The National Labor Relations Board ruled that Santa Barbara News-Press owner conducted a retaliatory campaign against employees trying to unionize. The owner had argued that any decision for the employees would abridge her First Amendment right to control editorial content.
Fifteen employees resigned in 2006 claiming that the owner tried to improperly influence the news-gathering process, and the owner subsequently fired eight employees for engaging in union activity. The NLRB ordered the owner to reinstate the eight and retract poor performance evaluations of four others. -db
From the Los Angeles Times, August 12, 2011, by Kate Mather.