Bye-bye P-I: One man's -30-

Damn. This sucks.

 

David --

Nothing comes close to expressing what it should.

So, in a vain attempt at saying something: Thanks for being a newspaperman.

 

David,

Words aren't much of a comfort right now, but I wanted to let you know that I thought yours were an eloquent tribute to a great newspaper that is breathing its last.

It's a sad day to see one of the great papers of our nation's history become a shadow of itself. It's a tragedy that a media company can so callously and heartlessly walk away from the struggle without putting up even the most token resistance.

More than the effect on any one staff member, my thoughts go to everyone who has to turn in a computer or a key card and pick up a severance check. My thoughts are with people who now have to line up at the unemployment offices and try to find something, anything that will help them make ends meet.

Yesterday, I saw a video online in which the speaker, who happens to be a state secretary of labor talked about having hope. It struck me because he told people to look for something to tell them that today is a good day, and that it was better than yesterday. I had a good day yesterday, but the memories of that good day have taken a bad seat to today's news.

I wish you and your family well in this trying time. I wish you and your colleagues the best as you all begin the journey toward new careers and, hopefully, fulfillment somewhere. But most of all, I wish for you the knowledge that you and everyone you worked with have far greater commitment to yourselves and your craft than did the numbers crunchers.

Don't follow the example set by the bean counters in your next task, in your next job or in life. Be more like that long-ago naval hero John Paul Jones, who was faced with commanding a crippled old ship and the bravado of the Royal Navy in a stronger ship. When he was asked if he'd given up, history records him as having said, "I have not yet begun to fight." We all know what happened there.

Godspeed, David and The Post-Intelligencer.

 

Best of luck, and many prayers to you, your family and the Seattle P-I.

 

Sorry man.

 

David,

Just like with the Rocky last month and its fine writers, my sentiments go out to you. You fought the good fight, you gave 110 percent, you stepped up.

I'm sorry for all the cliches, but I have a feeling papers folding in the next few years will become the ultimate cliche.

Cheers to the PI. Hang your heads high, even though I know it's hard.

 

David/AB --

I finally made it through your post ... but staring down that globe is tough.

You are one of the good ones, and not just on SJ, but also in the journalism world. Your job is the one I grew up dreaming of, reading both local papers as a kid but always wanting to cover the M's for the P-I. Not only growing up reading it, but knowing so many of you from my days at the shop down the road, this just kills me. With the P-I, so goes part of my heart.

I've met many folks in this business, especially in the Seattle region, but nowhere have I found such classy folks through and through than the Seattle P-I. Through workshops and SJ and covering preps and other events in the area, the staff of the P-I are the best bunch of journalists I know. While I'd held out a small bit of hope that it wouldn't come to this, the entire print product closing, the only silver lining is that there is no more wondering ... the P-I staff now knows what tomorrow holds, even if they're unsure of Wednesday.

I hope you all are able to sufficiently mourn together, be it by bottle or tears. I wish you, and your coworkers, the very best. And to you, and any of your coworkers who may read this, if you need anything -- tomorrow, next week, this summer, etc. -- just say the word.

 

Cheers to you, AB... may the next job be better than the last..

 

Between this and the Rocky, I just don't understand.
Nearly 300 years of combined newspaper history and now just gone.
Sorry isn't strong enough.

 

Godspeed, David, and to your colleagues as well.