…Newspapers (and their readers) around the nation will mourn.
Today through Thursday, workers at the scores of newspapers owned by Gannett are waiting to see if the ax will fall on their jobs. A little more than a month ago, the corporation announced it would lay off 10 percent of its work force nationwide. Since then, workers have waited to hear if they will go or be spared this round to face another possible round in February. What cruelty, especially during the holiday season… of course, it’s sooo Gannett.
It breaks your heart to think of the people under the gun in these newsrooms today. There have already been rounds of layoffs and buyouts this year. That means staff is already lean. These deep cuts cross into the bones that prop up these newspapers.
The ironic thing about this is that many of these newspapers make good profits. According to a report by Jim Hopkins at Gannett Blog, most of the 80 newspapers were making double-digit profit in the first three quarters of last year, some as high as 30-40 percent. The bad thing about Gannett’s philosophy over the years is that it focused on making profit but not reinvesting it. Where would the company be today if it boosted staff in the newsroom, invested in continuing education of its staff or became a more family-friendly environment?
Whatever goes around comes around, and its comes around again to the greedy. Gannett’s management should be ashamed at the talent it has frittered away on inane tasks instead of focusing on real journalism.
May fortune shine upon the good, hardworking and loyal workers let go today. May they help bring about a new era of journalism that returns it to its necessary core values!
Feed me 5 Under the Radar
