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Ann Arbor

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Moderator1, Mar 23, 2009.

  1. Magic In The Night

    Magic In The Night Active Member

    OK, this one always makes me laugh. As if people who have writing, reporting and editing experience can't master the function of learning how to "post" their stuff on a Web site after 30 years of learning all manner of different computer and software systems at newspapers. Trust me, the people we have hired as Web "producers" can't write and/or edit and/or report their way out of a paper bag. But they're very, very cheap, which is the most important part. But if publishers think they're getting the same quality of reporter, they're definitely fooling themselves.
     
  2. Magic In The Night

    Magic In The Night Active Member

    There is an unlimited stream of people out there who fancy themselves as writers/reporters who are quite willing to do it for free or very low pay. Have you ever been in a position where you deal with freelancers? There are lots of trust fund babies and others who don't really need the income but would love the "prestige" of having an actual writing gig. The quality, however, is much, much worse than using trained journalists who have worked in the business. The ones I feel sorry for are the trained editors left behind who are going to have to clean up this slop to avoid lawsuits and make it into English.
     
  3. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    For some reason, I forgot the News was scaling back. Carry on.
     
  4. Jim_Carty

    Jim_Carty Member

    To cover a couple of things ... no, I don't think most reporters and editors have new media skills, if by "new media skills", you mean an ability to write an interesting and technically competent blog, to take and edit video and photos, and to use Twitter and other tools (although I think Twitter is moronic and won't last).

    There are complexities in the Detroit News/Free Press relationship that make it unlikely either paper will fold any time soon. Singleton gets a guaranteed annual payment from Gannett, which basically greatly subsidizes the Detroit News, and is a fixed amount regardless of what the economy does. He's sitting pretty on that front.

    Meanwhile, Gannett appears very committed to the Free Press (for instance, exempting it from furloughs).

    I'd be surprised if either folded, but then I was surprised this week.
     
  5. Magic In The Night

    Magic In The Night Active Member

    Most producers don't have the skills to write an interesting and technically competent blog. If you could see some of the stuff before it is posted, you would know this. Twitter is inane and people will tire of it. As for video and/or taking pics, many, many reporters have been doing this for years either at small papers or even just for personal use. Most trained journalists had to take at least one photo class to get their journalism degree so I'm betting with a modicum of training (most of which they don't get because there is no time to do it at papers), they could catch on to the pic/video posting. I'm sorry, I'm sticking with my original post that trained reporters/writers/editors have skills that most "producers" don't. Skills that aren't easily acquired. The other stuff is just training and can be accomplished easily.
     
  6. 2underpar

    2underpar Active Member

    i have a question:
    what if, in say three years, people decide newspapers are relevant again and the ad dollars start flowing (doubtful, but for the sake of argument, lets say they do). How do you bring all of these newspapers back to life?
     
  7. Jim_Carty

    Jim_Carty Member

    2underpar, the simple answer is, you don't.

    Magic, we're comparing apples and oranges. You're ranting against producers v. journalists (perhaps legitimately), while the original point was that I don't think a lot of the folks at the A2 News can do the things I listed, and because of that AnnArbor.com won't hire many of them.
     
  8. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Buy up the physical assets (printing press, etc.) and start hiring. There are always going to be entry-level people willing to work for $25k or so. How much did we make at our first post-collegiate job? (Mine was under 20k, but that was in the 80s and stuff didn't cost near as much... had a NICE apartment for $250 per month and gas was 85 cents per gallon.)

    What I wonder is if this business will eventually take on that model: a couple of old guys at the top and a BUNCH of young pups doing the work. The burn out after 3-4 years, decide they want to make real money and leave. So you replace them with another batch of rookies.
     
  9. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    Eventually? That's the model *now*

    Rick
    (three years out of college, $22.5k/year)
     
  10. Magic In The Night

    Magic In The Night Active Member

    My point is that journalists can learn these things. It's not some secret talent that is unattainable. What is so hard about learning how to post things on a Web site and/or write a blog or take pics and post them? Most sports writers have been writing blogs for years long before they were called blogs. Back then, they called them "postcards" from big events, etc.
     
  11. Jim_Carty

    Jim_Carty Member

    Magic - Perhaps most can learn them, but most at the A2 News have not done so. It's a staff that skews older and has resisted change. There is not a single blog associated with the paper that is known as a must-read in the community on any subject.

    And, because of that, the vast majority of them won't be hired at AnnArbor.com, imo.
     
  12. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    Does writing a blog make you valuable now though? I'd argue that anyone who can log into news edit, or whatever program the paper uses, can log into a web system and write a blog. These things aren't terribly complex. I work with some real knuckleheads when it comes to computer issues, but even they know how to log in, post a story, add a photo and refresh the page.

    I feel like the newspaper could train the entire newsroom in a week or less and everyone could know how to post their own stories, videos and photo galleries. When I transitioned to the web, it took very little time to get a hang of the things - this coming from a guy who can do about three things on the computer: burn a c.d., install a driver and play Snood.
     
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