Frequently Asked Questions

What is the history of “Citizen McCaw?”

The project commenced in November 2006 when four Santa Barbara residents (each with a distinguished career in media and drama) banded together, without funding, to make this film as a contribution to the historical record of their home town.

Combined with local support from concerned citizens, they put up their own funds, took no salaries or fees, and weathered several legal threats and a subpoena from Wendy McCaw’s attorneys. A year later, the film is finished … a riveting look at the players, actions, and principles involved in the first year of an epic struggle for the soul of journalism.

Who are the producers?

The producers of the film are Rod Lathim (a leader on Santa Barbara’s cultural scene), Chuck Minsky (cinematographer -- Pretty Woman, etc.), Peter Seaman (screenwriter -- Shrek The Third, etc.) and Sam Tyler (documentary filmmaker -- Good to Great, etc). Together, the producers have over 100 years of award- winning experience in various aspects of dramatic, television, and feature film production.

Brent Sumner of Studio 8 in Santa Barbara is the film’s cinematographer and editor.

Where will “Citizen McCaw” be showing?

The film will première at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara on March 7, 2008. Later, it will be packaged in final form and released nationwide to television, film festivals, and/or into theatres.

Is A DVD available?

DVD’s will become available after the television release. If you would like to be notified when the DVD is available, you can sign up for the release announcement on the Buy DVD page.

Why create “Citizen McCaw”?

Times are changing, and fast, in the newspaper business. With competition from the internet and the blogs, readership, and therefore the bottom line, is suffering for daily papers all over America. As budgets and reporters are cut back and papers go out of business or are sold, there's great concern (or should be) in America about where we're going to get our news and who's going to own it … the publisher or the consumer?

The Santa Barbara News Press 'war' that our film examines is a microcosm of this important national story, with the changes accelerated and the issues in bold face. News, and the delivery of truth to the people, was considered crucial enough to our democracy that our forefathers wrote a constitutional protection for it. It is, if anything, more important today.

What is the goal of the film?

• To illuminate the truth surrounding the resignations and firings of 80 journalists and staff from the Santa Barbara News Press—the largest such number in the history of American newspapers
• To examine the actions and responsibilities of the paper's wealthy owner
• To shed light on 1st Amendment issues and the complex notion of 'journalistic ethics’, while telling the story of those with the courage to stand up for them
• And finally, from points of view gathered from a wide range of sources, to show how crucially important a hometown daily is to its hometown