On Tuesday, there was a blood bath at the Dallas Morning News as many, many people were fired. It's all about the paper trying to cut costs only to speed up its impending demise quicker than you can say CueCat. Former employees gathered at a website to post condolences and announcements.
One name I recognized was Dan X. McGraw who seemed to write most of the local stories. You can't help but feel sorry for the guy as he wrote on the website:
I didn't want to comment on here yesterday for obvious reason. This has been the worst week of my life, and I haven't quite been able to understand it.
I don't understand the decision that were made. I wrote more than 450 stories and produced 70+ videos in 37 weeks, but it didn't save me from getting RIFed. My less than 40K salary didn't help me either.
Ironically, months before I was laid off, I was told that I was doing exactly what they wanted my position to do. I never heard any negative comments about my work.
I just don't understand.
I was hoping to make a year at the DMN, but I feel two months shy.
I'll miss you all. I wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Dan X. McGraw
danxmcgraw(at)gmail.com
.jpg)
4.10.2009
Not A Pick Me Up
On Tuesday, there was a blood bath at the Dallas Morning News as many, many people were fired. It's all about the paper trying to cut costs only to speed up its impending demise quicker than you can say CueCat. Former employees gathered at a website to post condolences and announcements.
One name I recognized was Dan X. McGraw who seemed to write most of the local stories. You can't help but feel sorry for the guy as he wrote on the website:
I didn't want to comment on here yesterday for obvious reason. This has been the worst week of my life, and I haven't quite been able to understand it.
I don't understand the decision that were made. I wrote more than 450 stories and produced 70+ videos in 37 weeks, but it didn't save me from getting RIFed. My less than 40K salary didn't help me either.
Ironically, months before I was laid off, I was told that I was doing exactly what they wanted my position to do. I never heard any negative comments about my work.
I just don't understand.
I was hoping to make a year at the DMN, but I feel two months shy.
I'll miss you all. I wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Dan X. McGraw
danxmcgraw(at)gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
21 comments:
The demise of the free press in America... very, very sad!
Thanks, Mr. President
Perhaps his poor grammar played a part in the decision to fire him.
You know.......a lot of reporters are getting fired lately, even though their bosses always give them nothing but positive feedback.
Breaking news..shots fired at Rhome apartments...cops en-route now..shots still being fired...mtf..
1 person shot..guess what cops report bb guns used not real guns..boo hoo !
Despite the hyperble and histrionics re Bush and now Obam being the end of US democracy, perhaps the most threatening of all is the American people deserting their free press for on- line news and the worst of all blogs driven by a ideology.
The amount of misinformation being accepted by so called "connected people" is the real danger to democracy in America.
F Belo!
If you look at the capitalization of the companies (# of stock shares issues x price) A. H. Belo company is nowworth less the Rick's Caberet company.
The writing has been on the wall for a few years now. Those still with newspapers should have been looking two, three years ago for another line of work. The last company that made buggy whips probably made the best damn buggy whips you ever saw, but it didn't matter because nobody wanted buggy whips anymore once cars came along.
Wow, I guess this "internet" thing really caught the newspapers off guard.
Shouldn't we bail them out?
I think I don't see the difference.
The only shooting going on at the Rhome apartments, is the shooting of coke and speed!
the change that obama promised has come all the great american people being screwed by the democrats
I was a newspaper reporter who got cut last fall (without any warning, I might add).
But even before the layoff, I had the foresight to see how bad things were going in the industry and started planning for another line of work. I am now pursuing a business degree.
Trust me, newspaper reporters are OVERWORKED and UNDERPAID people who often have to deal with little respect from their supervisors (and, often, the public). It's a THANKLESS job!!!!
Reporters are required to have a college degree, yet they make the same amount of money as your average high school dropout (thankfully, my family stepped in and paid my student loans.....I couldn't pay them off on my measly salary).
It's hard watching people with only associate's degrees making twice what I make (and I have a master's degree) and enjoying things that I can't afford.
A lot of the younger reporters are already burned out and aren't going to tolerate this the same way older reporters have.
Unless the business model changes drastically (and compensates reporters with the same salary teachers make), then journalism will die and wither away.........or only those with no real education will do the reporting, because no one with a college degree wants to work for less than $25,000 a year......and that's bad for democracy.
Some of yall want to blame Obama for everything when really the newspaper downfall is the result of unprepared companies. For shame.
If so many have abandoned newspapers for TV and internet news, how does this mean the end of democracy? Apparently the papers were reaching fewer and fewer customers. You can have the world's best writers writing but if now one read it, does it matter. In any case, we must at least be saving millions of trees.
Because newspapers are a little more in depth. With TV news, you only get clever sound bites.
I have no qualms with news on the Internet. Unfortunately, (1) advertisers are more reluctant to pay for advertising online (2) regular people can sell things for free on Craigs List, etc. instead of paying for it in a newspaper and (3) newspaper publishers still haven't realized that they should charge a monthly fee to look at their Web site.
Newspapers have far less money now, as a result.
Oh.......and trees are a renewable resource, so don't worry about saving them.
They can all blame Al Gore---- He invented the internet.
3:23 - let me attempt a parallel: if trees are a renewable resource and we needn’t worry about replacing them; then so are people. So let's not worry about silly things like abortion or optional suicide. Do you agree or are some life forms more special than others?
4:47 PM
Damn it man, don't confuse him with facts...
Very good comment...
Post a Comment