Is the Oregonian's other shoe about to drop?

Seven photographers out. What remains is a bare bones crew. Guess that means reporters better learn to shoot as well as they handle a notepad.

 

With iPhones? [/chicagosuntimes}

 

By my count, they had 17 photo employees, not all of whom were photographers. So they lost about half their photographers in one mass layoff, assuming all the affected were photographers.

I remember John Hunt well from his stint as the fantasy sports expert for USA Today. He was a real trailblazer there. Stunning to see that any media company would be shortsighted enough to dump him.

 

I remember Tracy finding out in spring training. Geez.

I can also vouch for Shottie... it happened the same way at my shop.

 

Reports are a quarter of the editorial staff is gone.

 

Mind-boggling, indeed. And just plain sad.
I knew the sports guys -- plus Ryan -- who got laid off. All excellent writers, which of course means little in this day and age. Media companies have an interesting business plan -- shrink the product and shrink the staff because, as we all know, our readers want less and not more from us.

 

How many layoffs is it now that Chris Anderson has presided over, including the start of the dismantling in Orange County?

 

Ryan could have been Lester Bangs and not kept that job, unfortunately. Advance doesn't value culture. Increasingly, the place for music writing is online, and I don't know what the heck that pays. I can't imagine there's many benefits.

 

Photogs took quite a hit here, too, including a truly gifted sports shooter. And yes, the expectation is most definitely that reporters are to pull out those iPhones and shoot something they cover if possible.