News-Leader bows to public pressure and publishes Pride parade/festival photos

Mounting public pressure Tuesday led to the Fernandina News-Leader doing an about-face on the publisher's decision to ban coverage of the local Pride organization. The newspaper printed a photo array on the back page of Wednesday's edition and on its website.

Just days after the city celebrated diversity in the community, The News-Leader had notified local PRIDE officials Monday that it would not publish news or editorials regarding the organization.

News-Leader reporter Julia Roberts said in an email to PRIDE President Jordan Morris on Monday that the newspaper would not write about PRIDE.

"I hate even typing these words, but our publisher has made the decision not to allow us to write about Pride. We pleaded our case, but he was not to be convinced," Roberts wrote in the email Monday.

 Roberts was responding to a press release Morris had submitted about the annual PRIDE Festival held last Saturday at Central Park, which was preceded by a parade.

 "I think (hope?) you understand this is NOT my idea. I loved attending and participating. I will continue to support you in any way I can. I also think what you wrote would make an excellent letter to the editor if you would like. It's well written and I really like it. Let me know if that's what you want," Roberts said in the email.

 Todd Frantz joined the newspaper as publisher last March.

 Among the newspapers he has worked for are the Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the Daily Herald in Provo, Utah, News-Tribune in Jefferson City, Missouri, the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Washington and the San Angelo Standard-Times in San Angelo, Texas.

 The Observer had emailed Frantz for a comment regarding the newspaper's decision not to cover news about PRIDE. He has not responded as of Wednesday morning.

"Thanks to the loud voices of some of our supporters and pressure from some newspaper staff, the News Leader squeezed in a few photos from our Pride event on the back page of today’s paper along with a generic sentence about the parade route that was copied out of our original press release from May. While this is obviously preferable to no coverage at all, the article that covered the event remains scrapped by the publisher, who refuses to return emails and phone calls from his concerned subscribers. We remain deeply concerned by the new direction of our local newspaper. We encourage everyone to be vigilant and use your voice to help fight censorship and promote a free press in Fernandina Beach," PRIDE president Jordan Morris wrote this morning on the group's Facebook page.

He said this on Tuesday on the newspaper's original decision not to cover PRIDE: "Typically, we at least get coverage in the calendar section, so I was surprised that I didn't see any mention of Pride in the News Leader in the weeks leading up to the event. Now it makes sense," Morris said. "A publisher's decision not to cover a major city parade and event - or simply acknowledge that it happened - because it makes them uncomfortable creates a very slippery slope and, frankly, a local media crisis that should be extremely concerning to all subscribers and advertisers. Cherry picking news stories is a practice of fringe, partisan publication. As president of Pride, a city resident and a News Leader subscriber, I'm very concerned for our community."

 Under Frantz' leadership, the newspaper has shifted coverage to a more conservative approach to local news and issues. Editor Tracy Dishman recently resigned over the new direction of the newspaper.

In 2024 and 2023, the News-Leader published a photo slide show of the parade with  bylines attributed to Dishman and the newspaper staff.

 “As you may be aware, the News-Leader is undergoing changes with new publishers who are taking the publication in a direction that conflicts with the journalistic values, integrity and community focus I’ve championed during my tenure. Given these irreconcilable differences, I have moved forward in my career and am excited about new opportunities that align with both my personal and professional convictions,” Dishman wrote in an email to News-Leader staff.

 In his press release submitted to the News-Leader, Morris wrote:

 "I am proud to report that Fernandina Beach Pride's fifth annual parade and festival was a great success. We welcomed our largest crowd to date (approx. 3,000 people) to witness our longest parade to date and enjoy a celebration of love, acceptance and community in the heart of Fernandina Beach. There were no reported protests, security issues or incidents, which is a strong testament to the fine work of the Fernandina Beach Police Department, the Police Auxiliary Corps and our dedicated team of passionate volunteers. It is also a testament to the people who attended and participated in the day's events."