As noted yesterday, the newsroom at the DMN finds out which writers and editors are being let go. According to the comments on this post at the DMN Cuts blog, the process started early this morning as employees are being called to HR.
92 comments
My thoughts are with all of my former colleagues at the DMN this morning. Best of luck to all of you.
@ 10:22 am on April 7, 2009
Being let go is better than holding on by your fingernails to a losing business ompany. It will go out of business like all the other metro papers around the U.S.
@ 11:02 am on April 7, 2009
The “c” is usually the first piece that crumbles from the losing business ompany. Or maybe that should be “rumbles.”
@ 11:14 am on April 7, 2009
Real constructive comment there, The Sinking Ship.
And what about these people who have bills to pay, families to feed and put through college, etc.?
They should just let go, right? Just find another way to make a living. That’s easy, right?
Come on. Show a little sympathy.
@ 11:14 am on April 7, 2009
it ain’t easy, rayrayray, but it’s neither impossible nor unheard of
too often people define themselves by the job they have, the position they hold, the salary they bring home
it’s foolish to define yourself that way and i have little sympathy for those that do
as someone who been fired once or twice or…i also have little sympathy for people that think their life ends the moment they get called into the meeting with the Bobs
it’s called adulthood
deal
and as someone who’s wife works at the DMN, i’m glad this day has finally come and we can move on from here with or without her job
@ 11:21 am on April 7, 2009
TOM: Sorry for leaving that “C” Off
RAYRAYRAY: The comment is about facing reality.
Kind of like people peeing in their pants over Obama as we is robbing you of your money. Time to face the facts and make a “change”.
cbs: “commrades” as only one “M”
@ 11:24 am on April 7, 2009
I agree that a person’s job doesn’t define him or her.
But people should change careers and lose their salaries on their own terms.
@ 11:24 am on April 7, 2009
At the risk of sounding flip, RayRay, it is sometimes better to know than to not know. Your S.O. is cheating, your legal case has been adjudicated with a less-than-hoped-for outcome, your child does indeed have a learning disability, your unmistakably tenuous job is no more.
That doesn’t mean I’d wish any of these things (never mind their varying degrees) on anyone. Best of luck to the DMN staff who have bills to pay and were not exactly wealthy or even upper-middle-class to begin with. It bites hard. But at least they’re no longer “nervous in the service.” They know.
@ 11:28 am on April 7, 2009
The Sinking Ship:
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that your post in correcting the misspelled word by cbs has several grammatical problems of its own…
@ 11:30 am on April 7, 2009
Is flip an accepted shorthand for flippant?
@ 11:31 am on April 7, 2009
public – I think he’s allowed to be philosophical about it, after all, the RIF is going to affect his household regardless. After today, his wife will either be unemployed or working much more than she did before.
@ 11:33 am on April 7, 2009
Daniel:
You’re right that the biggest relief comes from knowing the truth — no matter on which side of the chopping block you fall.
The people who are let go will find new outlets for their talents, and those who stay still have jobs but will have to do more with less.
Nobody wins, really.
@ 11:34 am on April 7, 2009
Bethany, He’s not being philosophical. He’s being a jerk. You think people need to be told “it’s adulthood. Deal.”? Please — his comments are too shallow to be called “film.”
@ 11:35 am on April 7, 2009
RAYRAYRAY:
Yeah, My Fonts are changing after I submit.
@ 11:37 am on April 7, 2009
But it’s true, public. As an adult, and doubly as someone who has ample access to the front page economic headlines, you should be able to read the writing on the wall.
I will always consider myself to be a journalist, but tying my identity to being a reporter for the Dallas Morning News would be a foolhardy thing to do.
There comes a point where you have to realize that the journalism world you dreamed of inhabiting in J-school has changed completely. And unless you were Rip Van Winkle, you’ve seen this coming, and have been making some sort of Plan B that doesn’t involve being a reporter at the DMN.
@ 11:39 am on April 7, 2009
The business has been changing and the writing has been on the wall for decades now during which many other industries went through transformations and declines that were easy enough to see and report on. Plenty of time to rock the boat enough for management to take notice and make changes, unless your main goal was to not rock the boat, to just collect your check while congratulating yourself on the unique nobility of your profession, all the while noticing day after day that fewer and fewer people were buying what you made. Sorry for the bumpy landing for those who thought they were immune, but that’s what getting rudely thrown off what has finally been in the end just middle class welfare ends up feeling like. Again, sorry you’re hurting, but plenty of us learned these lessons or dodged them 10, 15, 20 years ago and none of us were journalists.
@ 11:41 am on April 7, 2009
I am so sad to report that my friend and extremely talented style writer, David Ninh has been let go. I know there is someone out there who wants/needs this dedicated and fashionable fellow on their staff.
@ 11:48 am on April 7, 2009
Bethany,
No one is arguing the truth of the state of modern journalism. I’m just saying the guy’s comments were those of a jerk. There is no other argument. So don’t try to devolve into one.
@ 11:54 am on April 7, 2009
Public is right. We all agree that this is a new era for journalism. Nobody can argue that. But the manner in which that information was presented was very condescending.
Oh, and Donnie: Congratulations that you knew 20 years ago what journalism would be like today. With that knowledge, my guess is that you’re a multimillionaire at this point.
For the rest of us in journalism, offering ideas about how a publication could be improved isn’t as easy as it sounds. And in newspaper journalism, with its never-ending daily deadlines, it’s even tougher.
@ 12:02 pm on April 7, 2009
What we won’t see today:
“Mr. Decherd, please report to the HR conference room. Bring your access card.”
@ 12:08 pm on April 7, 2009
I think Bethany might be reintroducing herself to the FB nation. For the last 3 or so months she has been a stranger here. It really bothers me how some of you folks are always lashing out at her. Stop it! It reeks of sour grapes. There are very few female commenters here, and when one of them is exceptional—like our Bethany—then the male nasties feel a need to stomp on her. So quit it!
