When a door closes, an abyss opens

J Kaufman · **Posted:** Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:43 am

Former Paper Editor: Journalism Skills Valued Outside Newsrooms

Quote:

By Ellen Foley

The reporter sitting next to me got the news at a meeting: She had been laid off.

She slammed shut her empty file drawer. She quickly said goodbye. The bad economy ushered another one of journalism's finest out the door.

Thousands of us have witnessed or experienced the same story in the past two years. This one, though, took place in 1982 at the newly merged Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Several other colleagues left the Star Tribune that month. All of our lives and careers changed. But they weren't over.

More than 25 years of watching the ups and downs of the news business has given me, a former reporter and editor, the long view. I was one of the lucky ones who kept her job during the 1980s downturn. Over the next two decades, my ability to relocate and reimagine my job helped me find new, more promising jobs during every recession that followed.

Today I console my job-hunting friends: If you were recently laid off or are worried that you will be the next to slam shut that empty drawer, I want you to know that your next job is just around the corner. And the very skills that got you into a newsroom are going to help you thrive outside of it.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Wed Apr 01, 2009 9:17 am

Unfortunately, there are a number of us who don't want to work anywhere but newsrooms. I've got to believe that there will always be newsrooms of some kind, and if there are, we're ready.

copynomad · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:07 am **Posts:** 623

I can imagine finding job satisfaction elsewhere, but it's hard to beat working in news. Yesterday, I had to tell someone what I do for a living. He said: "That sounds like it'd be a lot of fun." My reply: "Heck, yeah."

cobra_kai · **Posted:** Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:04 pm

I got bought out and left the newsroom (hopefully for good) about a month ago, and I haven't been happier in years.

copynomad · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:07 am **Posts:** 623

cobra_kai, sounds like you made a move that's good for you. Cheers to that. Well wishes on finding something that suits better.

majorbabs · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:19 am

And how do those with experience (read: older journalists) manage against the young 'uns coming in? Do newspapers still pay for experience?

jjmoney62 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:29 am

I suspect the pay scale has been zeroed. The young'uns have the advantage, and the experienced journalists are going to have to decide whether they want to work for half the salary they're used to. (A third?)

The benefit could be: It's a chance to start over without the shackles of the former business model.

We're getting reports in recent days about how expensive journalism can be ($40K to produce a NYT Mag cover story; $850K for the Miami Herald to audit the 2000 Fla. vote count), which smacks of corporate media spin. That's certainly a valid concern, but it doesn't have to be that expensive. Folks need to be more resourceful and close to the bone.

It might not be possible to do journalism on a shoestring, but it's still worth trying.

copynomad · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:07 am **Posts:** 623

majorbabs wrote:

And how do those with experience (read: older journalists) manage against the young 'uns coming in? Do newspapers still pay for experience?

Inevitably, there's downward pressure on wages when there are fewer good jobs and more competition. But my experience is, there's still room to negotiate pay, benefits and such. Probably varies a lot, depending on the company, the job, your experience and how mobile you are, which gives you more options (so more leverage to negotiate).

I don't see myself competing against young 'uns. If the pay is low, I'm not interested. I'm competing against experienced people for fewer good jobs. Experienced people tend to be less willing to move, though, partly because you could uproot your family and still end up getting laid off.

B Cubbison · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:48 pm

Copy editors might have to start their own newsrooms. Are there any who are entrepreneurial enough to pull together the means of production? Would The Edited News prove its value?

Powderhorn · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:11 pm

B Cubbison wrote:

Copy editors might have to start their own newsrooms. Are there any who are entrepreneurial enough to pull together the means of production? Would The Edited News prove its value?

Nobody but copy editors in the whole shop? I'd call it The Endlessly Nitpicked News. Due respect, of course.

copynomad · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:07 am **Posts:** 623

B Cubbison wrote:

Copy editors might have to start their own newsrooms. Are there any who are entrepreneurial enough to pull together the means of production? Would The Edited News prove its value?

I consider myself a small business. Whichever companies I work for, I consider my clients. I keep re-evaluating the marketplace, and keep investing and adjusting my inventory by learning new skills. I always look for ways to widen my potential client base and increase my revenue stream. I never rely on employers to look out for me; it's my job to keep my business viable. I keep things simple by employing only me -- someone who is easy to manage.

trimtofit · **Posted:** Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:03 pm

I tried working for myself once, but I couldn't stand the boss.

copynomad · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:07 am **Posts:** 623

trimtofit wrote:

I tried working for myself once, but I couldn't stand the boss.

I'd quit, but I need the eggs (a la "Annie Hall").

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:35 pm

copynomad wrote:

I consider myself a small business.

I consider myself to be many things, but "small business" is not one of them.

copynomad · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:07 am **Posts:** 623

Phillip Blanchard wrote:

copynomad wrote:

I consider myself a small business.

I consider myself to be many things, but "small business" is not one of them.

Yup, everyone's got his own approach. Mine has been to keep multiplying my options. I was treated very well at the start of my career. I looked around and saw that many weren't, and I saw how few options they had in mid- to late career. I figured out that you might be treated well one day and then not, and others would decide. I picked another route. It's worked well for me, given me opportunities I never even knew to pursue. But if I come across an approach that works better, I'm open to it.

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