It almost goes without saying that there were more cuts announced in newspapers this week. (See here and here.)
But this round is a bit more personal. This is the 3rd (?) time I know that San Jose Mercury News employees were told to stay home in the morning to see if they'd be getting the axe. Imagine my even greater surprise when I realized that with this latest round of cuts, I now know virtually nobody there anymore--even though I worked there less than two years ago.
The people who have left have always impressed me as a young journalist. I wonder what they will do with their talent. I know the paper isn't letting them go because they're not good. But I want to know just what goes into those decision discussions.
How can a seemingly great journalist get cut just like that? For those journalists who are really talented--what are they supposed to do now? Get jobs that are at-risk at other papers? Or do they have to give up the craft they love, live and breathe?
I just don't get it. And don't bother trying to explain it to me. It will NEVER make sense.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
RStheGr8: Laid Off? Now what?
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2 comments:
Do you not think this is a sign of a revolution that all young journalists grew up dreaming about?
Do you still have plans in re-joining corporate media when you finish with school?
That's a really good question.
I think it's a matter of thinking of our journalism jobs differently--figuring out a way to leverage our skills in another way. I'm currently getting a degree in marketing to further diversify and broaden my skill set and future job opportunities. But I can still leverage my writing experience to pursue freelance gigs.
Gone are the days when we can just get a job, do the work and wait for the paycheck to come.
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