News & Record (Greensboro) cuts 9 jobs - 6 in newsroom

News & Record of Greensboro lays off 9, including 6 in the newsroom

Bad news just keeps on coming.

 

According to another source, two people have left the Journal sports department
recently with no job lined up because of what they called a “toxic environment.”

 

One of those who left had been there 27 years.

 

The entire newspaper business has become a toxic environment.

 

I wonder how long it will be before the Windton-Salem and Greensboro papers will be merged.

 

The six let go were some of the most experienced in the newsroom. The layoffs there had already demoralized the staff, but this one feels like it's cutting to the bone.

 

I had actually thought Warren Buffett would be good for the newspaper business. I was wrong.

 

The "toxic environment" thing is interesting. It must really be bad there if people are quitting over toxic environment. I wonder if they can sue over the problems they are having. Hope so.
It's strange that pretty much anybody who has worked at a newspaper for more than five years realizes the end (of newspapers) truly is coming, full speed ahead. It's strange to be working at a place on its last legs. Everybody knows the end is coming. What is the toxic problem in Greensboro? Please tell us.

-- It does amaze me the quality work being put out there by people on their last legs in this wretched business. It's like if Journalism is in your blood you can't help but do the best of your ability even in the midst of some of the worst treatment (by management types to college graduates: frozen salaries, furloughs, escalating health care costs beyond belief, unpaid overtime) in history. Salute to you reporters, especially the veterans who keep on keeping on full of pride in your own work!

 

... and copy editors, and designers, and photographers, and news assistants, and press workers, and ...

 

The "toxic problem" is in Winston-Salem, not Greensboro (yet) ... from what I've been told by friends at the Journal, the problem is the editor they brought (from a paper a third the size of the Journal) in about a year ago ... he has been micro-managing the newsroom, especially (for some strange reason) the sports department ... since coming on, he's managed to run off one sports editor (Phil Hrichak, who many people on this board know) ... his replacement (can't remember her name) has done nothing to gain any respect from the sports staff (or anyone else in the newsroom) ... now it's cost them their assistant sports editor (who I understand was the one actually running the day to day operations) and Tommy Bowman (the 27-year veteran who was their Appalachian State and local motorsports beat guy) ... the people who are left have the feeling neither person will be replaced, although the Journal's management have made noises (and put out statements after Bowman's departure became widely known to the App State alumni, of which there are many in the Journal's area) that it would not affect the paper's coverage ...

 

Thank you for the explaination and yes, Riptide, I should have included those jobs as well. Kudos to all who have maintained pride in their work in the face of no pay raises, furloughs, layoffs of friends, intimidation from meddling managers. Many people can't quit because newspaper work is in their blood. Kudos to them for working hard in impossible work environments.

 

Pretty much nails it. My understanding is that the new SE was employed as a substitute teacher for almost a year (after being let go from her job as a copy editor at a paper in Virginia) when she got the job over the ASE (and another candidate). ASE had had also worked 16-hour days since November (when Phil left after 36 years as part of the sports staff), seven days a week, to ensure the quality of the section remained. Major slap in the face to the ASE that he didn't get the job (and apparently wasn't seriously considered), plus has been doing the lion's share of planning the section on a daily basis once the new editor came onboard.

My understanding is that there is also a part-time employee who has had a lot of responsibilities an SE should have during the transition (the new SE came aboard in March).
Tommy Bowman's departure was definitely a shock to the newsroom and the community. In addition to his App. St. beat, he owned the local racing beat (Bowman Gray) and was a fixture in that community, always very popular with the readership during the spring and summer.