Star Flames Out

For many, Starshine Roshell’s witty, funny
column in the Santa Barbara News-Press was the
highlight of the paper’s’ Sunday Life section. A couple of years
ago Star won first place in the annual California Newspaper
Publishers Association contest. She was a star.

But that was then, now is now. During
the current News-Press meltdown, Star became one of the
leaders working to form a union to give the newsroom some
protection against owner Wendy McCaw’s meddlng with the news. She
became a marked woman. And when her August 6
column appeared, praising the “impassioned journalists” who’d
resigned, many were surprised that it even ran. Well, mistakes
happen, right?

So in last week’s shakeup in beats, Star was transferred out of
Life and made a general assignmenrt reporter. And Thursday she got
the word that her column was killed, dead, muerto. Retaliation? If
so, it made the paper even less appealing to readers the
NP is desperately trying to attract and keep. Ironically,
the News-Press ad mailer residents received this week
featured a photo and quote from Star, listing her as “Columnist,
Sunday Life Section”