HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The pandemic is forcing the newspaper outlet Hartford Courant to close its Broad Street office.
The paper says they do not anticipate having employees who can work remotely come back to the newsroom for the rest of the year and into 2021.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin says, “… we’re fortunate that the Hartford Courant continues in operation, with committed reporters on the beat covering our city and our state every day. But it’s a sad day and a tough blow to see the Tribune Publishing Company close the newsroom and physical headquarters of the oldest continuously published newspaper in America.”
That closure will happen on Dec. 27. The paper’s editor-in-chief says this will not impact the product they deliver to readers.
The Hartford Courant Guild issued a statement on the office closing:
The Hartford Courant’s Broad Street newsroom will be permanently closed before the end of the year, the paper’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Andrew Julien announced to staff Friday afternoon.
Julien told staff there are no immediate plans to find a new office space for The Courant. The existing office space will be closed on Dec. 27, and staff will be required to clear out their desks by Dec. 23.
The Courant, which is owned by parent company Tribune Publishing, is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States and has called Broad Street “home” for 70 years.
The newsroom is the heart of the newspaper. At 285 Broad Street, newspaper staff hash out ideas, meet with sources, recuperate after traumatic days and craft the stories that reverberate across the state.
The decision to close the building is a slap in the face to the reporters, editors, columnists and advertising staff who have worked for decades to produce the state’s largest newspaper. The closure is further evidence that Tribune Publishing, and vulture hedge
fund Alden Global Capital, care only about profits, not about the newspapers they own or the communities they serve.The Courant staff have worked throughout the pandemic and for centuries before that to provide Connecticut residents with the best possible news coverage. We want that legacy to continue for centuries more.
But under Tribune Publishing’s ownership, that future is threatened, as the company clearly demonstrated with Friday’s announcement.
The Courant Guild is actively seeking an owner who will actually invest in the paper’s future. More information on that effort can be found at saveourcourant.org.