@ 12:39 pm on April 7, 2009
I think it’s interesting that among all of us who were let go in the newsroom today, NONE were editors. If the idea is to save money, why let some of the most productive, lowest paid employees go and keep non-producing, high-paid staffers?
@ 12:45 pm on April 7, 2009
I think anyone who takes any pleasure taking potshots at people losing their jobs…whoever, wherever…undermine any credibility they might otherwise muster. Simple.
Per job loss——-We can talk philosophically about the ‘bright side’ or the ‘karmic payback’ all one wishes. But the truth is; anyone losing their job is very vulnerable and scared and threatened and awash with feelings of resentment and betrayal. And I might add loneliness. I wouldn’t wish it on anything short of my worst enemy. And even then, probably not. Certainly not now.
Meanwhile, per Bethany and those like her: Droll without being nasty. Clever without being mean. Biting but never predatory. It’s a time-honored recipe for a smart and potent ****tail called ‘class on the rocks’. I’ll drink to that……..
@ 1:04 pm on April 7, 2009
finally i can take off my pants and jacket.
@ 1:22 pm on April 7, 2009
I know David Ninh as both a friend and an extremely talented fashion writer and this sucks for him and Dallas. I guess they will put you on their billboards one minute then hand you a pink slip the next.
@ 1:24 pm on April 7, 2009
All the names of those laid off I have heard so far (except one) have been women or minorities. What does that say about the the state of the DMN and who it covers?
@ 1:35 pm on April 7, 2009
Media Watchdog
You are posting that on a site that thinks a minority is a Methodist.
@ 1:44 pm on April 7, 2009
Media Watchdog: Then you are missing a lot of names.
@ 1:46 pm on April 7, 2009
I lost my job at the News today. I want to add that I and my colleagues are well aware that newspapers are in trouble and that our time might be short but it is very difficult to simply leave a job with benefits when you have dependents and/or a mortgage.
I never felt I was immune but am dismayed that many who are far less productive and make higher salaries are cruising the internet at their desks or enjoying a two-hour lunch while I wonder how to feed my kids in the coming months. I am not surpised by being terminated but feel stung that I worked so hard to stay at a place that clearly did not value what I did.
@ 1:49 pm on April 7, 2009
Eventually, the DMN will have to start laying off people who don’t work for the DMN
@ 1:58 pm on April 7, 2009
well, while i’ve certainly been called worse, i’ve never been dubbed the smartest guy in the room. tallest usually, best looking sometimes, but never smartest nor have i ever felt that way
speaking my mind often makes people view me as self-righteous…so be it
i just have little patience for people that call themselves adults and can’t deal with all that life brings
i welcome and enjoy change
i love having my world turned upside down, makes me feel alive, invigorates me
i deplore the mundane, the trite, and can’t suffer fools or cry babies that expect to be able to be able to do everything “on their own terms”
that seems childish and immature to me
and i’ve never kicked a puppy but cats on the other hand…
@ 2:04 pm on April 7, 2009
and read the comments on that link from the people that left or were let go from the DMN over the past few years
each one of them says it was not as bad as they thought, sure maybe they’re toiling for less pay/benefits etc., but they each mention on how it wasn’t as hard as they’d envisioned
and, i guess, that’s my original point: it’ll all be OK
@ 2:12 pm on April 7, 2009
jrp,
I’m a 10/27er and I think your comments were arrogant and pretty much ignored the deep damage done to the hearts of good people.
So, I don’t care how tall you are, you probably still think you’re the smartest, wisest guy in the room — oh, praise God, an original thinker….. I am assuming you once worked for Enron.
@ 2:26 pm on April 7, 2009
Oy. Do you get that is WIFE WORKS AT THE DMN? I doubt seriously he’s ignoring anything.
@ 2:28 pm on April 7, 2009
No, jrp, your original point was, and I’m paraphrasing here: “it’ll all be OK, so quit whining like a bunch of babies and deal with it. I have no sympathy for you if you’re upset about this at all.”
“It’ll all be OK” is consoling. “It’s called adulthood. Deal.” is condescending.
@ 2:29 pm on April 7, 2009
yeah, don’t know/care what that means, but i’m not gonna fight ya, dude
you win
you’re the smartest, wisest, wittiest guy on this blog
@ 2:30 pm on April 7, 2009
And you, sir, are not.
@ 2:36 pm on April 7, 2009
First of all, my sincerest sympathies to those let go today. I put in my (over) 20 years at DMN, so I definitely know how you’re feeling. It’s an emotionally tough situation, but be sure to get the necessities done (unemployment, COBRA) as soon as possible. If nothing else, it’ll keep you occupied with tasks.
Do not feel as though your work was not valued or appreciated by your employers. In the end, it’s what your readers thought, not the high-up brass that probably just barely knew your names. I continue to read the paper, and know it will suffer from your absences.
Someone needs to throw a potluck BBQ for former DMN folks. I doubt many even got a chance to say goodbye to their longtime comrades. Best of luck to all, and take a couple of days off to simply enjoy this beautiful weather.
@ 2:45 pm on April 7, 2009
@News Junkie: I also have knowledge of what you are describing. Those who remain may discover they can’t just go to meetings anymore because there’s no one to create and edit the content. The good news is there are employers out there who will value you and your work. It takes some digging, but you’ll find one.
@ 2:47 pm on April 7, 2009
jrp,
The difference between the present situation and past reductions of staff is the industry as a whole is overwhelmed with journalists. Even during the last round of cuts, the options were greater than now. Not only are the options fewer, but the number seeking employment is greater.
While we all hope and expect that these journalists will find other lines of work, we don’t need to read about your own issues regarding height, intelligence, etc. Let’s save those weighty issues for another posting.
@ 2:52 pm on April 7, 2009
Bethany
Do you mean that HIS wife or is wife?
You must mean is, as you never make typographical mistakes from your years at the Dallas Morning News and your ability to argue the color of the sky.
@ 3:29 pm on April 7, 2009
Pardon me. My incredulity and rush to express it precluded a quick copy check to make sure I pressed the “h” key down sufficiently.
