Comments on: Working for a newspaper is not a death sentence http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/ curious by nature, journalist by trade Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:17:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Calling Out A Troll – Let’s Talk on Seesmic « DigiDave – Journalism is a Process, Not a Product http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-69307 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:35:08 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-69307 [...] Recently journalism blogs have merited their own troll. From what I can tell this individual started appearing after the “infamous comment thread” on Jessica DaSilva’s blog, but I’ve also seen the individual comment on other blogs. [...] […] Recently journalism blogs have merited their own troll. From what I can tell this individual started appearing after the “infamous comment thread” on Jessica DaSilva’s blog, but I’ve also seen the individual comment on other blogs. […]

]]> by: Technolo-j » Blog Archive » A curmudgeon journalist gets inspired: a short subject http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-58128 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:02:39 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-58128 [...] MERANDA WATLING wrote a post on her blog which reminded me why the news business will survive. [...] […] MERANDA WATLING wrote a post on her blog which reminded me why the news business will survive. […]

]]> by: kentjmcprof http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23370 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:29:25 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23370 Meranda (and Mandy J). You both are succeeding and will continue to succeed because you know the basics of all good journalism: accuracy, clear writing, aggressive reporting, ethical behavior, creative storytelling. On deadline. AND, on top of that, you have multiplatform mindsets and multimedia skill sets. Not a bad combination for the present or future. Wenalway and his grouchy cohorts from the 1940s are inhaling your exhaust. --FE Meranda (and Mandy J). You both are succeeding and will continue to succeed because you know the basics of all good journalism: accuracy, clear writing, aggressive reporting, ethical behavior, creative storytelling. On deadline. AND, on top of that, you have multiplatform mindsets and multimedia skill sets. Not a bad combination for the present or future.

Wenalway and his grouchy cohorts from the 1940s are inhaling your exhaust.

–FE

]]> by: Mike Perrault http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23335 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:18:13 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23335 I'm still in school but working 40+ hours a week at a small local paper as a photographer, designer, photoeditor, webguy etc. Yeah, I'm idealistic and optimistic about this profession. God forbid. I don't have anything else that really gets under my skin so I have to make this work. It's the people who have turned their back on new technology and are only now deciding to use it that have allowed the demise. My generation of journalists is here to clean up messes and find a way to make this work. What else are we going to do(I mean, other than sit at home and whine via blogs). Without some new creative vision on what newspapers are going to do, of course we're going to fail. Of course profits are going to be put before stories. We've known this for a long time and where have these so called flexible journalists been? We have no choice other than to make this work and frankly I think I will see it in my career. What do I care if my photos are printed on a page or simply run online? Our work is still getting out there and I actually want people to read my stories and take a look at my photos. If that means it's not on print, fine. Newsprint destroys perfectly fine photos anyway at least on a monitor we can have sharp pictures. I’m still in school but working 40+ hours a week at a small local paper as a photographer, designer, photoeditor, webguy etc. Yeah, I’m idealistic and optimistic about this profession. God forbid. I don’t have anything else that really gets under my skin so I have to make this work. It’s the people who have turned their back on new technology and are only now deciding to use it that have allowed the demise. My generation of journalists is here to clean up messes and find a way to make this work. What else are we going to do(I mean, other than sit at home and whine via blogs). Without some new creative vision on what newspapers are going to do, of course we’re going to fail. Of course profits are going to be put before stories. We’ve known this for a long time and where have these so called flexible journalists been? We have no choice other than to make this work and frankly I think I will see it in my career.

What do I care if my photos are printed on a page or simply run online? Our work is still getting out there and I actually want people to read my stories and take a look at my photos. If that means it’s not on print, fine. Newsprint destroys perfectly fine photos anyway at least on a monitor we can have sharp pictures.

]]> by: Technolo-J : A curmudgeon journalist gets inspired: a short subject http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23324 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:42:43 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23324 [...] MERANDA WATLING wrote a post on her blog which reminded me why the news business will survive. [...] […] MERANDA WATLING wrote a post on her blog which reminded me why the news business will survive. […]

]]> by: jamie http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23259 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:37:35 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23259 Great post. Working at a newspaper is most definitely not a death sentence for reporters with good, bright ideas. Unfortunately, the current business model is a death sentence for the newspaper itself. Great post. Working at a newspaper is most definitely not a death sentence for reporters with good, bright ideas. Unfortunately, the current business model is a death sentence for the newspaper itself.

]]> by: Michelle http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23097 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:38:33 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23097 loved this. I'm a 23 year old journalist in LA and while I don't work at the LA Times, when I moved here that was the goal. Now they're laying off people left and right, and I'm kinda glad that I work at a national magazine instead. But there's something that I love about typing frantically a minute up to the daily deadline and working all night on the lead story, whether it ends up on papyrus or an Amazon Kindle. I think that journalists should embrace technology and go with it, and that's how optimistic reporters and editors like you and I will thrive. loved this.

I’m a 23 year old journalist in LA and while I don’t work at the LA Times, when I moved here that was the goal. Now they’re laying off people left and right, and I’m kinda glad that I work at a national magazine instead.

But there’s something that I love about typing frantically a minute up to the daily deadline and working all night on the lead story, whether it ends up on papyrus or an Amazon Kindle. I think that journalists should embrace technology and go with it, and that’s how optimistic reporters and editors like you and I will thrive.

