gannett plans to layoff 3,000 by december.

JD, take it from me, editors don't care anymore. The editors whom still have jobs are only happy to be pulling down a steady paycheck and they do their 8-9 hours a day and haul ass. They don't care about quality (and frankly, neither does Gannett). Remember, this is the company which has the heads of their newspaper and broadcast divisions actually use the mantra "Better done than good" in their training sessions.

The ones that still care were smart enough to get out while they could. They're now working PR for more pay, less work and less stress. Sure they don't get the same satisfaction and adrenaline rush, but at the end of the day it's a job now. It's no longer a career.

 

That is the saddest post I have ever read.

Sad because it is so true.

Sad because it hits so close to home.

Sad because that is where this industry is at and where it is headed.

Sad because those of us who loved our jobs three or four years ago are now trying to figure out what the hell we are going to do to get to the finish line (retirement) which is still 20+ years away.

 

Especially those of us whose retirements have been frozen.

 

There's going to be something really ugly happen in this industry, and it's going to be based in anger, retaliatory anger. I just hope for the sake of good people and their families that it's a healthy anger.

 

That's what they clearly wanna do so I just wish they'd do it. I do agree it'll be funny to laugh at. I agree editors don't care, but there will be headaches keeping these citizen journalists in order. I mean it'll be the same as the poor circulation managers who have to deliver papers themselves when the underpaid kids call in sick. I mean the editors may not care, but they'll still have headaches. These 8 buck an hour or volunteer writers aren't going to take much guff. When it's not "fun" as they were promised they'll quit.

 

Question from an $8 an hour guffers:

"Sir, what is libel?"

 

Exactly. And the editors won't have top quality people hanging around the office to make sure the citizen journalists don't post lies, libel, plagerism on the Web.

 

I am just glad I got out of the business when I did.

Oh, wait. I am still trying ...

 

Hell, it made me laugh, too.

Actually, we did it because it was a newspaper the kids would read. Loved that purple Life section.

 

So is that a quote from somewhere or your prediction?

 

There are plenty of editors who still care at some of Gannett's bigger products! Also, dealing with citizen journalists is going to be a huge headache if dealing with freelancers, who are supposed to at least have done SOME training in journalism, is any indication. Not sure how Gannett is going to handle that. We finally got them to put a note at the bottom of the reader comments that says "Comments are not edited for content in anyway and are printed exactly as posted," so we wouldn't be to blame for the poor grammar, syntax, spelling and abominable commentary on there.

 

Just look at the web site in question and the La. paper's web site. You can see it heading that way.