Is there a destination paper left?

In this day of layoffs, furloughs, etc. are there any papers left that could be considered destination papers, ones that would be great to land a job at and relatively safe?
Just looking for something to cling to...

 

I suspect some of us feel like we're working at such places, yes.

But I suspect more of them are in the 40K-75K circulation sphere than those larger than that.

And you'd have to adjust for ownership factors.

 

I'm not sure if there are destination papers left, but I do think there are destination "positions," for lack of a better word. The higher up in management you can go, and the furthest away from entry level, the more secure your position, it seems.

 

Good points here. While some might think of NY Times, Wall St. Journal and WaPo as destination papers, those places bleed out talent to national Web sites. Just about every other major metro is beleaguered to some point, such that what used to be big league now is Class AAA or AA.

The mid-size ones might be the least touched by the problems sweeping through the industry. They were hyperlocal before it became a buzzword. If you find one in the right town for you, you probably can carve out a nice life and a stay of a couple (or a few) decades.

 

The concept of a "destination paper" has always been very relative. If you're happy where you are and with what you're making and with the work you're doing, you may very well be at that destination paper. If you're married and have kids or in your 50s or 60s, you may very well be at that destination paper whether you like it or not.

As a man in his 20s, I am confident that there can be no such thing as a destination newspaper because newspapers won't exist when I reach my destination, whatever that may be.

With that said, I don't think it's a stretch to say there are many people out there who still aspire to work for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, etc. And I don't think it's any stretch to say there are people who aspire to work at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, etc.

Your destination paper may be the biggest paper in your state. It may be the biggest in your county. It's a matter of relativity. There are still many jobs to strive for, though.

As far as any job in this industry being "relatively safe"? Nope. But you chose this line of work. Get out of it if you want a job you can stay at for the next 30 years.

 

Yahoo Sports.

 

Jason King disagrees.

 

Let me assure everyone that the 30-75k dailies have been crushed by layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts as well.

And it's a bit of a nightmare when you are already bare bones as it is.

 

The Juneau Empire, in southeast Alaska.

But only when I'm rich enough to buy it from that sh***y corporation that owns it now ...

 

I think you make some important distinctions there. For me I still have a couple of destination papers/mags I would like to work at, regardless of layoffs. There is no safe job in the medium now, regardless of it being a major metro, a mid-size daily, or small town weekly. I also don't think the labour situation will always be this fragile, mainly because I believe one day a digital model will be found that works. I think many of these publications will remain for decades yet, even if they are in a complete digital format, those names and institutions will still be around even if they are no longer in print format. Print is dying and there is definitely more downsizing to take place, but there will always be the need for our industry in some format. A happy medium will be found one day.

Me, I've always had a dream to work at the Chicago Tribune, partly because my dad grew up in Wheaton and my uncle worked there for more than 25 years. I've also always wanted to work for Sports Illustrated as the icon it has been, even if it isn't at the level it once was. For me those are still destinations.