Layoffs in Indianapolis

[dirtybird]

Apologies if this was posted elsewhere, but there was a small-scale bloodletting at one of Gannett's crown jewels.

http://www.ruthholladay.com/2014/aug/11/mary-beth-schneider-on-twitter/

 

[Riptide]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

"Copy editors from 12 to zero."

Woo-hoo.

 

[BTExpress]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis


I guess Ronnie was right.

No jobs were frozen. They were just put through a wood chipper.

 

[Fran Curci]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

If the blog about layoffs is accurate and my math is right, it looks like they are killing 13 positions. That will make the product better?

 

[playthrough]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

They are increasing the number of reporters (for now), and some of the beats are "Beverages", "Party Crashers" and "Holidays and Observances."

Not kidding.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

They are increasing the number of reporters (for now), and some of the beats are "Beverages", "Party Crashers" and "Holidays and Observances."

Not kidding.

But hey, it's another repurposing of the Passion Topics!

 

[Tarheel316]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

"Copy editors from 12 to zero."

Woo-hoo.

I thought you were joking until I read the link. That's just crazy. The suits running that asylum have lost their minds - if they had any to begin with.

 

[1HPGrad]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

I'll let my guy Ronnie share the good news about the new SE.

 

[spikechiquet]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

I'm curious how many of the copy editors/photogs/etc. will be moved into these new "producer" or reporter positions.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

"Copy editors from 12 to zero."

Woo-hoo.

In light of that, the typo in the subject line of this thread seems appropriate.

 

[PaperDoll]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

I'm curious how many of the copy editors/photogs/etc. will be moved into these new "producer" or reporter positions.

If Indianapolis follows the pilot program discussed on The Tennessean thread, most of the desk can transition. But the web production positions don't necessarily involve editing copy, mostly creating and repurposing it.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

It's the Ronnie Ramos effect.

No hyperbole here, I've never met someone who has worked for him who doesn't HATE him. I know someone who Ramos gave him his career break and he still can't stand the guy.

 

[Joe Williams]

Re: Layoffs in Indianpolis

I feel bad for those still at the Star or those about to be put out. But I'm happy for most of the folks I've known there through the years, who moved on from that joint long ago.

 

[Fredrick]

How can anybody work for a Gannett rag without going insane, truly insane? If you are an editor or a manager or whatever Gannett-speak calls a leader, how can you live with yourself? You can't possibly believe in what you are doing. Anybody with a journalism background (and a brain, even one fried from working in journalism the past 10 years) knows everything Gannett implements is ridiculous.

And if you are a reporter or copy editor, you must have no hair from pulling it all out over the years. I know you got to pay the bills, but how can anybody work for Gannett?

 

[Fredrick]

"Copy editors from 12 to zero."

Woo-hoo.

Who lays out the actual paper? Some command center?
So newspapers have given up on having somebody read copy, huh? I guess they can always fire the reporter if he/she writes something that should never have been allowed onto the Internet or into print. Typos? I guess formal warnings can be issued to reporters. Hell, newspapers need more ways to limit raises. This would be another way to degrade a reporter, say he/she has too many typos, thus cutting the amount of the "raise." Maybe from 3 percent to .5 percent.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

How can anybody work for a Gannett rag without going insane, truly insane? If you are an editor or a manager or whatever Gannett-speak calls a leader, how can you live with yourself? You can't possibly believe in what you are doing. Anybody with a journalism background (and a brain, even one fried from working in journalism the past 10 years) knows everything Gannett implements is ridiculous.

And if you are a reporter or copy editor, you must have no hair from pulling it all out over the years. I know you got to pay the bills, but how can anybody work for Gannett?

May all top brass at Gannett incur a permanent case of the scours.

 

[Walter Burns]

How can anybody work for a Gannett rag without going insane, truly insane?

I was insane when I got there -- and Gannett was actually a step UP from my previous employers.

 

[dirtybird]

"Copy editors from 12 to zero."

Woo-hoo.

Who lays out the actual paper? Some command center?
So newspapers have given up on having somebody read copy, huh? I guess they can always fire the reporter if he/she writes something that should never have been allowed onto the Internet or into print. Typos? I guess formal warnings can be issued to reporters. Hell, newspapers need more ways to limit raises. This would be another way to degrade a reporter, say he/she has too many typos, thus cutting the amount of the "raise." Maybe from 3 percent to .5 percent.

Gannett papers have already been laid out at central design hubs. Now it sounds like more gets thrown on them, and people in the "producer" position will give copy its one read sometimes.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

Not sure how it is in Indy, but the local Gannett papers are 80-90 percent USA Today content. Sports is rarely more than 3-4 pages and it's the same for news.

 

[playthrough]

I'm a Star subscriber and it definitely has plenty of USAT. I don't mind a couple pages, but it's a huge crutch for execs to say "more news! more sports!" and just add a couple more USAT pages.