its editor and co-publisher, and during that time his work was honored for excellence by the National Press Club, the National Newspaper Association, and Investigative Reporters and Editors.