Baton Rouge Advocate next on the list

Guess no one is immune.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/45432197.html

 

It's pleasing to think that the editors who did Johnny_Dangerously wrong might be on that list, but I fear that they'll go after the rank-and-file instead. Couple of SJers there, IIRC. Hope y'all are all right.

 

Maybe it's time for one particular editor to be shown the door. That would make many of those at that stop VERY happy.

 

And legions of us who were once there, Glen .... however, the words 'no fucking way' come to mind .... the editor in question is symptomatic of the general situation there .... the lead to his obit has already been written:

"The world became a better place today."

 

The world did not become a better place yesterday.

Fifteen newsroom names -- none in sports -- on the list I saw. One reduced to part time. One a typist. Good people, including several I consider friends, now unemployed. One veteran nearing retirement age volunteered to go, and he's in the 15.

Sports, which has lost six people in nine months, took care of its business by not replacing three of the six (three copy editors, including ASE, all gone since late March).

The Advocate did not become a better place yesterday.

 

I always thought the Advocate was in a pretty good niche. Guess I was wrong. Johnny, I was told as late as two months ago they were looking for copy editors. Do you know what's up with that?

 

I mentioned this on another thread, but a lot of papers are looking at copy editors. For some reason, editors believe they can just force the writers to do a better job instead of keeping copy editors.

 

To clarify, the copy editors were not forced out in any way. There was one (the smart one) who became a teacher, one who retired, and one who took another journalism job in Houston. The paper was in a hiring freeze. In effect, what has happened is the paper has taken a step toward a universal desk by plugging some of the gaps with twice-a-week news desk help and it has, in effect, taken a step toward eliminating a writing position by angling the newly-promoted ASE who had been a beat writer to do more desk work (which he had done before).

No, this was not a good day. I think a lot of people will be looking at how the company follows up to assess their own futures.

 

I think we all pretty much suspected as such, JD.

 

Ok with all the moves, are they still in the market for copy editors?

 

No. .

 

Fixed your post.