DFM bloodletting continues

I would actually sort of respect this, but I doubt that's the case.

 

Wow. Just wow. Speaking of ballsy.

Editorial: As vultures circle, The Denver Post must be saved

 

Fredrick as you may know hates all suits. But I will give the Post a lot of credit for this editorial!!!! Congratulations. They ATTACKED the bastards who do not care one iota about Denver or the newspaper only about purchasing boats and houses and cars for the higher-ups. I would guess the hedge funders will get rid of the editorial board immediately or find a way to cut their salaries by making life miserable on them. Again, to the suits at the Post: congratulations for speaking up. You really have nothing to lose. I despise the news organizations where the mid level suits are afraid to say anything to the upper management types in defense of their staffs. You know who you are: scared to death in your offices not backing your reporters who work 70 and get paid 40. I LOVE THE DENVER POST! Best wishes to you all after this courageous editorial.

 

I genuinely believe Lee Ann Colacioppo wants the best for that newspaper and its readers. I wish she and her remaining staff had ownership that backed her. It probably would take only (ha) $50 million to pry that property loose from Alden. There are people in Colorado who could find that in their couch cushions.

 

The problem isn’t finding someone to buy the paper.

The problem is finding someone to buy the paper and invest in its journalism.

The Washington Post is a national website, that model can’t be recreated many (if any) places. Why pay $10/month or whatever to read a local paper that’s running the Post’s stories on D.C. when I can go to the Post website to get it?

 

OK I sincerely am wondering who is to blame for this. It's very easy to blame the designer but don't think there is singular blame here. How is content produced at the Denver Post? At my gig, the reporter puts all of the photos into the package, so some blame would fall on them IMO. I always want to have an idea what my story is going to look like online and in print. Second, editors if there are any, deserve some blame for obvious reasons. Then the page finisher and the designer as well. That is an egregious error. Much different than a misspelling or a bad headline. Your home ballpark and you likely have this story planned weeks in advance and you F it up and don't have the proper photo etc. in the file. Ouch.

 

Santa Cruz Sentinel reprinted Post's editorial across the bottom of its editorial page today. Also a member of that happy DFM family.

 

But they are adapting. They found a new model years ago, one that turns profits every month. The problem now is those profits are being diverted to Alden’s bad bets, and so even those terrible cuts weren’t enough and Alden keeps forcing more.

That’s something different entirely from the normal state-of-the-industry argument.

 

Who's to blame? Those at the very top of the chain. No bodies; overworked bodies; lowly paid bodies; those not appreciated make mistakes.

 

On a daily story no doubt, but a story that was likely in the works for weeks. The reporter, copy editors (if any), page designers, etc. should all have looked at. How does the Philly ballpark pic get in the story? Did a reporter or photographer drop it in? Someone go in and grab that photo by mistake off the wire? Even then would think have time to say wtf since packages such as this are typically planned well in advance.

 

Not that it makes it any better, but it was a photo from when the Rockies and Phillies played in the postseason in 2007, I believe. You look at the scoreboard and it's a Rockies player on it. So they had it in some sort of Rockies file and just took it and didn't think twice. Obviously not nearly the eye balls on it as there should be and certainly were at one time, but even if there were only two people in the newsroom you can't make a mistake like that.