@ 3:34 pm on April 7, 2009
Who are all the white, middle-aged men laid off by the DMN today? I don’t know of one. I did hear about some younger white guys laid off, but no managers. Women and minorities.
@ 3:44 pm on April 7, 2009
rayrayray, if that’s your real name, unlike you and Mr. Nusiance, i welcome jeers and taunts, as i’m a man, i’m almost 40…
and adults use adult language sometimes, especially when they feel someone has wronged or insulted them
and if you must know, i’ll be happy to remain anonymous no longer:
Jason R. Philyaw
624 Coombs Creek Dr.
Dallas, TX 75211
come on down, we’ll share a beer and i’ll explain why fighting for proper punctuation and grammar on Internet message boards is a lost cause
i gotta go, it’s almost 4:20, and i need to get home and make a great dinner for my wife who’s employer cut dozens of jobs today
@ 3:55 pm on April 7, 2009
This blog is an ugly place. Soon, it’ll be just Ray Squared and GMAFB…good job guys.
@ 3:59 pm on April 7, 2009
husband of Elizabeth L. Souder-Philyaw
i love google
@ 4:02 pm on April 7, 2009
Media Watchdog: I know of four middle-aged white men, though none are managers. Most of the males being laid off are younger, under-30 types it would seem.
However, there were a significant number of women in all non-management newsroom positions in my 10+ years at the DMN. I always thought we had a high percentage of women on the front lines in the newsroom, except in Sports.
It’s possible that the percentage of those laid off today would be similar. I wouldn’t assume or accuse until the final names and numbers are tallied. Then, if the totals are out of balance, by all means, call out Belo management. And good luck with that.
@ 4:03 pm on April 7, 2009
That’s Ray cubed now. Thanks to Wick.
But someone has to call people like jrp out, right? I’m not the most-eloquent or most-intelligent person to do that, but at least I’m doing it.
@ 4:06 pm on April 7, 2009
Yes, Ray to the 3rd. You’re doing the righteous work of Jeebus now, thank Bob.
@ 4:15 pm on April 7, 2009
Thank you, Bethany. I guess we just all have our calling. Mine is blindly defending the DMN even when it’s beyond reason. Yours is blogging about “American Idol.”
@ 4:19 pm on April 7, 2009
Why, thank you pookie. The other stuff I blog about may have really big words. Sorry.
@ 4:28 pm on April 7, 2009
El Mystico: I used to work at the Morning News and it NEVER had a significant number of women. Sorry to tell you–the newsroom has always been white male-dominated. Management, especially, has been male-dominated and white dominated.
@ 4:29 pm on April 7, 2009
Media Watchdog: You may believe that, but I respectfully disagree. I worked in several departments at the DMN, as did my spouse. IMO as well as hers, features and the news desk/copy desk, in particular, had strong female representation, including some managers. (And I’m not talking just 10 or 15% as strong.) Business and metro were less so but still closer to 50-50, and when I left a year or so ago, editorial seemed to be improving. Sports will probably never see the light; every woman seemed to get run off.
Maybe our opinions of “significant number of women” are very different. But compared with other newsrooms I have worked in, both in Texas and elsewhere, things were not all that inequitable ON THE FRONT LINES.
But I agree completely that mid- and upper management are white male-dominated.
@ 4:48 pm on April 7, 2009
Well, most of the layoffs I heard about were in Metro and all except one were women or minorities. (The other was a young, white male who shoots video and writes stories–don’t understand that one.) That’s in the section that is supposed to represent the heart of the community. My point is, what does that say about who the DMN cares about representing?
@ 4:52 pm on April 7, 2009
@jrp: I wonder: Do you have children, especially children in college? An ailing parent? A big mortgage? A chronically ill spouse? Would you bark “Deal with it” at people in those shoes who just got pink-slipped? This is a moment for a little empathy, not your brand of realism or whatever you want to call it. Life is the self-corrective for tough posturing. I only hope that someday you’ve grown enough to look back on this and be mortified.
@ 5:15 pm on April 7, 2009
Triple-Ray, does that include defending the News from the Observer?
And, not exactly on JPR’s line, but…
Do any of you want to try being at a suburban weekly? Thought not.
Media Watchdog:
“At least 8″ out of 200? Personal anecdotes aside, no viable claims can be made until the names of all 200 are in, their ethnic backgrounds are parsed, and that ratio is compared to the pre-layoff ratio.
@ 7:22 pm on April 7, 2009
These numbers from the American Society of Newspaper Editors annual newsroom census for 2008 shows they were not doing well in the diversity area to start with: 4.6 percent Asian American; 5.1 percent Black; 5.4 percent Hispanic; 0.2 percent Native American; 15.3 percent total minority.
In contrast, according to the Census, the population of Dallas is 25 percent black, 35 percent Hispanic, 36 percent Hispanic, 2.7 percent Asian and 0.5 percent American Indian.
@ 7:32 pm on April 7, 2009
That’s 36 percent Hispanic, scratch the 35 percent.
@ 7:33 pm on April 7, 2009
jrp,
Probably don’t need to suggest that you should be kinder to your wife than your correspondence indicates that you will be.
And I’m just someone who has been in this layoff thing from a newspaper before — when the “we’re saving ourselves” management team tells you that it no longer needs your heart involved in the sacred mission of journalism, it hurts like a calf-kick to the cods at a buckout in Balch Springs. Both of you are having a bad day but you don’t know it yet. Try not to be to her like you were to the people who read this blog. She doesn’t deserve such condescension and arrogance.
@ 7:44 pm on April 7, 2009
Wow Ray2, you are a super star! You get comments! You practically carry this blog! What would we do without you? Thank heavens you came along. You’re the best-est blogger that blogs ever had. You’re so witty and talented, I can only imagine what comes next.
@ 7:50 pm on April 7, 2009
FrontBurner’s been lowjacked.
@ 10:13 pm on April 7, 2009
MW… agree that media is not the most diverse workforce. (Whose “fault” that is, is one or more other questions.)
