This is the third blog covering the layoffs and newsroom changes at the Dallas Morning News. Why another one? Because whoever ran the past two decided not to do it anymore, and, to quote the site’s anonymous author:
If this cut is like the last ones there will be no other place where we can all exchange what we know or what we fear. Or where we will be able to find a list of those who will be leaving. Or where they can easily post a farewell.
Already there is an interesting post about editor Bob Mong’s notice in the paper that, in response to reader feedback, “we will assign specific teams to our communities—including reporters who specialize in schools, government and community affairs, and investigative reporting.” Which prompts this point:
That could mean a substantial redeployment of the Local news operation that will somehow happen in addition to the layoffs. Will this change of assignment affect how the layoffs will be done?
14 comments
Teams is plural for team. Communities is plural for community. Reporters is plural for reporter. The DMN “covers” many communities, and if each of these specialties of which Mr. Mong speaks are “covered” by a “team” then wouldn’t that mean that their are multiple “reporters” out there doing the job? Well, outside of Plano just what “communities” in the DMN coverage area are currently covered by “teams.” It will require “reporters” to cover “communities.” This is what happens when a major city has just one “newspaper.”
What a concept! Reporters who specialize in a specific area. I think, back in the day, that used to be called beat reporting.
this Chinese water torture of job cuts is killing me, man
i’m not wound very tight to begin with (or is it wound too tight??) either way i just wish someone over there had some balls and would just get it over with already
the suspense is killing, scratch that, HAS KILLED morale at the paper and is draining every last shred of patience out of those of us even tangential involved – 50% of my monthly household income is derived from Belo
just make the cuts already
business is business, man, if they’re worried about hurting people’s feelings, then they shouldn’t be in the supervisory position that they’re in in the first place
the suspense is simply awful and making me drink and smoke more than usual, which is twice as much as i should to begin with
420 yet?
Problem is, many of the people who are making the cuts should be cut themselves. Who cuts the cutters?
jrp: Tim and I had this discussion Friday. How quickly should cuts be made once management has decided on layoffs? Example: here. The first round in November, the staff was given two weeks’ notice. That was awful, and management learned from it. The next round, the decision was relayed to managers and took place within a few days. That was better. To wait months … man, I can’t even imagine.
self edit: -ly…tangentially
who cuts the cutters? now there’s one for the man on the top of the mountain who didn’t fall there
and i gotta say two weeks, while short, is OK
if the employee is expected to give two-weeks notice prior to leaving, or at least that’s protocol and simple common decency
than the employer should be given the same latitude
the real rub for me is that Elizabeth won’t let me buy the new truck i want to buy until the cuts are over and she either still has a job (and i get the ‘09 F150) or she doesn’t and i’m stuck with this: http://www.mentalfloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/brat.JPG
The Brat gets way better MPG than the F-150.
What this city really needs is a blog covering the blogs that cover journalists talking about other journalists. I mean, if we don’t have fourth or fifth level media-criticism analysis, are we really a city?
I recognize the irony of criticizing media criticism, Mr. Kurtz.
It’s like watching a not very bright heroin addict die from anorexia. Sad, but not surprising.
However, the DMN s a cheer leader and tailor for Emperor W; couldn’t happen to a nicer company.
The waiting is stressful and demoralizing, but it doesn’t even compare to the stress of not being able to find work, running out of money and losing everything.
I’ll take a couple more weeks of looming layoff stress – and another paycheck or two – thank you.
Triple Wildcat is right.
Many employees at many companies never get advance warning. If you’re about to be laid off, wouldn’t you want weeks and months of notice? You could prepare, re-evaluate the family budget, freshen up the resume.
If you are not laid off, you’re still getting a paycheck. So what does it matter that you had a low morale for two months.
@Wes
You seem to have a copy of the Christopher Guest script yet unwritten.
At the Providence Journal, where Belo-ordered layoffs have already happened, people were told they’d be given two weeks severance pay, starting from when they were notified. So people were notified and went home. (They had to come back to fill out some paperwork, but the jobs were over.)
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer stopped the presses today. How long before the DMN’s own front page headline reads “Thanks For The Memories…”