God has a plan

I don't even want to begin to feel those feelings
I felt when I found out
that I wasn't going on a Labor Day, 7-day cruise.
Disappointment is only one
word to describe my feelings. Though upset, I
tried to make the best of the
situation by starting my internship at The
Mercury News a week early. I
kicked myself for two weeks about this decision.
I mean why would I want to
surround myself with work when I really should be
on vacation?
Anyways, they just made a startling yet eerily
not so surprising
announcement here at work today: A voluntary
buyout of 52 from the company's
current 332 newspaper employees, leaving 180. The
date of effect for these
changes: Nov. 14.
Because I started a week early, thankfully, I
will not be affected as
drastically by these changes. I won't be here to
feel them. I can only
imagine how different and dire things will become
around the paper.
What really struck me, though, was that while the
paper's editors were
discussing these announcements, people were able
to make light of the
situation and joke. Many more even were able to
smile afterwards. I guess
things could have been worse but I have been
impressed by the kindness and
good heartedness of the folks here in this
newsroom. With all that the staff
has been through, it really is a wonder they can
smile.
As I continue to format my resume, leaf through
potential job leads and plan
what I call my "escape", I have to say thank you
to the people who have made
life as a journalist a little bit better. 

Aspiring artist...

I often wonder if I am part of the problem, however, unknowingly. I write
what the editors want me to write. At this point in my career, I have no
choice. So I am a pawn in the bigger game. I do exactly as I'm told. I get a
pat on the back from my editor and colleagues.
Then I'm berated by the general public for getting it wrong. I didn't want to get it wrong.
There is no way I could have seen this coming. Quite frankly, I didn't think of
it and neither did my "brilliant" editors. It wasn't obvious to us.
But I am forced to go along with it-mainly because I don't pull any weight
yet. I know my day will come but how soon? I don't want to spend all this
time pleasing the higher authority and as a result mislead the public. You
may be thinking, well just stand up for what you believe. I would do that if
I knew better. But I almost feel as naïve and lied to as the audience who
reads my stories. I don't want to misinformed and then turn around and do
the same to others. I can't stand this mind game. I have too many years
ahead of me and would hate to spend even a year tarnishing my name and
reputation so early in my life. 

NOLA: Symbolic of the Future?

The storm that ravaged the Gulf Region proved to be both a momentous and historic event--as well as a learning experience.
The Times-Picayune, New Orlean's daily city paper, has managed to continue dispersing the news, even without the amenties of a traditional newsroom. No, you can't get the paper in hard copy format. But you can read the website: http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html#078036
This website, updated very frequently each day, contains honest, hard hitting news stories from a town that has ceased to exist in any normal way. The journalists telling the story write from the heart because after all, this is their city and their coverage area.
However, what is interesting to observe from this situation is that despite the lack of paper pages, the newspaper is still distributing its information, its news stories. Many people across the country have been able to read the paper and have taken notice that despite the odds, the paper must come out.
Just because they can't print a page doesn't mean they can't inform the public.
What mainstream newspapers fail to understand is that their audiences are going that route. It IS possible to read the news in its entirety online. This should be encouraged. Newspapers should shift the focus from its tangible pages to the virtual pages of the online world.
It's almost impossible not to these days.
Newspapers across the country: Take note.
NOLA is accomplishing great things.