But, I’m talking about minority pct. of RIFs vs. minority pct. of DMN workforce, NOT city of Dallas population. Only if the RIF pct is higher (and in a statistically significant way) can you talk about “targeting” minorities.
Please, a bit of statistical literacy.
@ 10:50 pm on April 7, 2009
Consider nursing school. Even for guys – you can work in ER or surgery if you’re threatened by a lack of testosterone. Good money with lots of overtime possibilities. Rewarding. Time to write what you want.
@ 10:57 pm on April 7, 2009
You people are silly and trivial. This thread reads like a transcript from a H.S. debate club. And the moral superiority is nauseating.
@ 11:07 pm on April 7, 2009
Oh, lowjacked. I see what you did there.
And I am against anonymity. While I won’t put my address on here, I will tell you my name, if that’s what you want: I’m Ray Cavazos.
And while my comments are pretty trivial, they look even worse when subjected to the selective editing done by Wick and his cronies. By that I mean Wick and Pals randomly choose comments to delete and leave behind a wake of hard-to-follow banter. People responding to ghosts. Comments that refer to long-gone previous comments. That type of thing. Way to go, Wick!
@ 11:43 pm on April 7, 2009
Because all middle-aged white men are racist and obviously can’t fairly report on a beat that includes anything but, is that the point?
@ 12:00 am on April 8, 2009
JRP: I am glad I am not married to you. Embracing change might be invigorating but loosing a cherished career that means something after many years is devastating. Glad you are made of such stern stuff that lecturing the unemployed gives you some thrills. Perhaps you could spend your time gleaning the obits and phoning up grieving survivors and tell them to get on with the business of life.
@ 8:23 am on April 8, 2009
i ask you all come out to Lee Harvey’s next Thursday, April 16, 2009, for happy hour 5-7 p.m., so we can pick this up face to face
trust me, you’ll recognize me even though we’ve never met
hope to see you there
@ 10:26 am on April 8, 2009
I once had a lil pony.
@ 1:55 pm on April 8, 2009
These numbers from the American Society of Newspaper Editors annual newsroom census for 2008 shows they were not doing well in the diversity area to start with: 4.6 percent Asian American; 5.1 percent Black; 5.4 percent Hispanic; 0.2 percent Native American; 15.3 percent total minority.
In contrast, according to the Census, the population of Dallas is 25 percent black, 35 percent Hispanic, 36 percent Hispanic, 2.7 percent Asian and 0.5 percent American Indian.
No offense, but that’s one of the most illiterate uses of stats I’ve seen in a while.
DMN doesn’t hire from within the city limits.
Who is to blame if minorities are too smart to go into journalism these days?
@ 3:48 pm on April 8, 2009
I think jrp and my husband are twins separated at birth…it’s exactly the kind of feedback I hear at home. I don’t take it personally. After 15 years, I’ve learned it’s actually quite healthy to go through the mental steps (shock/anger/grief/denial/blah, blah, blah…) to get to acceptance. Sounds like jrp was there already before this round of cuts.
His intent was misconstrued in my opinion.
That being said, my heart breaks for the many talented professionals who lost their jobs at the DMN. It seems so unfair, which somehow makes it worse. I hope everyone of ‘em can find a better job, and soon.
@ 3:50 pm on April 8, 2009
Trey, thanks for more directly pointing out what I was politely hinting at earlier.
@ 4:08 pm on April 8, 2009
Trey: It isn’t that minorities don’t go into journalism. It’s that the Morning News is not a welcoming place for them. Try to imagine: How comfortable would you feel in a workplace where no one else looked like you or came from the same kind of background as you?
@ 6:20 pm on April 8, 2009
And Socratic Gadfly, yes, I do believe that few white males could understand minority communities as well as people who grew up in those communities.
@ 6:21 pm on April 8, 2009
Have you people talking about a lack of minorities at the Morning News ever set foot in the newsroom? It is quite a diverse place. Dreary, but diverse.
And please, don’t take offense at my use of “you people.”
@ 6:44 pm on April 8, 2009
I used to work there and it is not a diverse place. Having a few minorities sprinkled around mostly white people does not make a workplace diverse. See the stats posted above. 15 percent minority in the newsroom. That means 85 percent white. That’s not diverse.
@ 6:55 pm on April 8, 2009
Amanda, I get that jrp is trying to “help” by stating the obvious but pointing out that a broken arm is supposed to hurt and will one day be all better does not make the pain lessen. My husband told me it was ok to be upset, brought me dinner and let me cry. No lectures were necessary.
@ 8:30 pm on April 8, 2009
Media Watchdog– I wouldn’t care what everyone looks like. I judge people by their character, talents and values, not by their skin color.
You should try it sometime.
@ 8:37 pm on April 8, 2009
Trey–good for you. I am sure you completely understand what it is like to be African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, female, etc. in America.
@ 9:42 pm on April 8, 2009
No. Just a human.
You’re more obsessed with artificial racial classifications than a South African bureaucrat, circa 1967.
@ 9:52 pm on April 8, 2009
Oh, and if someone can’t do the job because they’re obsessing over what their coworkers look like, they haven’t got any grit anyway and would be a lousy journalist.
So really, no loss.
@ 9:57 pm on April 8, 2009
Trey, A good journalist is obsessed with all facets of human life, including race, creed, color, shapes and sizes. If a journalist ignores the sweaty, complexities of hardball politics — wherever it’s played — he’s either too dainty and faint-hearted for this world, or he’s a complete fool (”Why can’t we all just get along? Kum bay ya”)Or maybe, worse, he’s just a blogger who sits around all day in his boxers and doesn’t get out much.
@ 9:26 am on April 9, 2009
JRP — Put your dukes down, man. Your Phillies are on top of the world. The Eagles are gonna fly again. What is it with youz guys from Philly — always want to pick fights? Your tough — we know it. Hey, take it from a fellow hack from Pennsy, you gotta have a tough skin to live that close to Joisey, right?
