Mild-Mannered Reporter Takes On Indianapolis Star

-- Staff reporter Robert King, known simply as Bobby to his fans, is leading the fight to save his newspaper, the Indianapolis Star, from "fat-cat company bosses," the Indianapolis Monthly reported on September 23, 2011:

"These are uncertain times over in the big brick building at 307 North Pennsylvania Street; in June, the venerable Central Indiana newspaper terminated 62 employees and eliminated 19 open positions—this after two years of pay cuts and work furloughs. Like a reverend working a line at a funeral home, King tries to offer some comfort to the bereaved, greeting each guest with a hug or a handshake, sustained eye contact, and a soft Kentucky drawl that trickles from his lips into a shady fishing pond of soothing words.

When all of the arrivals have settled in, King addresses the crowd. He apologizes in advance for having to leave early (he must attend the funeral of a stillborn infant later in the day, he explains), and his words fall reassuring and kind. But when the talk turns to Gannett Company, Inc., the Star’s parent company, King’s demeanor changes. He stands erect, and the paunch disappears. Now, he is an Appalachian snake-handler delivering a fire-and-brimstone sermon about the company that many in this congregation like to call “The Evil Empire.” A few days before the meeting, King blogged that Gannett executives were “rat bastards.” Today, they are “robber barons.” These words brighten the faces of the mourners. King then promises to seek retribution and avenge the layoffs. “We’re not going to let this stand,” he tells them."

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