Big, big changes at USA TODAY

Exactly. And all the whining in the world isn't going to change that. The sooner we all understand this, the more equipped we will be to deal with reality. That's why I haven't felt bad about leaving past jobs; I knew they would have dumped me in a heartbeat if it was convenient for them to do so.

 

Ditto, SF Express. I think local papers now live in fear of getting beat by ESPN, Fox Sports (Glazer), CBS Sports, yahoo, you name it.

 

And this is different from working for ... what? An airline? Hospital? Auto dealer?

 

It hurts more in a business where (a) if you're any good, experience really does matter, and (b) unless you win the lottery, the money tends to be short.

 

"We're one big family here."

 

Steve (like Vicki Michaelis) left voluntarily for a teaching job, though I can't say whether the goings-on at USA TODAY were a factor in his departure or not.

"Breaking news" is really hard to define when you get right down to it. Steve did a lot of original work in college sports. It was more likely to be along the lines of some NCAA reform item than a Texas player declaring for the draft. I'd argue what Steve was doing (the former) is more valuable. People are going to find out the latter anyway, and spending all your resources so you can have it 5 minutes before ESPN is ultimately a wild goose chase in many respects.

 

I tell people it's not like a family, because I can't fire any of my relatives.

 

I completely agree. I also don't think we should allow competing news organizations or sources to define the rules of play. It is just silly to credit "ESPN first reported" when it's a matter of whose query some sports agent or GM decided to answer five minutes faster. Big scoop, yes, credit them. Rumor or transactional material, no way.

 

Absolutely. I loved the part in the interview with Pedulla where an editor explained that they want "reporters who break stories every day."
Yeah.
I want a fucking pet unicorn. And editors/publishers who understand how to grow the product in 2012.
Of course, none of that stuff exists.

 

On my beat, I'd like to go with "NFL rightsholder ESPN, which pays many millions of dollars to the league, first reported ..." But that's an aside.

 

Morgan offers an explanation. More specialization, less generalization. Actually adding people. Not a salary dump.
This was picked up by LAObserved today:


http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2012/05/usa_today_sports_jobs_spe.php

 

I applied for one of the openings, we'll see if I get a response.