It has been a sad week in journalism. It was really no surprise, but still a sting when the Seattle P-I ran it's presses for the last time. The P-I's excelling alternative story-telling and creative "big type" designs always inspired my work. In fact, my Idaho Press Club 1st Place award winning design was inspired by a P-I headline format. It's stark crisp white and bold black look also gave me a lot of great ideas for the Daily Evergreen's redesign in 2006.
At the same time many of us at McClatchy newspapers waited on the edge of our seats to hear how as 15 percent cut in workforce would break down at the individual newspapers. The ADN let 47 go Thursday (nearly a fifth of it's workforce) and gave pay cuts to most remaining staff members. The Idaho Statesman laid off 25. Many other McClatchy newspapers announced their cuts the same day.
More sadness:
"Freedom Communications to implement one-week furloughs"-- Editor & Publisher
"And then there were nine: 'News-Gazette' to stop all day publication" E&P
Hopefully we'll pick ourselves up and innovate our way out of this mess.
Unfortunately, the lack of innovation is what lead newspapers into this mess. We thought "the rail" and the "quick read" were going to bring readers in, by the droves. Mid-sized and smaller papers waited for the large "mother" papers to lead them by example to prosperity. Any "innovation" by an individual newspaper was held close to the chest, as if a top secret. Company newspapers within the same state or geographic area conducted business as bitter enemies. Even though their stated goals were the same. NandOnet was one of the first news organizations on Internet. It no longer exists . . . Seeing a bandwagon and jumping on is different than building your own bandwagon. News organizations, including non- newspapers, have a WORLDWIDE network that is utterly and totally underutilized to bring individuals the information we promised. We have failed.
ReplyDeletePage Designer - News ('98-'08)
News & Observer, Raleigh, NC