DISQUS

freejoe76 · 2 years ago

Memphis Commercial-Appeal releases near-identical memo / voluntary separation http://poynter.org/forum/view_post.asp?id=12402

Wendy Norris · 2 years ago

Dead Man Walking So who do you think may take the separation package?

Names bandied about include long-time reporters Berny Morson and Bill Scanlon and newspaper designer Chas Chamberlin.

According to Michael Roberts at Westword, Brian Crecente, the paper's video game writer, quietly resigned rather than accept a transfer to the news division where feature writers are being shifted to fill personnel gaps resulting from the paper's long hiring freeze.

Crecente's account of the situation is noted here.

Wendy Norris · 2 years ago

thank for the update Also a Scripps Howard paper, I might add.

Kerri Rebresh · 2 years ago

A little birdie told me that the Denver Post is going to do the same thing...

Wendy Norris · 2 years ago

eek! Bad week to be a not-quite-ready-for-retirement journalist.

Sandra Fish · 2 years ago

Guild, management or both?? Sounds like they're accepting from both sides of that union concept? Will be interesting to see how many management vs. non-management types end up getting the package...

Charlie Brennan is another longtime Newser who recently took off to greener pastures - Fox 31 in his case...

Over at the Post, they're keeping positions open to. i hear that Chris Frates, who was moved from politics to higher ed, is now on to DC to work for Politico. And Mike Soraghan, a longtime political reporter for the Post, bailed to Roll Call instead of returning to Denver.

Losses like those are significant to readers, because these are people who are really tuned-in reporters and great writers...

ohwilleke · 2 years ago

Ironic New journalism players like Colorado Confidential, is greatly expanding the statewide pool of people who are covering state and local news, while keeping non-reporter overhead extremely low.  Our audience is growing dramatically.

Old journalism players like the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News are greatly contracting the pool of people who are covering state and local news, fresh in the wake of building a new landmark office building, despite major efforts in the JOA to cut their mammoth overhead costs.  Their audience is slowly bleeding away.

While I don't believe that there is a direct cause and effect relationship, the number of new journalists covering state and local news in places like Colorado Confidential and Colorado Media Matters is comparable to the number the dailies are losing.

bmenezes · 2 years ago

More significantly... The institutional knowledge that the new players at CoCo et al bring to the table is rapidly approaching and likely at some point will surpass that which remains at the Post and the Rocky among the beat reporters and desk editors who cover important beats such as politics and state government. That over time will create rapidly diminishing news value from the MSM as readers realize the news they get from the mini-pages in the Rocky and the constantly shifting Capitol bureau of the Post isn't worth the trouble of reading, when there's superior local reporting readily available elsewhere.

Wendy Norris · 2 years ago

a great point It's all about the context.

While someone like Brian Crencente is a well-respected national gamer/journalist who's worked hard to hone his particular craft, he just wouldn't have the historical perspective on important facets of other beats. I think he made the right decision to leave and concentrate on freelance work.

It be like asking me to cover nuclear physics. I could certainly try but it would pretty much suck.

I am concerned about those "old-timers" in the newsroom you appear to be being pushed out. It's not like other newspapers are doing the same thing and actively cutting staff or allowing them to wither by attrition. Where do you go? The Old Hacks Home?

chascham · 2 years ago

oops charles chamberlin is not eligible to take the offer

Wendy Norris · 2 years ago

thanks for the correction How are you feeling about not being eligible?

Crecente · 2 years ago

Well besides... I did cover the police beat for 12 years, six of which were at the Rocky. So, while I appreciate your mention of my gaming work, the inability to cover the cops beat had nothing to do with my decision.