RIP Chris Page

I didn't know him, but know someone who did. Chris was an award-winning theater critic at the East Valley Tribune from 2003 until earlier this month, when he was laid off (position eliminated, according to the story.) ... Found dead in his home Monday, apparent suicide. He was 29. RIP. :'(

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/117240

 

Jesus, how incredibly sad.

 

RIP.

 

Wow. This is horrible. Sympathies to family and friends.

 

Tragic, terrible news. Condolences to the family. RIP.

 

Wow. How incredibly sad. Suicide is so hard to understand.

Thoughts and prayers to his family.

 

Folks, before everyone inevitably begins to blame our industry, please understand there were other circumstances in Chris' life that led to his death. It is tragic and incredibly sad, but please don't use his death as some indictment of the newspaper business. Thanks.

 

indeed, it isn't as if this industry has a higher suicide rate than others.

rip, chris. you obviously didn't find peace here.

 

I didn't know this person and I know you can't blame corporate greed for everything and I don't know the circumstances of the paper's buyout/execution plan, but I will say this: The story underscores the need for cost-cutting organizations to provide some form of counseling -- professional and personal -- for those it deems expendable and worthy of elimination.

 

Sorry, and I hate to intrude, but you're going to have to prove that it me. I have been in this business for 33 years – you? – and I know of a grand total of no journalists in my peer group or among many I have worked with (or against) in a wide variety of markets who have killed themselves. One or two long-term, slow suicides perhaps, but those are harder to quantify. Every vocation has its issues, Lord knows, but let's not get carried away here.

 

um, methinks your reading comp needs improvement.

 

Likewise, I don't mean to sidetrack this too far, but your post got me thinking, in a scary way, about the idea of counseling for those who lose their jobs.

Channeling Jelenic here: Those programs cost money, so to be able to pay for them, the beancounters would wind up cutting even more jobs. Thus, more people need the counseling, those costs go up, more layoffs come and -- voila -- vicious cycle.