Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Warning! A Slasher Is On the Loose!!
Well, don't go locking the doors and hiding under the bed or in a closet. Not just yet.
Here in Connecticut, the nation's oldest continuously published newspaper is slashing jobs by 25 percent. Yep, it's true. The Hartford Courant is cutting its editorial staff from 273 to 206. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, the paper is also "right-sizing" itself to feature a different look and possibly eliminate entire sections, such as the Business and Connecticut section. Ouch!
The newspaper I once delivered as a paperboy and turn to every single morning for news overa cup of coffee will be changing. It's a sad state of affairs for the printed newspaper industry, and selfishly, I wish it wasn't affecting my hometown paper. Go do this to someone else. But, low and behold, it is affecting more than just my paper, and there's probably very little we can do to change it.
As a public relations professional, I think that as newsrooms and the media "world" condenses, it's going to make pitches and landing that big story a little tougher. Long gone are the days of reporters having just one very specific beat. Now, they've got several beats to cover and many stories to write. They're overwhelmed. I often find myself talking to more and more freelancers who write for several media outlets and reporters who cover several different beats just to stay afloat in the newsroom and keep their jobs.
Fact is, in a world where technology is becoming more and more sophisticated and news outlets are able to post stories within seconds on their own websites, such as Courant.com, or utilize social media sites such as Twitter, the pages are going to continue to dwindle.
So with that said, what are your thoughts? Is this the beginning of the end for our daily papers?
Here in Connecticut, the nation's oldest continuously published newspaper is slashing jobs by 25 percent. Yep, it's true. The Hartford Courant is cutting its editorial staff from 273 to 206. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, the paper is also "right-sizing" itself to feature a different look and possibly eliminate entire sections, such as the Business and Connecticut section. Ouch!
The newspaper I once delivered as a paperboy and turn to every single morning for news overa cup of coffee will be changing. It's a sad state of affairs for the printed newspaper industry, and selfishly, I wish it wasn't affecting my hometown paper. Go do this to someone else. But, low and behold, it is affecting more than just my paper, and there's probably very little we can do to change it.
As a public relations professional, I think that as newsrooms and the media "world" condenses, it's going to make pitches and landing that big story a little tougher. Long gone are the days of reporters having just one very specific beat. Now, they've got several beats to cover and many stories to write. They're overwhelmed. I often find myself talking to more and more freelancers who write for several media outlets and reporters who cover several different beats just to stay afloat in the newsroom and keep their jobs.
Fact is, in a world where technology is becoming more and more sophisticated and news outlets are able to post stories within seconds on their own websites, such as Courant.com, or utilize social media sites such as Twitter, the pages are going to continue to dwindle.
So with that said, what are your thoughts? Is this the beginning of the end for our daily papers?
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