I believe every word you say. Still, I can’t rip the bandaid off of the Des Moines Register. I want to support the writers there who are still doing great work. But it’s hard to see it so diminished. Reading it reminds me of the last few times I went to the downtown Younkers. The store was a shell of what it had been, with just two stories verses six. But yet, I kept going anyway.
This is so, so good...So let's say I love the political reporting at Brand X and subscribe because I count on them to cover things I'm interested in. The coverage is thinner, year after year, as the hedge fund slowly cannibalizes them. Does my subscription help the publication survive and the young journalists, or am I just prolonging the misery and helping enrich the hedge fund? Pull the plug, or no? What's the next step? Any thoughts? Thanks.
Fantastic question Robert and I wish I had a smart, incisive answer - but I don’t. In fact Ed Tibbets and I were just discussing this today. What will be so missed by losing larger, experienced newsrooms is decades of institutional knowledge.
As a young reporter, I gained tremendous value from the mentorship of older editors who had “been there/done that.” I know I felt I couldn’t really devote much time to coaching and mentoring my young reporters at the Press-Citizen - every day was a madhouse struggle just to get published with such a tiny staff.
I guess I feel like it’s time to just rip the BandAid off. None of these chains has demonstrated and sincerity or seriousness to actually reversing the staff cutting trend - so I feel like subscribing is throwing good money after bad and rewarding those in power who are merely sucking the marrow out of the bones of what’s left.
I believe every word you say. Still, I can’t rip the bandaid off of the Des Moines Register. I want to support the writers there who are still doing great work. But it’s hard to see it so diminished. Reading it reminds me of the last few times I went to the downtown Younkers. The store was a shell of what it had been, with just two stories verses six. But yet, I kept going anyway.
This is so, so good...So let's say I love the political reporting at Brand X and subscribe because I count on them to cover things I'm interested in. The coverage is thinner, year after year, as the hedge fund slowly cannibalizes them. Does my subscription help the publication survive and the young journalists, or am I just prolonging the misery and helping enrich the hedge fund? Pull the plug, or no? What's the next step? Any thoughts? Thanks.
Fantastic question Robert and I wish I had a smart, incisive answer - but I don’t. In fact Ed Tibbets and I were just discussing this today. What will be so missed by losing larger, experienced newsrooms is decades of institutional knowledge.
As a young reporter, I gained tremendous value from the mentorship of older editors who had “been there/done that.” I know I felt I couldn’t really devote much time to coaching and mentoring my young reporters at the Press-Citizen - every day was a madhouse struggle just to get published with such a tiny staff.
I guess I feel like it’s time to just rip the BandAid off. None of these chains has demonstrated and sincerity or seriousness to actually reversing the staff cutting trend - so I feel like subscribing is throwing good money after bad and rewarding those in power who are merely sucking the marrow out of the bones of what’s left.
Personally, I believe there are really good people doing the best they can with limited resources.
I agree 100% I have tremendous respect for everyone in the trenches. They deserve so much better.