By Dan Kennedy • The press, politics, technology, culture and other passions

Henry’s silence on Worcester may speak volumes

640px-Telegram_and_Gazette_Building_-_Worcester,_MA_-_DSC05767

Note: Since this blog post was published, I have learned that this is the old T&G building. For a look at the current one, please click here.

In his decade-plus as principal owner of the Red Sox, John Henry has demonstrated more than a passing interest in the public-relations aspects of the job.

So Henry’s ongoing silence about the other newspaper he bought last month along with The Boston Globe — the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester — strikes me as deliberate and potentially significant. It wouldn’t surprise me if he announced something soon — possibly a sale to local owners.

Henry’s lack of public interest in the T&G has caused some anxiety in Central Massachusetts, where it did not go unnoticed that his recent 2,900-word message to Globe readers made no mention of his other paper. Earlier this week the T&G reported that 25 legislators from the area had signed a letter imploring Henry to pay a visit — prompting George Donnelly, executive editor of the Boston Business Journal, to ask why the Globe hadn’t published anything about the letter.

Globe editor Brian McGrory told Donnelly that the legislators’ letter “is hardly news to the Globe’s readership.” Donnelly’s riposte: “Perhaps there’s some convoluted logic that has kept Henry from saying hello in Worcester. It’s tougher to divine a reason why the Globe isn’t covering this story.”

Here is the full text of the letter, which was posted by The Republican of Springfield.

Photo (cc) by Daderot and published under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

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2 Comments

  1. McGrory’s quote is jaw dropping. Apparently, Globe readers don’t care what happens west of Lincoln.

    Or maybe the letter wasn’t signed by the “right” legislators.

  2. We are forever doomed to have photos of our old office building appear on every story and blog post on us throughout eternity. You can leave the hood, but the hood won’t leave you: http://www.telegram.com/article/20131022/NEWS/310229804/1116

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