You know the backlash is serious when the Times-Picayune wraps itself in Katrina and puts a press release/editorial by the editor on page one of the paper:
Great journalism not bound by medium
Katrina shows promise of digital age in New Orleans
The headline and deck are bad enough, but the text is worse (emphasis mine):
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we proved that great, essential journalism does not require newsprint and a printing press. What it does require is great journalists, people who know our city and have a sense of mission about keeping readers informed and engaged, no matter the obstacles. Our commitment to that mission is undiminished.
… says the guy who just laid off half his newsroom.
And that’s not the only corporate Newspeak on page one:
This week, we announced that we will reduce the size of our staff through layoffs that will cause us to lose many talented colleagues. It was a deeply painful decision. But we made it in order to preserve and grow the journalism we and our community value
So, the paper gutted its newsroom to grow its journalism? Isn’t that sort of like destroying the village to save it?
Do take some time to read the comments on this one. Readers aren’t fooled.
Unfortunately, the Times-Pic isn’t the only news organization caught up in this. The newsroom cuts at the Newhouses’ Alabama papers are even worse than in New Orleans, as Poynter’s Steve Myers reports in an very good piece:
First, the numbers: The news staff in Birmingham has been cut from 102 to 41. In Mobile’s newsroom, about 20 of 70 or so are left, according to a source there. (The original version of this story estimated it at about 16.) And in Huntsville, 15 people remain out of 53 in the newsroom, a 72 percent reduction. Overall in Huntsville, 102 of 149 people lost their jobs. Those cuts at the papers come after two rounds of buyouts already had thinned staff.
Like in New Orleans, Advance/Newhouse will presumably add some cheap labor to spin the Hamster Wheel, but for all intents and purposes, the main newsgathering operations in these cities are gone.
And, at least at one of the Alabama papers, so is the ad staff. Myers writes that the sales team at his old paper, the Mobile Press-Register, was axed. I’ll give him the last word:
Advance seems to think a local newspaper is three things: a small group of reporters, advertisers who need your paper whether it’s published three days or seven, and some readers. Fewer, every day.
"So, the paper gutted it newsroom to grow its journalism? Isn’t that sort of like destroying the village to save it?"
No. Technological advances (e.g., Gutenberg's press, the cotton gin, the tractor, the blender, the telephone, the Internet) allow you to produce more while working less. That is the T-P editor's basic premise.
#1 Posted by Dan A., CJR on Fri 15 Jun 2012 at 07:29 AM
Newhouse claims the reasons for these cuts is declining ad revenue. If so, cutting the ads sales team seems to be a very dumb move.
#2 Posted by Christopher Johnston, CJR on Fri 15 Jun 2012 at 10:58 AM
Watching all the hand wringing over the Times-Picayune is pathetic. I love newspapers. I miss the ones I've worked for that have folded, but they are businesses and businesses must adapt to survive.
#3 Posted by Dan Gainor, CJR on Fri 15 Jun 2012 at 03:03 PM
Christopher: You cut the ad sales team if ads aren't selling because of the ongoing economic circumstances. More salespeople doesn't always mean more revenue.
#4 Posted by Dan Gainor, CJR on Fri 15 Jun 2012 at 03:08 PM
I had an informational interview at the Times-PIc last spring and it did not go well. I was beating myself up for not getting more traction from the meeting. After covering the BP oil spill and other Gulf interests for over a year, it had been a dream. I now see that apparently I was saved. I only hope the reporters there I so admire realize their value and find good homes. It's getting harder and harder for journalists to both make a living and produce real journalism.
#5 Posted by Laurie Wiegler, CJR on Sat 16 Jun 2012 at 11:18 PM
@Dan Gainor,
The Times-Picayune is not a business. It is an asset. That's the problem.
#6 Posted by Chris Benz, CJR on Sun 17 Jun 2012 at 04:30 PM
P.S.
from Romensko:
– The Times-Picayune remains profitable. As recently as the beginning of this year, the paper was paying bonuses. Staffers got bonuses at the end of 2010 and 2011 as the result of unexpected profitability.
http://jimromenesko.com/2012/05/24/new-orleans-times-picayune-to-cut-staff-may-reduce-publication-schedule/
#7 Posted by Chris Benz, CJR on Sun 17 Jun 2012 at 06:30 PM
Let's face it, newer consumers don't care about the news. We've created Frankensteins for new generations because of the way they were brought up with media babysitters - and I'm not talking news media. They only care about video games, digital devices (and not for news), the latest YouTube idiocy and who's picking their nose at which nightclub. They don't want news; they don't want to know. The only time they will care about the news is when something sneaks up and kills them, and then they'll be ticked off that nobody warned them. The time for paying attention is long gone; being "connected" does not mean being informed.
#8 Posted by Robespierre, CJR on Tue 19 Jun 2012 at 12:44 PM
@Chris Benz
And part of being a business is being an asset. If you don't like that rule, help form a group to buy it.
As an aside, it's just like the house you own. Many of us call it home, but still it's got an intrinsic value.
#9 Posted by Dan Gainor, CJR on Sun 12 Aug 2012 at 04:33 PM