Jason, who used to work at Belo, brings good perspective. Meanwhile Jim Moroney III is doing damage control. I don’t think the brass saw how this reorganization would be perceived by the outside world. His memo to the staff from late this afternoon is after the jump. The crux of his note, as he puts it: “We are convinced that news and information delivered digitally needs to be disaggregated.” Oh, well. When you put it that way ….
> From: Moroney, James III
> Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 4:18 PM
> To: Everyone – Al Día; Everyone – Denton RC; Everyone – Quick; Everyone – TDMN; Everyone-Denton Publishing; AH Belo Interactive; AH Belo Technology Dallas
> Subject: Message from Jim Moroney
> Importance: High
>
> Everybody,
>
> I’m writing in hopes of relieving any concerns you may have about our new organizational structure, because nothing is more important to me than the journalism we publish and the people who produce it.
>
> This institution is built on excellence and integrity. Our journalistic principles are literally chiseled into stone on the front of our building, including this one: “Conduct [the News] upon the lines of fairness and integrity.”
>
> Let’s be clear: In this company, the editors make the final decisions about all content we publish, up and until a dispute were to reach my office via the company’s highest-ranking editor, Bob Mong. That’s the way it’s always been. That’s the way it is, and will be. The new organizational structure does not change this fact. We believe the new structure will help us launch new products that serve readers and advertisers better. But as we decide upon editorial content, we will always put our readers first.
>
> The integrity of the process by which we assign, gather, write, photograph, and edit the journalism we publish is the single most important promise we make to the communities we serve. It is also the foundation of our business. If we lose public trust in our journalism, we lose our business along with it.
>
> I’ve heard people comment: “Just wait until financial pressures mount. Then these GM’s are going to subvert the journalistic process.” There has never been more financial pressure on this company since the Great Depression. Not once during these past several years has any senior manager in this company proposed anything that would suggest our journalism is for sale. That’s because everyone in a position of responsibility, across the entire company, knows and respects our journalistic values. They know such a discussion would be a waste of everyone’s time.
>
> So you might ask, “Then, why are we instituting this segment organizational structure?” Let me explain.
>
> We are convinced that news and information delivered digitally needs to be disaggregated. A mostly “one size fits all” printed newspaper strategy continues to satisfy a large audience of devoted daily newspaper readers. For the core newspaper, our focus is on continuous improvement within the current business model. We’ll be adding more pages next year, for instance, and a handful of new positions.
>
> However, the digital world offers us new opportunities, and we feel that a new structure is necessary to seize those opportunities. Most of the people who use digital devices to obtain their news and information would prefer something other than a “one size fits all” content model. They prefer to have deep, rich and engaged content experiences. We believe, based on what we have done and what we have seen at other successful digital sites, that we can best deliver those experiences by focusing on narrower niche content segments. Niche sites organize content the way most consumers prefer. Most know what they’re looking for; they want their search to be fast, easy, and productive. This customer experience can best be delivered via specific content segments.
>
> Also, we are convinced that consumers will want different kinds of content experiences depending on both the content segment and the digital platform they are using. For instance, people using mobile devices who are interested in restaurant reviews and related content might want this content delivered in the context of location-based applications. Another group of people using mobile devices who are interested in sports content might want a customized feed of real-time game information about the teams they follow.
>
> These needs are very specific. It takes great focus and specialization to recognize the needs, and then to meet them. That’s why we’ve created a corps of specialized general managers who will focus on the digital delivery of content to their target audiences, tailored to the digital platforms on which we might serve them.
>
> Our basic job remains the same, whether in the analog or digital worlds: Publish important, relevant, and uniquely valuable content to local consumers, always abiding by the highest journalistic standards. We know how to do that. If we also learn how to make the most of new digital platforms, we will continue to attract and grow audiences. Those audiences, drawn to news and information they can trust, are important to potential business partners and advertisers. We are convinced that assigning GMs to the most important market segments will allow us to successfully compete in the digital space. But please rest assured that while we are partially changing our business strategy, we are preserving our values.
>
>
> Jim
3 comments
That’s fine and all, Tim, but what do think about the DMN’s decision?
If ‘the brass’ didn’t see this as possibly looking bad, they’re dumber than I thought.
I seriously doubt that many people think the DMN will actually sell stories. This is about the breaking down, little by little, of ethical standards the newspaper industry has spent the better part of the last century adhering to. If you want to debate whether those standards are appropriate, fine. But all this talk of ‘good editors will still be able to stand up for their product’ is hooey.
The problem isn’t that they can’t. It’s that this puts even more pressure on the people in charge of day to day decision making. When you bring the business decisions into the editorial room, it changes everything.
The one word in his release that tells me what I need to know about Jim Moroney is ‘consumer.’ He doesn’t see readers or a public to serve; he sees walking money bags. While others might say this is a necessary evil, I’d pose this question: Do you want to subscribe to a newspaper that sells you only the information it thinks will generate the most revenue, or one that runs stories that contribute to the good of the community?
Thanks to their silence, I think I know where the editors of D stand on this one…
This is all so silly. I mean, what makes ANYONE think that Moroney and Mong know anything at all about the best way forward? These are the architects of the DMN demise (along with the industry collapse, obviously). So, anything they say should pretty much be dismissed outright. New leadership would be the only way forward … but it’ll never happen. Second, contentions that Moroney et al care about anything other than bottom line just don’t pass the smell test. I know people who have sat in meetings where he demanded such-and-such dept. generates X amount of revenue – and never is quality nor journalism enterprise mentioned. As for all this talk of Sports Day and independent federations, well, that’s great. But Sports Day is just as doomed as the rest of the sections. That one, in particular, may be just a little better and therefore further ahead of the reaper than others. They’ll fall just as surely. They just re-hired two old white guys who used to work there. Seriously, guys? More old white dudes? Can we just take Old Yeller out behind the barn and shoot it already?