@ 9:34 am on April 9, 2009
Trey, A good journalist is obsessed with all facets of human life, including race, creed, color, shapes and sizes. If a journalist ignores the sweaty, complexities of hardball politics — wherever it’s played — he’s either too dainty and faint-hearted for this world, or he’s a complete fool (”Why can’t we all just get along? Kum bay ya”)Or maybe, worse, he’s just a blogger who sits around all day in his boxers and doesn’t get out much.
Covering it outside the office? Absolutely. I do it all the time, too.
Being too timid to work in a newsroom unless there are enough white faces (or brown, or black, or red dotted) to suit you? That makes you spineless and useless. (You, generic, not you, personally. Not a personal attack.)
And when I do blog, I don’t sit around in my boxers at home or at the coffee shop. In both places, I do it nude.
@Trey: But you’re shocked! SHOCKED! that journalists would engage in hardball politics inside their own offices where their own jobs and careers are at stake? Tut, tut, dear chap. Careful not to spill your green tea on your delicacies while you tap tap in the nude.
@ 11:13 am on April 9, 2009
Hardball office politics = fair game, and something else entirely.
Being scared like a little girl of not having enough people around you with your same skin tone = cowardice.
But I guess I’m not deep enough to judge people based on their race.
@ 11:27 am on April 9, 2009
@Trey:Another factor to consider is the insidious mindset prevalent among all the newsroom editors, specially photo editors. There’s a belief that if you are a subordinate, your opinions, ideas, and even the work you do has little value unless it advances their status. For decades I experienced this personally and saw it practiced among, mainly, minorities. Every newsroom employee should be treated with dignity, yet I can tell you for a fact, they are not!
@ 12:42 pm on April 9, 2009
@Andtherestofthestory
Now that would be a legitimate gripe, if it’s the case.
@ 1:27 pm on April 9, 2009
I’m old school. Like Tip O’Neill used to say: It’s all politics.
@ 2:48 pm on April 10, 2009
FrontBurner® launched in March 2003, the first blog in Dallas run by a media organization. This is where the editors of D Magazine come to waste a tremendous amount of time.
92 comments
My thoughts are with all of my former colleagues at the DMN this morning. Best of luck to all of you.
Being let go is better than holding on by your fingernails to a losing business ompany. It will go out of business like all the other metro papers around the U.S.
The “c” is usually the first piece that crumbles from the losing business ompany. Or maybe that should be “rumbles.”
Real constructive comment there, The Sinking Ship.
And what about these people who have bills to pay, families to feed and put through college, etc.?
They should just let go, right? Just find another way to make a living. That’s easy, right?
Come on. Show a little sympathy.
it ain’t easy, rayrayray, but it’s neither impossible nor unheard of
too often people define themselves by the job they have, the position they hold, the salary they bring home
it’s foolish to define yourself that way and i have little sympathy for those that do
as someone who been fired once or twice or…i also have little sympathy for people that think their life ends the moment they get called into the meeting with the Bobs
it’s called adulthood
deal
and as someone who’s wife works at the DMN, i’m glad this day has finally come and we can move on from here with or without her job
TOM: Sorry for leaving that “C” Off
RAYRAYRAY: The comment is about facing reality.
Kind of like people peeing in their pants over Obama as we is robbing you of your money. Time to face the facts and make a “change”.
cbs: “commrades” as only one “M”
I agree that a person’s job doesn’t define him or her.
But people should change careers and lose their salaries on their own terms.
At the risk of sounding flip, RayRay, it is sometimes better to know than to not know. Your S.O. is cheating, your legal case has been adjudicated with a less-than-hoped-for outcome, your child does indeed have a learning disability, your unmistakably tenuous job is no more.
That doesn’t mean I’d wish any of these things (never mind their varying degrees) on anyone. Best of luck to the DMN staff who have bills to pay and were not exactly wealthy or even upper-middle-class to begin with. It bites hard. But at least they’re no longer “nervous in the service.” They know.
The Sinking Ship:
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that your post in correcting the misspelled word by cbs has several grammatical problems of its own…
Is flip an accepted shorthand for flippant?
public – I think he’s allowed to be philosophical about it, after all, the RIF is going to affect his household regardless. After today, his wife will either be unemployed or working much more than she did before.
Daniel:
You’re right that the biggest relief comes from knowing the truth — no matter on which side of the chopping block you fall.
The people who are let go will find new outlets for their talents, and those who stay still have jobs but will have to do more with less.
Nobody wins, really.
Bethany, He’s not being philosophical. He’s being a jerk. You think people need to be told “it’s adulthood. Deal.”? Please — his comments are too shallow to be called “film.”
RAYRAYRAY:
Yeah, My Fonts are changing after I submit.
But it’s true, public. As an adult, and doubly as someone who has ample access to the front page economic headlines, you should be able to read the writing on the wall.
I will always consider myself to be a journalist, but tying my identity to being a reporter for the Dallas Morning News would be a foolhardy thing to do.
There comes a point where you have to realize that the journalism world you dreamed of inhabiting in J-school has changed completely. And unless you were Rip Van Winkle, you’ve seen this coming, and have been making some sort of Plan B that doesn’t involve being a reporter at the DMN.
The business has been changing and the writing has been on the wall for decades now during which many other industries went through transformations and declines that were easy enough to see and report on. Plenty of time to rock the boat enough for management to take notice and make changes, unless your main goal was to not rock the boat, to just collect your check while congratulating yourself on the unique nobility of your profession, all the while noticing day after day that fewer and fewer people were buying what you made. Sorry for the bumpy landing for those who thought they were immune, but that’s what getting rudely thrown off what has finally been in the end just middle class welfare ends up feeling like. Again, sorry you’re hurting, but plenty of us learned these lessons or dodged them 10, 15, 20 years ago and none of us were journalists.
I am so sad to report that my friend and extremely talented style writer, David Ninh has been let go. I know there is someone out there who wants/needs this dedicated and fashionable fellow on their staff.
Bethany,
No one is arguing the truth of the state of modern journalism. I’m just saying the guy’s comments were those of a jerk. There is no other argument. So don’t try to devolve into one.
