Leverage and the Metro deal

Page 2 of 2 -- Should the Times Co. abandon the Metro deal? Usually, that would be strictly Times Co. business, not Globe ombudsman fare. But if the deal goes ahead, it's the Globe -- which will offer some stories to the Metro -- that will be most publicly linked with it. Plus, the charge here is racial insensitivity, which can't be ignored. Thus, these thoughts for concerned readers:

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The slurs were of course disgusting and are rightly condemned. It's less easy to say they were the result of a racist company culture that the Times Co. should have known about. If there were cultural problems at Metro, it was not necessarily obvious.

Consider Toronto, where the Toronto Star partners with that city's Metro paper, the model proposed for Boston. Staffs work closely together. "I've not in my dealings seen any sign of racism," said Murray Skinner, president of Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing, the Torstar division overseeing their Metro. He said he was "shocked" to hear of the executives' comments, as were local Metro staffers. The Star's just-retired ombudsman, Don Sellar, also reports no "whiff" of similar controversy -- even though in that city's newspapers wars "you expect every bit of dirt regarding the other guy to come out."

So maybe the slurs were an aberration -- but maybe not. The Globe and the Times Co., as part of "due diligence," need to find out before they buy in to the operation. If they find something systemically rotten, the deal should be canceled. If there are no new revelations, and a clear promise to do better, there may still be an argument for getting out -- but perhaps a better one for staying in.

That is where the leverage is. The Times has already used its influence to good advantage. Metro International has in recent days hired an American as global director of human resources, and a firm to recommend changes in Metro USA's employee/community practices. It's creating citizen boards to advise on diversity, and launched several other similar initiatives.

That's a good start, but I am guessing there is more work to do, and a little inside influence could help.

In old business: My last column said the Globe was probably more accuracy-conscious in '03 than the year before. While that could be true, three eagle-eyed readers figured out from the context that I meant to type '04. I thank them.

The ombudsman represents the readers. Her opinions and conclusions are her own. Phone 617-929-3020 or, to leave a message, 929-3022. Our e-mail address is ombud@globe.com.