A prize-winning Santa Rosa newspaper neglected accusations against Dominic Foppoli, until its former employee took the scoop to a competing paper.
The front-page shockers began in early April and just kept coming: A young mayor from the San Francisco Bay’s wine country had been accused of sexually abusing and assaulting women. First there wereA former girlfriend accused Dominic Foppoli, the mayor of “friendly, family-oriented” Windsor, of sexually abusing her. Another woman said he forced himself on her during an alcohol-fueled hot tub party at his family’s winery.
In the weeks that followed that April 9 declaration, the Press Democrat placed its No. 2 editor, Ted Appel, on administrative leave. He soon resigned, though he and the paper have not commented on the reason for his departure. Another editor was demoted, and a third issued a mea culpa for his fraught relations with reporters, as the staff vented its dismay in a Zoom call.
The outlines of the original story were sensational, particularly given the identity of the accused. Foppoli had cultivated a persona as the “prince” of a family that claims winemaking heritage dating back 600 years, to its roots in northern Italy. A young Republican in a county dominated by Democrats, he first ran for state Assembly when he was still a student at Dominican College of California, in San Rafael.
The community takes particular pride in its Town Green, the scene of summer concerts and kids’ movies, where families loll on the grass with picnic baskets and bottles of wine. Windsor’s most flamboyant figure was the homegrown Foppoli, who in 2014 became the town’s youngest council member, at 32. He quickly developed a reputation as pro-development and always ready to network with colleagues and friends.
The Press Democrat has seen its union-represented news staff decline from 96 employees in 2005 to 39 today, according to the Pacific Media Workers Guild.“How do you find the time to allow a reporter to spend even one day a week not producing copy to feed the beast?” said another former staffer, who asked not to be named. “The beast has gotten bigger and bigger,” he said, “as the staff feeding it continues to get smaller.
But the thrill of the Pulitzer victory had a “dark side,” according to one staffer, the peak experience encouraging some journalists to retire and others to find jobs elsewhere. “That creates more work and more pressure for the ones who remain,” said the reporter.The organization of the newsroom and assignment of journalists to beats withered away, for reasons that aren’t clear, three staffers said. But many reporters were spread thin, with multiple duties.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ricky Gervais “Shocked and Appalled” at Charlie Hanson Sexual Misconduct ClaimsRicky Gervais has spoken out after his frequent collaborator and After Life producer Charlie Hanson was accused of sexual misconduct by 11 women, according to a report in U.K. newspaper The Times. …
Read more »
Utah Opted Not to Teach Consent in Sex Education - Women’s Media Center“Education about healthy sexuality and consent is sorely needed in a nation that is still being rocked by reports of powerful men’s sexual predation.”
Read more »
Palace source responds to reports about how Prince Harry learned of Prince Philip's deathThe Duke of Sussex learned about his grandfather's death through the US Embassy, according to reports
Read more »
New York mayoral race tests Democratic Party's stance on policingAfter more than 20 people were shot during another bloody weekend in New York, Andrew Yang, a leading candidate to become the city’s next mayor, stood outside a Bronx housing project and called for an immediate increase in the number of police officers who investigate gun crimes and patrol subways.
Read more »
“I Would Say He Might’ve Seen Some Polling”: Kathryn Garcia Knows Andrew Yang’s Negative Attention Is a Good ThingNYC mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia on her growing momentum, getting the city back on its feet, and why she thinks Andrew Yang’s popularity is purely name-recognition.
Read more »
Royal mothers before and after birth: Blooming bumps to bouncing babiesSee throwback photos of royal mums before and after they gave birth – from the Queen expecting Prince Edward, to Kate Middleton welcoming Prince George
Read more »