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Do as I say, not as I do --- Bham News spikes columnist's piece on buyouts

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Steak Snabler, Apr 20, 2010.

  1. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Birmingham News management spikes columnist's piece on newsroom buyouts:

    http://ikepigott.posterous.com/john-archibalds-unpublished-column

    A little more background ...

    http://mediaofbirmingham.com/2010/04/20/john-archibald-column-the-birmingham-news-buyout/
     
  2. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    Not anymore.
     
  3. disgruntledgrunt

    disgruntledgrunt New Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    A media outlet that holds other companies to the fire and demands they speak on the record about layoffs and buyouts, but clams up on their own fuck-ups. Typical asshole media mismanagement.
     
  4. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    One interesting note from the spiked column: The B'ham News has lost 500 years of experience in just two years due to buyouts.

    That's incredible ... and a damn shame.
     
  5. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do


    So did the dude get fired for writing that?
     
  6. Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    It has always amazed me that media executives think their readers are so stupid that they can't detect the hypocrisy in this stance.

    The media in general does an absolutely horseshit job covering itself. Usually it takes a rival competitor to point out the bad news, whether it's hiding buyouts and layoffs, misreporting circulation claims, or spinning falling profit margins.

    Contemptible. And not surprising.
     
  7. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    Birmingham has sister papers in Huntsville and Mobile that also have experienced buyout departures.

    How much combined experience has been lost at all three papers in the last two years?

    Nice piece by Archibald. Crying shame what has happened in our industry.
     
  8. HejiraHenry

    HejiraHenry Well-Known Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    Pretty small-minded to not publish this. Standard gutless practice, though.
     
  9. huntsie

    huntsie Active Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    I wrote a light piece one time about how my newspaper doesn't get delivered on time. They killed it.
    "I won't let anything appear that is critical of our newspaper," was what the boss said.
     
  10. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    For the record, this line is crap: "We’ve lost 32 people in the newsroom. Twenty were reporters, the real workhorses."

    Thanks for that, John.

    Sincerely,

    Every damn person who has ever caught a mistake in any of your stories or columns.
     
  11. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    Stupid of the paper not to publish the column. Have they heard of this invention called the Internet? It's not like they are the only news outlet anymore.

    More people would have respect for the paper if they would have just taken their lumps and run the column. I understand if they don't want a habit made out of ripping themselves. But when you're chopping 32 jobs, it's newsworthy to your readers. They owe it to them to report.
     
  12. MacDaddy

    MacDaddy Active Member

    Re: Do as I say, not as I do

    Plus it's now getting about a thousand times as much attention as if they'd just run the column.
     
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