]]> by: Paige http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23096 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:19:04 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23096 Well, almost all newspapers have you tech-savvy newbies on board. What a relief. I guess I'll breathe a sigh of relief knowing our journalistic future is now in your capable hands. I'm sure we'll see you improving those profit margins and redefining the standards and quality of journalism to save the business from these old fogies who have been doing it longer than many of you have been alive. I do appreciate your optimism, but I think pretty much every person in the newspaper business that I know is capable of blogging, and other tech-related activities, but if you're convinced this is the answer and can't wait to see the business bounce back. Mandy, most journalists, old and young, are flexible and willing to learn new things, after all, we aren't still doing paste-up are we? We just like to do things that work and that actually improve our business. Well, almost all newspapers have you tech-savvy newbies on board. What a relief. I guess I’ll breathe a sigh of relief knowing our journalistic future is now in your capable hands. I’m sure we’ll see you improving those profit margins and redefining the standards and quality of journalism to save the business from these old fogies who have been doing it longer than many of you have been alive. I do appreciate your optimism, but I think pretty much every person in the newspaper business that I know is capable of blogging, and other tech-related activities, but if you’re convinced this is the answer and can’t wait to see the business bounce back. Mandy, most journalists, old and young, are flexible and willing to learn new things, after all, we aren’t still doing paste-up are we? We just like to do things that work and that actually improve our business.

]]> by: Mandy Jenkins http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23083 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:52:17 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23083 As a young-ish journalist in one of those non-traditional newspaper jobs, I agree wholeheartedly with Meranda. Throughout my four year career as an online editor at two metro newspapers, I have been met with quite a bit of scorn about my place in journalism with a capital "J". I hear the whispers that I've only gotten ahead because of low standards in an industry that values web savvy over good reporting - and, like you, I know not to listen. Call it low standards or whatever helps the old guard sleep at night - but those who are flexible and willing to learn in this business are those that will survive. It doesn't matter how old they are or what college they went to - the reporters who will still be employed by the news"papers" of the near future will be those who dared to evolve - like Jessica, like Meranda, like Jim Romenesko, Jeff Jarvis and tons more. As a young-ish journalist in one of those non-traditional newspaper jobs, I agree wholeheartedly with Meranda. Throughout my four year career as an online editor at two metro newspapers, I have been met with quite a bit of scorn about my place in journalism with a capital “J”. I hear the whispers that I’ve only gotten ahead because of low standards in an industry that values web savvy over good reporting - and, like you, I know not to listen.

Call it low standards or whatever helps the old guard sleep at night - but those who are flexible and willing to learn in this business are those that will survive. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what college they went to - the reporters who will still be employed by the news”papers” of the near future will be those who dared to evolve - like Jessica, like Meranda, like Jim Romenesko, Jeff Jarvis and tons more.

]]> by: Paige http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23074 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:26:04 +0000 http://merandawrites.com/2008/07/10/working-for-a-newspaper-is-not-a-death-sentence/#comment-23074 At some point, when newspapers were taken over by business people and became dependent on stock market profits, they also got away from doing what they use to do best. The truth is newspapers are trying to compete with the Internet and TV. They want to give people quick snippets of information, and then wonder why nobody's buying. What newspapers used to do was allow TV to give you that little tidbit of what happened and the expanded on stories affecting their communities by telling people why it happened, and how it affected the reader. And they had a talented staff with enough time to break stories and/or to get the meat of the story. With technological advances, newspapers have continuously changed their model to compete in a market they really can't compete in, and then sat around wondering why it isn't working. I think we all (regardless of age) agree something has to be done, and the problem with Jessica's blog was her assumption that her editor and newspaper were entering new territory. I don't begrudge her enthusiasm, and I certainly don't mind technological improvements, but I think giving the readers less is likely not going to equal success. Then again, I don't get paid the big bucks to make these decisions, although I've spent years hearing the same thing these editors are saying now, and not seeing any positive results. If anything, it seems we are going backwards economically, creatively and journalistically, so it might be time to say this "new and improved" model isn't working either. At some point, when newspapers were taken over by business people and became dependent on stock market profits, they also got away from doing what they use to do best. The truth is newspapers are trying to compete with the Internet and TV. They want to give people quick snippets of information, and then wonder why nobody’s buying. What newspapers used to do was allow TV to give you that little tidbit of what happened and the expanded on stories affecting their communities by telling people why it happened, and how it affected the reader. And they had a talented staff with enough time to break stories and/or to get the meat of the story. With technological advances, newspapers have continuously changed their model to compete in a market they really can’t compete in, and then sat around wondering why it isn’t working. I think we all (regardless of age) agree something has to be done, and the problem with Jessica’s blog was her assumption that her editor and newspaper were entering new territory. I don’t begrudge her enthusiasm, and I certainly don’t mind technological improvements, but I think giving the readers less is likely not going to equal success. Then again, I don’t get paid the big bucks to make these decisions, although I’ve spent years hearing the same thing these editors are saying now, and not seeing any positive results. If anything, it seems we are going backwards economically, creatively and journalistically, so it might be time to say this “new and improved” model isn’t working either.

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