Public is right. We all agree that this is a new era for journalism. Nobody can argue that. But the manner in which that information was presented was very condescending.
Oh, and Donnie: Congratulations that you knew 20 years ago what journalism would be like today. With that knowledge, my guess is that you’re a multimillionaire at this point.
For the rest of us in journalism, offering ideas about how a publication could be improved isn’t as easy as it sounds. And in newspaper journalism, with its never-ending daily deadlines, it’s even tougher.
What we won’t see today:
“Mr. Decherd, please report to the HR conference room. Bring your access card.”
I think Bethany might be reintroducing herself to the FB nation. For the last 3 or so months she has been a stranger here. It really bothers me how some of you folks are always lashing out at her. Stop it! It reeks of sour grapes. There are very few female commenters here, and when one of them is exceptional—like our Bethany—then the male nasties feel a need to stomp on her. So quit it!
I think it’s interesting that among all of us who were let go in the newsroom today, NONE were editors. If the idea is to save money, why let some of the most productive, lowest paid employees go and keep non-producing, high-paid staffers?
I think anyone who takes any pleasure taking potshots at people losing their jobs…whoever, wherever…undermine any credibility they might otherwise muster. Simple.
Per job loss——-We can talk philosophically about the ‘bright side’ or the ‘karmic payback’ all one wishes. But the truth is; anyone losing their job is very vulnerable and scared and threatened and awash with feelings of resentment and betrayal. And I might add loneliness. I wouldn’t wish it on anything short of my worst enemy. And even then, probably not. Certainly not now.
Meanwhile, per Bethany and those like her: Droll without being nasty. Clever without being mean. Biting but never predatory. It’s a time-honored recipe for a smart and potent ****tail called ‘class on the rocks’. I’ll drink to that……..
finally i can take off my pants and jacket.
I know David Ninh as both a friend and an extremely talented fashion writer and this sucks for him and Dallas. I guess they will put you on their billboards one minute then hand you a pink slip the next.
All the names of those laid off I have heard so far (except one) have been women or minorities. What does that say about the the state of the DMN and who it covers?
Media Watchdog
You are posting that on a site that thinks a minority is a Methodist.
Media Watchdog: Then you are missing a lot of names.
I lost my job at the News today. I want to add that I and my colleagues are well aware that newspapers are in trouble and that our time might be short but it is very difficult to simply leave a job with benefits when you have dependents and/or a mortgage.
I never felt I was immune but am dismayed that many who are far less productive and make higher salaries are cruising the internet at their desks or enjoying a two-hour lunch while I wonder how to feed my kids in the coming months. I am not surpised by being terminated but feel stung that I worked so hard to stay at a place that clearly did not value what I did.
Eventually, the DMN will have to start laying off people who don’t work for the DMN
well, while i’ve certainly been called worse, i’ve never been dubbed the smartest guy in the room. tallest usually, best looking sometimes, but never smartest nor have i ever felt that way
speaking my mind often makes people view me as self-righteous…so be it
i just have little patience for people that call themselves adults and can’t deal with all that life brings
i welcome and enjoy change
i love having my world turned upside down, makes me feel alive, invigorates me
i deplore the mundane, the trite, and can’t suffer fools or cry babies that expect to be able to be able to do everything “on their own terms”
that seems childish and immature to me
and i’ve never kicked a puppy but cats on the other hand…
and read the comments on that link from the people that left or were let go from the DMN over the past few years
each one of them says it was not as bad as they thought, sure maybe they’re toiling for less pay/benefits etc., but they each mention on how it wasn’t as hard as they’d envisioned
and, i guess, that’s my original point: it’ll all be OK
jrp,
I’m a 10/27er and I think your comments were arrogant and pretty much ignored the deep damage done to the hearts of good people.
So, I don’t care how tall you are, you probably still think you’re the smartest, wisest guy in the room — oh, praise God, an original thinker….. I am assuming you once worked for Enron.
Oy. Do you get that is WIFE WORKS AT THE DMN? I doubt seriously he’s ignoring anything.
No, jrp, your original point was, and I’m paraphrasing here: “it’ll all be OK, so quit whining like a bunch of babies and deal with it. I have no sympathy for you if you’re upset about this at all.”
“It’ll all be OK” is consoling. “It’s called adulthood. Deal.” is condescending.
yeah, don’t know/care what that means, but i’m not gonna fight ya, dude
you win
you’re the smartest, wisest, wittiest guy on this blog
And you, sir, are not.
First of all, my sincerest sympathies to those let go today. I put in my (over) 20 years at DMN, so I definitely know how you’re feeling. It’s an emotionally tough situation, but be sure to get the necessities done (unemployment, COBRA) as soon as possible. If nothing else, it’ll keep you occupied with tasks.
Do not feel as though your work was not valued or appreciated by your employers. In the end, it’s what your readers thought, not the high-up brass that probably just barely knew your names. I continue to read the paper, and know it will suffer from your absences.
Someone needs to throw a potluck BBQ for former DMN folks. I doubt many even got a chance to say goodbye to their longtime comrades. Best of luck to all, and take a couple of days off to simply enjoy this beautiful weather.
@News Junkie: I also have knowledge of what you are describing. Those who remain may discover they can’t just go to meetings anymore because there’s no one to create and edit the content. The good news is there are employers out there who will value you and your work. It takes some digging, but you’ll find one.
jrp,
The difference between the present situation and past reductions of staff is the industry as a whole is overwhelmed with journalists. Even during the last round of cuts, the options were greater than now. Not only are the options fewer, but the number seeking employment is greater.
While we all hope and expect that these journalists will find other lines of work, we don’t need to read about your own issues regarding height, intelligence, etc. Let’s save those weighty issues for another posting.
Bethany
Do you mean that HIS wife or is wife?
You must mean is, as you never make typographical mistakes from your years at the Dallas Morning News and your ability to argue the color of the sky.
Pardon me. My incredulity and rush to express it precluded a quick copy check to make sure I pressed the “h” key down sufficiently.
