Columnist - Richmond Times-Dispatch

Not that I would ever think anything on 300 E. Franklin St. would be simple, but someone else asked what else they could have done, so I threw up a hypothetical.

 

Right place, right time, right connections. Is anyone really that unfamiliar with this?

Congrats to the kid for making the most of his opportunities. And as Moddy said, it's not like Richmond is in NOVA breaking news every day on the Skins beat. You don't have to be a seasoned vet to do what this kid will be asked to do. That said, not anyone could do it, either.

 

Okay, after all that I actually wish the young man well. He will be able to cut his teeth on a major beat without the pressure of having to break stories. Perhaps he will be fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to break a story or two and then use that as a springboard to something bigger and better. Trust me, I understand the Richmond situation well and understand they weren't going outside for the columnist spot. I was just playing devil's advocate. Glad we were eventually able to have some honest discussion, that's all I wanted.

 

Frankly, while I wish this young man well, I believe the fact it was apparently necessary to move an inexperienced part-timer to an NFL beat (even a watered-down one) rather than filling that spot with an experienced hand is just another indication of the decline of our business. I'm sure he's talented, but as I've said many times, experience is severely undervalued by newspapers in the current climate of cutbacks. Maybe this was the best hire under the circumstances, but the fact those circumstances made this the best hire possible makes me sad.

Sorry if that makes me a bad guy.

 

da man, and I'm sorry if this comes off as antagonistic because Michael is a friend of mine. But have you seen his resume? Do you know what he's covered, or what he's done?

I can't tell you he's covered an NFL beat for a 160K before. But I can tell you that the executive editor of that paper isn't going to put someone in that job he doesn't have every confidence in.

 

"I've been promoted up through the chain of command with greater speed and success than you have. Now if that's a source of tension or embarrassment for you, well, I don't give a shit." -- Col. Jessup.

 

I don't know jack about him, and I'm sure the EE sleeps well at night. Again, this is not meant to be a personal shot at young Mr. Phillips, whom I have never met nor read. I'm just saying the trend in this industry that has turned experience into a non-asset -- in many instances, even a liability -- is damned troubling. And this is an illustration of that, no matter how good the kid is. Not so much perhaps who was hired as the fact there seemed to be no other alternative the paper could (or was willing to) consider -- or, perhaps more appropriately, afford.

 

I will agree with the fact that the economy limited them in being able to look. But that fact doesn't make Michael any less talented or ready for this job.

I will put my professional reputation on the line. Michael will more than hold his own on that beat.

 

Once more, I'm not ripping the writer, merely lamenting the circumstances.

 

So you're just bitter.

 

Limited? They didn't look at all. Not at all. They didn't even advertise within the company. And this is the same paper that just advertised a columnist job NATIONALLY.

If a newspaper this size isn't going to look outside of its own part-timers for someone to handle a major beat, then no amount of ability or experience or networking is going to matter.

Disagree all you want, but a move like this has the potential to send a strong message to all those folks who may be just as talented and hardworking and even MORE ready for the job in question - like maybe someone with NFL experience who was just laid off - and it's a slap in the face.

NOTE: I removed the writer's name in your quote because this is in no way about him.

... And I think it's OK to have a legitimate conversation about the circumstances without being labeled "bitter" or "a bad guy."