The Tennessean laid off 14 employees today, and plans to reorganize the newsroom this summer. The cuts are among 700 across the U.S. newspaper division. Word-for-word excerpts from the newspaper's just-published story about the newsroom changes:
Publisher Carol Hudler and editor Mark Silverman announced that news operations will be refocused to better meet changing print and digital needs in Middle Tennessee. It is expected that about 20 news positions will be lost through unfilled positions and layoffs as a part of those changes later this summer.
The news changes will help The Tennessean continue and deepen the newspaper’s legacy of public service journalism, improve the breadth and reach of local news in Nashville and its suburban counties, and continue to establish The Tennessean as the region’s primary source of digital news, information and engagement.
"We will sharpen our focus and concentrate our staff resources on the issues and topics our audiences are most passionate about," said Silverman. "At the same time, we will seek opportunities to partner with groups and individuals to provide additional information."
Earlier: Silverman wins Ben Bradlee editor award.
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The news changes will help The Tennessean continue and deepen the newspaper’s legacy of public service journalism, improve the breadth and reach of local news in Nashville and its suburban counties, and continue to establish The Tennessean as the region’s primary source of digital news, information and engagement.
"We will sharpen our focus and concentrate our staff resources on the issues and topics our audiences are most passionate about," said Silverman. "At the same time, we will seek opportunities to partner with groups and individuals to provide additional information."
Earlier: Silverman wins Ben Bradlee editor award.
Silverman should return his award. There is no way he can follow through on such a farcical statement.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteA corporate toady until the end (or until retirement age and moving back to Va). Lies. Money talks when you are trapped.
ReplyDeleteThis would be edited out or not allowed to stand without other views if the story was about any other important local institution. Credibility takes a hit.
ReplyDeleteTotal and utter bullsh*t said to keep one's job. Gannett editors are very good at this.
ReplyDeleteThis statement just makes me want to throw up.
ReplyDeleteUm... What?
ReplyDeleteThat's insane.
Less people can produce more & better?
I'm glad I don't work for Gannett any more.
Mark Silverman is a duplicitous, worthless POS. He was at corporate, he was in Louisville, he was in Detroit, he clearly still is...
ReplyDeleteThat is fucking unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that a lovely way to say "thanks for making the Tennessean a Pulitzer finalist this year, guys!"
ReplyDeleteYou made us feel worthless today, Tennessean.
You broke our hearts.
It's good to know they speak this stupid shit across other sites too. Do they really think the people working for them have no brains and will not read through the B.S.? Cutbacks like this do NOT improve ANYTHING. Ask your readers and advertisers what they think of all the cutbacks in recent years.
ReplyDeleteOh right, you don't have to - simply look at the revenue decline. Where they spend their money speaks VOLUMES.
Has Mark ever taken on or criticized corporate directives or actions? Has he ever taken on the establishment internally putting his reputation on the line to oppose anything? Just share and educate me.
ReplyDeleteHudler tells us that once they've whacked 16 percent of the newsroom staff, they'll be replacing us with freelancers.
ReplyDeleteThat's a one-way ticket to deep public service journalism, right there.
The Tallahassee Florida Democrat has been pushing this same TOADY line of bullshit from Gannett corporate for 5 years now as well. Lying, making stuff up and firing off the real newspeople, and replacing them with inexperienced newbies who are learning their craft at the community's expense creating a severe lack of cogent & intelligent news. Tallahassee is suffering from their mistakes now, and will for the foreseeable future because of the misdeeds Gannett & toady editors commit against their readers.
ReplyDeleteThe Egyptian government was overthrown by a text on Twitter. Why can't we get rid of Dubow and all these spineless editors in the same matter?
ReplyDeleteWe are stockholders lay them off.
"Deepen the newspaper’s legacy of public service journalism, and improve the breadth and reach of local news in Nashville." Can someone explain to me how cutting jobs will deepen the newspapers legacy of public journalism? Do you actually believe this BS Mark?
ReplyDeleteSomething's DEEP alright. In DEEP shit. DEEP denial.
ReplyDeleteWhat dumbass thinks that replacing reporters with " partner with groups and individuals to provide additional information" will work. Middle Tennessee residents deserves better. Craig Moon where are you?
ReplyDeleteI just want to know how The Tennessean can keep touting growing readership numbers when everyone I know has cancelled their subscriptions. Funny how circulation numbers are no longer mentioned, isn't it? Oh, and the first one on the layoff list should be managing editor Meg Downey. Now that's a waste of a salary.
