When I started this blog I chose the dark template because that seemed appropriate and somber and respectful. Now that the cuts have happened, I think that it is more respectful to those who have left and those who remain to change the look. For all of us, we need to figure out how to get on with things. This is not to make light of the terrible event we have all gone through. The content will not change.
The truth is, I found the white-on-black hard on my eyes. Since I'm the owner, this is a place I can make a change without calling a meeting or assembling a focus group or getting six sets of signatures. Unlike where I work and still draw a paycheck.
Enough with the dark.
Scatter-shooting while wondering what ever happened to that black background ... ?
ReplyDeleteBlackie...Didn't know you read this site!
ReplyDeleteIn the interest of "figuring out how to get on with things" I can not, in good conscience, move on without pointing out a very insidious tendency that exists within the editors, specially photo editors, in the newsroom. We all know there's a hierarchy within any work place. Not everybody is a award-winning journalist. It takes many kinds of work to put out a paper and keep it credible. It has been my experience that those who decide what gets published have a tendency to treat their subordinates with a lot of disdain and disrespect. Many editors will ignore you, your ideas and your work if it does not contribute to their "status". Every member of the newsroom deserves to be treated with respect. Every worker's job is worthy of dignity. I sincerely believe this need to be addressed in order to improve the Newsroom as a workplace. Arrogance has no positive byproducts.
ReplyDelete"I found the white-on-black hard on my eyes"--ditto, probably for most 50+ who were let go ;-) It's a lot easier to read with a white background. Thanks for changing it!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of moving on, one good touchstone to gauge the likelihood we'll be able to land another position quickly may be the notorious Betty Brown story now making rounds.
ReplyDeleteThose of us able to articulately dispatch this event with the quick shorthand most are giving it will likely find a new position in a media or communications slot in short order. Those of us prone to get too tangled up in the boring complexities of the matter are liable to risk our TWC money running out. Use this water cooler item as a self-test in private to find out what you need to correct in your presentations before you find yourself onstage in an interview. Remember, KISS, stupid.
Anonymous 8:42, I have also witnessed this behavior but nothing will change. The place continues to operate as if it were fifty years ago and a Pulitzer will solve all the problems the paper is facing. Prizes will not solve the financial woes nor will they guarantee anyone a job. To spend precious resources so a few can take a couple of years to complete one project is folly. This recent cut of hard working, loyal folks who embraced the change is an example of management's failure to see beyond office politics and what is actually best for the future of DMN. In my opinion, some seem to feel that if they can cling to keeping their departments prestigious by coddling a few star people with the best of resources and time that they will somehow insulate themselves from future layoffs. This is not the case. No one is safe. The recent nonsensical cuts should send a message: do what they ask you to do, be all that you can be and still lose your job.
ReplyDeleteMoral and ethical, my ass!
ReplyDelete