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You're laid off ... oh, upon further review

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by BurnsWhenIPee, Apr 24, 2020.

  1. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    Saw this on Twitter about a Gannett shop that laid a couple of people off today, and those affected went on social media, announced it, started to move on with their lives, etc.

    Then it came out that the shop has a new union guild in place, and the layoffs violated something (I'm not smart enough to know what it violated), so the top editor had to call them back and un-lay them off.



    I fucking love this.
     
  2. Della9250

    Della9250 Well-Known Member

    Apparently it's a company wide day to pay attention to, because The Oklahoman laid off its No. 2 on OU beat writer/high schools who was hired seven months ago
     
    MovingOnOut likes this.
  3. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    Was that also the paper and position where they hired someone, he quit his other job and was preparing to move, then they froze the position?
     
  4. Della9250

    Della9250 Well-Known Member

    It was. This past July to be the No. 2 on Oklahoma State beat
     
  5. Della9250

    Della9250 Well-Known Member

    Austin American-Statesman apprarently has a bunch today as well
     
  6. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

  7. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    I love print. I loved my time in newspapers, almost 30 years worth. If I ever go back it'll probably be to a small town weekly, maybe.

    But I cannot understand how anyone would want to work for Gannett-Gatehouse. The stories are out there. They've been doing this furlough-layoff shit for years, the things like hiring someone and seven months later laying him off. Or someone being hired, moving to a town and less than a year later gets let go.
     
  8. Fredrick

    Fredrick Well-Known Member

    Gannett may be the worst, but all these companies are similarly bad.
     
  9. sgreenwell

    sgreenwell Well-Known Member

    As someone who worked there until a layoff in February 2019, eh, it's not a matter of "want" in the current climate, even before the pandemic. For a lot of people, it's the only option, unless you're going to completely stop working and go back to school, or doing something like driving a truck, going into the postal service, etc. I first started looking for a non-journalism but related job (PR, writing for a college or uni, etc.) about eight years ago. I worked on and off in journalism that whole time, through various layoffs, and only segued into the new field in March. (And I got hired literally the day before a hiring freeze went in place.)
     
    wicked likes this.
  10. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    I understand, and I hate it for those who have no other good or immediate options in the business but want to stay in.
     
    sgreenwell likes this.
  11. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    20 years ago, one could rationalize wanting to work for Gannett because the company offered opportunities to move up in the chain. Do good work for a few years, and move up to a larger paper in the chain. It was a selling point that the company took pride in. Now, of course, forget it.

    I can’t imagine there was ever a time where anyone had a burning desire to work for Gatehouse. They’ve made no bones about who they are.
     
    Liut and Fredrick like this.
  12. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    Our paper did that once. It was a local decision when we lost a ton of revenue because a major advertiser went under and we had to cut two positions, but it was still very awkward. Moreso when we offered to let one guy finish out the week because we needed some important work done that he had started on (which, to his credit and my gratitude, he did, but it was a very strange situation).

    That said, our nearest major metro is owned by Gannett. Twenty or 30 years ago it would have been a great step up to land a job there. It's a good paper (historically, at least) that has a lot of notable alumni. Now, you couldn't pay me enough to work there even if they wanted me to. I'd be terrified of getting hired and fired within six months. I've been at my paper for 20-plus years, and when people suggest I should try to get a job at that Gannett paper I just laugh.
     
    BurnsWhenIPee likes this.
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