ReplyDeleteAnd... at 2:23 a.m. local time, the hardest working person in the Tennessean's newsroom, the comment policer, deleted all 19 comments that were there earlier, and not all of them were even remotely offensive or did not meet the "standards" one is supposed to follow to post comments. Chickenshits can't handle people telling them WHY they stopped reading/subscribing/etc. Built-in focus group, ignored.
ReplyDeleteJust when you think it can't get any worse, it just did, with Silverman's stupid comments.
ReplyDeleteWould it be so hard to just say, "We're struggling right now, and our CEO would rather collect a big bonus than pay people. I'm sorry we have to lose a lot of hard-working employees."
Dubow wouldn't like it. But oh well. If that comment would upset him ... then don't be collecting bonuses on workers' backs.
Silly rabbits, the comment police don't work in Nashville! We outsourced that job! There's a robotic arm punching "delete" somewhere in Nebraska or Bangalore or somesuch.
ReplyDeleteSoon, they'll outsource the reporting to robotic arms as well. Freelance robotic arms. $25 bucks an article. No health benefits.
Other than adding a few positions recently, was there ONE SINGLE cut from the corporate staff or even a token of salary cuts? Very doubtful.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the person who keeps sniping anonymously at Meg Downey across the boards... what the hell? If I were going to spew anonymous bile at a manager, she wouldn't even make my short list.
ReplyDeleteNot that I would spew anonymous bile. Because that's mean, and there's enough mean floating around the Tennessean newsroom on a daily basis as it is.
Downey had a good career and respect during her years at Poughkeepsie. She could keep some distance from abusive, sick Osenenko and sidekick Shinske. Don't know if she was forced into the partnership from hell with Silverman or was willing to go. Either way, it destroyed her reputation.
ReplyDeleteLOL!
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that Silverman has great potential as an Obama speech writer. At least January 2013.
Using Silverman's logic, the best way to fulfill my dream of becoming a major league pitcher is to cut three fingers off of my right hand...
ReplyDeleteThat newsroom is already decimated. Reporters there feel it's nearly impossible to perform under the circumstances. It's each man for himself in that sinking ship. Not to mention it's hard to take seriously a leader who has gotten involved with some questionable people - sorrysilverman.com
ReplyDeleteI think they meant to say "deep-six the newspaper’s legacy of public service journalism."
ReplyDeleteHere's how they plan to fill the paper now ... Free contributors to the opinion page. Want to guess when they will make the same offer for A1 space?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20110626/OPINION/306260045/Win-spot-newspaper-columnist?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
Want to be heard? Enter The Tennessean’s opinion writing contest and win the opportunity to write a weekly column for eight weeks.
Nashville Scene did a spectacular profile of Silverman in 2008, and he's still reeling from it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2008/02/18/a-spectacular-doofus-a-brief-look-at-mark-silvermans-long-career
Looks like when MS said layoffs from newsroom reorganization would come "later this summer," he actually meant "next week."
ReplyDeleteI can see how he might get those confused.
Just how will fewer reporters/editors deepen coverage? This kind of statement is offensive to the intelligence not only of journalists but of ANYONE, whether a reader or not. A columnist let go several years ago walked in to a staff meeting just after being fired and told people not to trust the Tennessean. She said the paper had no loyalty whatsoever to journalists who had worked there, and worked hard, for years. She was right.
ReplyDelete8:59: The only coverage that's getting deeper at the Tennessean is the manure being spread around by Deal Chicken.
ReplyDeleteSilverman has long been a nasty corporate puppet who followed the G A N N E T T dictum that execs should watch their asses and blame underlings for anything that goes wrong.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't buy a pack of gum from Silverman let alone a used car!
When I had got the position as a BLANK YEARS AGO the wage was ok at the time, MANY YEARS LATER WITH NO RAISE GETS OLD REAL FAST ‘NO APPRETIATION”. They always have the same excuses business is slow we don’t have the money right now. But yet they hire people off the street making more than you. COMPANY HAS NO WORK ETHICS. DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE ALREADY. COMPNAY IS A JOKE.
ReplyDeleteThe companies that they secure now they try so hard to hold on to them by making up excuses all the time on everything. Making comments like oh yes were going to get X amount of hours here soon cuz were just such a great company. WELL if that’s the case why don’t you start off by taking care of the people that are taking care of you. JOKE, JOKE JOKE.
If you’re reading this and you debating whether or not to get this company as your security provider, think a minute if there mis-treating their own employees what will they do for you. HUMMMM makes you think.