Who are all the white, middle-aged men laid off by the DMN today? I don’t know of one. I did hear about some younger white guys laid off, but no managers. Women and minorities.
rayrayray, if that’s your real name, unlike you and Mr. Nusiance, i welcome jeers and taunts, as i’m a man, i’m almost 40…
and adults use adult language sometimes, especially when they feel someone has wronged or insulted them
and if you must know, i’ll be happy to remain anonymous no longer:
Jason R. Philyaw
624 Coombs Creek Dr.
Dallas, TX 75211
come on down, we’ll share a beer and i’ll explain why fighting for proper punctuation and grammar on Internet message boards is a lost cause
i gotta go, it’s almost 4:20, and i need to get home and make a great dinner for my wife who’s employer cut dozens of jobs today
This blog is an ugly place. Soon, it’ll be just Ray Squared and GMAFB…good job guys.
husband of Elizabeth L. Souder-Philyaw
i love google
Media Watchdog: I know of four middle-aged white men, though none are managers. Most of the males being laid off are younger, under-30 types it would seem.
However, there were a significant number of women in all non-management newsroom positions in my 10+ years at the DMN. I always thought we had a high percentage of women on the front lines in the newsroom, except in Sports.
It’s possible that the percentage of those laid off today would be similar. I wouldn’t assume or accuse until the final names and numbers are tallied. Then, if the totals are out of balance, by all means, call out Belo management. And good luck with that.
That’s Ray cubed now. Thanks to Wick.
But someone has to call people like jrp out, right? I’m not the most-eloquent or most-intelligent person to do that, but at least I’m doing it.
Yes, Ray to the 3rd. You’re doing the righteous work of Jeebus now, thank Bob.
Thank you, Bethany. I guess we just all have our calling. Mine is blindly defending the DMN even when it’s beyond reason. Yours is blogging about “American Idol.”
Why, thank you pookie. The other stuff I blog about may have really big words. Sorry.
El Mystico: I used to work at the Morning News and it NEVER had a significant number of women. Sorry to tell you–the newsroom has always been white male-dominated. Management, especially, has been male-dominated and white dominated.
Media Watchdog: You may believe that, but I respectfully disagree. I worked in several departments at the DMN, as did my spouse. IMO as well as hers, features and the news desk/copy desk, in particular, had strong female representation, including some managers. (And I’m not talking just 10 or 15% as strong.) Business and metro were less so but still closer to 50-50, and when I left a year or so ago, editorial seemed to be improving. Sports will probably never see the light; every woman seemed to get run off.
Maybe our opinions of “significant number of women” are very different. But compared with other newsrooms I have worked in, both in Texas and elsewhere, things were not all that inequitable ON THE FRONT LINES.
But I agree completely that mid- and upper management are white male-dominated.
Well, most of the layoffs I heard about were in Metro and all except one were women or minorities. (The other was a young, white male who shoots video and writes stories–don’t understand that one.) That’s in the section that is supposed to represent the heart of the community. My point is, what does that say about who the DMN cares about representing?
@jrp: I wonder: Do you have children, especially children in college? An ailing parent? A big mortgage? A chronically ill spouse? Would you bark “Deal with it” at people in those shoes who just got pink-slipped? This is a moment for a little empathy, not your brand of realism or whatever you want to call it. Life is the self-corrective for tough posturing. I only hope that someday you’ve grown enough to look back on this and be mortified.
Triple-Ray, does that include defending the News from the Observer?
And, not exactly on JPR’s line, but…
Do any of you want to try being at a suburban weekly? Thought not.
We’re not related.
Lest you think people of color were not targeted in the layoffs: http://www.mije.org/richardprince/dallas-morning-news-cuts-claim-5-color
Media Watchdog:
“At least 8″ out of 200? Personal anecdotes aside, no viable claims can be made until the names of all 200 are in, their ethnic backgrounds are parsed, and that ratio is compared to the pre-layoff ratio.
These numbers from the American Society of Newspaper Editors annual newsroom census for 2008 shows they were not doing well in the diversity area to start with: 4.6 percent Asian American; 5.1 percent Black; 5.4 percent Hispanic; 0.2 percent Native American; 15.3 percent total minority.
In contrast, according to the Census, the population of Dallas is 25 percent black, 35 percent Hispanic, 36 percent Hispanic, 2.7 percent Asian and 0.5 percent American Indian.
That’s 36 percent Hispanic, scratch the 35 percent.
jrp,
Probably don’t need to suggest that you should be kinder to your wife than your correspondence indicates that you will be.
And I’m just someone who has been in this layoff thing from a newspaper before — when the “we’re saving ourselves” management team tells you that it no longer needs your heart involved in the sacred mission of journalism, it hurts like a calf-kick to the cods at a buckout in Balch Springs. Both of you are having a bad day but you don’t know it yet. Try not to be to her like you were to the people who read this blog. She doesn’t deserve such condescension and arrogance.
Wow Ray2, you are a super star! You get comments! You practically carry this blog! What would we do without you? Thank heavens you came along. You’re the best-est blogger that blogs ever had. You’re so witty and talented, I can only imagine what comes next.
FrontBurner’s been lowjacked.
MW… agree that media is not the most diverse workforce. (Whose “fault” that is, is one or more other questions.)
But, I’m talking about minority pct. of RIFs vs. minority pct. of DMN workforce, NOT city of Dallas population. Only if the RIF pct is higher (and in a statistically significant way) can you talk about “targeting” minorities.
Please, a bit of statistical literacy.
Consider nursing school. Even for guys – you can work in ER or surgery if you’re threatened by a lack of testosterone. Good money with lots of overtime possibilities. Rewarding. Time to write what you want.
You people are silly and trivial. This thread reads like a transcript from a H.S. debate club. And the moral superiority is nauseating.
Oh, lowjacked. I see what you did there.
And I am against anonymity. While I won’t put my address on here, I will tell you my name, if that’s what you want: I’m Ray Cavazos.
