More from San Jose - UPDATED

[Moderator1]

I can't find the original thread but some out there found this e-mail exchange interesting.
What's the dude from Animal House? ALL IS WELL!

-----Original Message-----
From: Butler, Dave
Sent: Wed 2/27/2008 10:57 PM
To: Petersen, Deborah; &EDIT ALL
Subject: Re: Brown Bag Postponed

Deb, you're correct to postpone but dammit, I mean darn it, we're gonna get thru this tough period and move on. We will!

We are gonna lose some fine colleagues thru no fault of their own. We must cut some jobs. I'm both proud of and sad about some managers who have come forward and will be leaving us. For the most part we are the lesser because of this and I tip my hat to them and others.


None of the staffers deserve to lose their job and yet we can't afford to keep everyone. But we all can promise to do our very best to make the best of what we have, to serve our readers even better and to goose along and help our ad folks. If we do that well we can keep more people and - I hope - even get some back. So for me it's never give up. Never guve up. Never give up!
-Dave
--------------------------
Sent using BlackBerry


----- Original Message -----
From: Petersen, Deborah
To: &EDIT ALL
Sent: Wed Feb 27 19:34:48 2008
Subject: Brown Bag Postponed

Everyone:
As many of us are distracted by all that is happening around us, and saying goodbye to valued colleagues, I have decided to postpone the March 5 Brown Bag. The presenters are looking forward to rescheduling the brown bag, and the others we are planning.
Hang in there.
Deb

Deborah Petersen
Enterprise Editor,

San Jose Mercury News
750 Ridder Park Drive
San Jose, CA 95190

 

[OnTheRiver]

Re: More from San Jose

-----Original Message-----
From: Butler, Dave
Sent: Wed 2/27/2008 10:57 PM
To: Petersen, Deborah; &EDIT ALL
Subject: Re: Brown Bag Postponed

But we all can promise to do our very best to make the best of what we have, to serve our readers even better

Hey, Dave: Repeat after me. You cannot serve readers better by cutting a newsroom in half.

Doesn't work.

No trabaja.

Il ne travaille pas.

Es arbeitet nicht.

And so on and so forth.

Jesus. The entire approach to American print journalism has become shoving fngers in one's ears and screaming aloud, "DO MORE WITH LESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

[BigSleeper]

Re: More from San Jose

Jesus. The entire approach to American print journalism has become shoving fngers in one's ears and screaming aloud, "DO MORE WITH LESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Actually, it's "Do more with nothing."

 

[MMatt60]

Re: More from San Jose

Yeah, it would be awkward to do the "brown bag" and then find out the enterprise editor was 86ed.

 

[Moderator1]

Re: More from San Jose

Well, on the bright side, bringing enough to share costs you one heck of a lot less.

Word I hear now is two major Florida papers cut a combined 100 or so folks in non-newsroom positions. Working on confirmation (though I'll bet it is quite solid) before I name. If anyone knows for sure, please post.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Re: More from San Jose

Aside from the obvious, two more things bother me.

You have the top editor of a major metro using "thru" in an e-mail to the newsroom.

What is this shirt about helping the ad staff? Now I am not someone who views the advertising department as the enemy, my dad was one of them. But Butler should at least have a pretense of separation of church and state. And how do you think the ad salesmen are going to like Butler's notion that the newsroom needs to "goose" them? Can you imagine the outrage that would ensue in the newsroom if the ad director suggested to his people that they needed to "goose" the newsroom?

 

[derwood]

Re: More from San Jose

What is this shirt about helping the ad staff?

Good question.

 

[dixiehack]

Re: More from San Jose

And how do you think the ad salesmen are going to like Butler's notion that the newsroom needs to "goose" them?

Maybe that's how they roll. Who are we to judge their lifestyles?

 

[Mateo]

Re: More from San Jose

You still think this is about serving the readers?

 

[Jim Rockford]

Re: More from San Jose

Not in California, anyway.

 

[Rex Harrison]

Re: More from San Jose

forking heck. I wonder how high the body count will go by day's end.

 

[ballscribe]

Re: More from San Jose

I'd go and sell ads myself if my job was on the block.