"We have had furloughs three years in a row, so you can’t help but feel exploited and angry."
-- an unidentified USA Today employee, offering the most damning quote in this morning's New York Times knee-capping of Gannett. USAT Publisher Dave Hunke and GCI's No. 2 executive, COO Gracia Martore, are on the 13-member Gannett Management Committee; it's got overall responsibility for the company.
Last year, Hunke got paid $2.5 million, including cash and the estimated future value of stock awards. That was a $637,104 raise from 2009. (Total pay for GCI's six highest earners in 2010.)
In today's Real Time Comments open thread, Anonymous@3:54 p.m. just wrote:
ReplyDelete"Usa today publisher hunks just held a how go boost morale in the newsroom meeting. No reporters were invited. How to improve morale? Where should they start?"
I JUST GOT MY 4 MONTH LATE RAISE SINCE THE PAY FREEZE LIFT- 27 CENTS.
ReplyDeleteMY QUESTION IS--CAN THEY AFFORD THIS,
I WOULDN,T WANT IT TO TAKE OUT OF THEIR PROFITS
Good journalists are trained to sift truth from bull shit much like courts do with criminal and civil cases. Most have well-tuned BS detectors and find it extremely hard to look the other way when evil forces victimize the good, innocent and vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteThat's why the self-image of most USATers is in the crapper. They know now that they work for people who do not share their truth-telling values. They see a small group of extremely greedy people getting richer at the expense of hundreds of loyal, senior employees. They read credible news stories that make Gannett look like the bungling, mismanaged operation with no strategic plan to guide it.
McCorkindale made a big mistake with the television guy and owes it to the company to step in and help clean up the mess that's followed. A house-cleaning at the top is needed if Gannett hopes to earn the respect of its employees and remaining customers.
The only thing Gracia glares about is when the company jet is late spiriting her to marthas vineyard. This purported any/osity with hunke is pure fiction. Usa today is merely expensive overhead to her. The more people who leave, the happier both are. I bet they have a pool going on how fast the experienced journos are replaced by no nothings.
ReplyDelete