And while my comments are pretty trivial, they look even worse when subjected to the selective editing done by Wick and his cronies. By that I mean Wick and Pals randomly choose comments to delete and leave behind a wake of hard-to-follow banter. People responding to ghosts. Comments that refer to long-gone previous comments. That type of thing. Way to go, Wick!
Because all middle-aged white men are racist and obviously can’t fairly report on a beat that includes anything but, is that the point?
JRP: I am glad I am not married to you. Embracing change might be invigorating but loosing a cherished career that means something after many years is devastating. Glad you are made of such stern stuff that lecturing the unemployed gives you some thrills. Perhaps you could spend your time gleaning the obits and phoning up grieving survivors and tell them to get on with the business of life.
i ask you all come out to Lee Harvey’s next Thursday, April 16, 2009, for happy hour 5-7 p.m., so we can pick this up face to face
trust me, you’ll recognize me even though we’ve never met
hope to see you there
I once had a lil pony.
These numbers from the American Society of Newspaper Editors annual newsroom census for 2008 shows they were not doing well in the diversity area to start with: 4.6 percent Asian American; 5.1 percent Black; 5.4 percent Hispanic; 0.2 percent Native American; 15.3 percent total minority.
In contrast, according to the Census, the population of Dallas is 25 percent black, 35 percent Hispanic, 36 percent Hispanic, 2.7 percent Asian and 0.5 percent American Indian.
No offense, but that’s one of the most illiterate uses of stats I’ve seen in a while.
DMN doesn’t hire from within the city limits.
Who is to blame if minorities are too smart to go into journalism these days?
I think jrp and my husband are twins separated at birth…it’s exactly the kind of feedback I hear at home. I don’t take it personally. After 15 years, I’ve learned it’s actually quite healthy to go through the mental steps (shock/anger/grief/denial/blah, blah, blah…) to get to acceptance. Sounds like jrp was there already before this round of cuts.
His intent was misconstrued in my opinion.
That being said, my heart breaks for the many talented professionals who lost their jobs at the DMN. It seems so unfair, which somehow makes it worse. I hope everyone of ‘em can find a better job, and soon.
Trey, thanks for more directly pointing out what I was politely hinting at earlier.
Trey: It isn’t that minorities don’t go into journalism. It’s that the Morning News is not a welcoming place for them. Try to imagine: How comfortable would you feel in a workplace where no one else looked like you or came from the same kind of background as you?
And Socratic Gadfly, yes, I do believe that few white males could understand minority communities as well as people who grew up in those communities.
Have you people talking about a lack of minorities at the Morning News ever set foot in the newsroom? It is quite a diverse place. Dreary, but diverse.
And please, don’t take offense at my use of “you people.”
I used to work there and it is not a diverse place. Having a few minorities sprinkled around mostly white people does not make a workplace diverse. See the stats posted above. 15 percent minority in the newsroom. That means 85 percent white. That’s not diverse.
Amanda, I get that jrp is trying to “help” by stating the obvious but pointing out that a broken arm is supposed to hurt and will one day be all better does not make the pain lessen. My husband told me it was ok to be upset, brought me dinner and let me cry. No lectures were necessary.
Media Watchdog– I wouldn’t care what everyone looks like. I judge people by their character, talents and values, not by their skin color.
You should try it sometime.
Trey–good for you. I am sure you completely understand what it is like to be African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, female, etc. in America.
No. Just a human.
You’re more obsessed with artificial racial classifications than a South African bureaucrat, circa 1967.
Oh, and if someone can’t do the job because they’re obsessing over what their coworkers look like, they haven’t got any grit anyway and would be a lousy journalist.
So really, no loss.
Trey, A good journalist is obsessed with all facets of human life, including race, creed, color, shapes and sizes. If a journalist ignores the sweaty, complexities of hardball politics — wherever it’s played — he’s either too dainty and faint-hearted for this world, or he’s a complete fool (”Why can’t we all just get along? Kum bay ya”)Or maybe, worse, he’s just a blogger who sits around all day in his boxers and doesn’t get out much.
JRP — Put your dukes down, man. Your Phillies are on top of the world. The Eagles are gonna fly again. What is it with youz guys from Philly — always want to pick fights? Your tough — we know it. Hey, take it from a fellow hack from Pennsy, you gotta have a tough skin to live that close to Joisey, right?
Trey, A good journalist is obsessed with all facets of human life, including race, creed, color, shapes and sizes. If a journalist ignores the sweaty, complexities of hardball politics — wherever it’s played — he’s either too dainty and faint-hearted for this world, or he’s a complete fool (”Why can’t we all just get along? Kum bay ya”)Or maybe, worse, he’s just a blogger who sits around all day in his boxers and doesn’t get out much.
Covering it outside the office? Absolutely. I do it all the time, too.
Being too timid to work in a newsroom unless there are enough white faces (or brown, or black, or red dotted) to suit you? That makes you spineless and useless. (You, generic, not you, personally. Not a personal attack.)
And when I do blog, I don’t sit around in my boxers at home or at the coffee shop. In both places, I do it nude.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/3873/firtb8.jpg
@Trey: But you’re shocked! SHOCKED! that journalists would engage in hardball politics inside their own offices where their own jobs and careers are at stake? Tut, tut, dear chap. Careful not to spill your green tea on your delicacies while you tap tap in the nude.
Hardball office politics = fair game, and something else entirely.
Being scared like a little girl of not having enough people around you with your same skin tone = cowardice.
But I guess I’m not deep enough to judge people based on their race.
@Trey:Another factor to consider is the insidious mindset prevalent among all the newsroom editors, specially photo editors. There’s a belief that if you are a subordinate, your opinions, ideas, and even the work you do has little value unless it advances their status. For decades I experienced this personally and saw it practiced among, mainly, minorities. Every newsroom employee should be treated with dignity, yet I can tell you for a fact, they are not!
@Andtherestofthestory
Now that would be a legitimate gripe, if it’s the case.
I’m old school. Like Tip O’Neill used to say: It’s all politics.