From a Washington Post article last night about Gannett's newly appointed CEO:
Gracia Martore has one of those bios that reads like a Great American Success Story: Granddaughter of Italian immigrants. Father died when she was a kid. Held down three jobs to get through Wellesley College. Learned a skill and worked like the dickens.
As with most such success stories, this one has a somewhat improbable payoff.
Read the rest of the Post article, here.
Gracia Martore has one of those bios that reads like a Great American Success Story: Granddaughter of Italian immigrants. Father died when she was a kid. Held down three jobs to get through Wellesley College. Learned a skill and worked like the dickens.
As with most such success stories, this one has a somewhat improbable payoff.
Read the rest of the Post article, here.
Jim your link should be to the WasPo story...it's not. I can't believe the reporter quoted you.
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn't the reporter do so? Jim is the only person who has held GCI's feet to the fire now for all of these years, opening up access to valuable information.
ReplyDeleteAs for this heartwarming "success" story, three cheers for the promotion of another great GCI visionary who has literally made a personal fortune off the misfortune of the employees she's either downsized or forced into pay cuts. That's apparently such a winning business model, that the bold corporate board has signed on for a five-year extension. Such innovation! Bravo!
Perhaps the Wall Street Protesters should assemble a caravan to a certain CP in Tysons ...
10:52 I don't believe 10:33 is criticizing the Post's decision to interview me. They are saying that both the links I provide should go to the Post story -- rather than just the one on the bottom.
ReplyDeleteI'll criticize the decision. It's more of the lazy reporter syndrome. Today's reporters are lazy, so they make decisions like this one. Jim is clearly biased, and anyone with sense would not have quoted him, or they would have made some attempt to balance out his non-credible comment. The Post editors failed here, too. The quote and reference to Jim should have been deleted.
ReplyDeleteJim has held no one to the fire, by the way. Gannett still does what it wants. No below-average, unemployed reporter or his cheering section will change that.
10:52 I would not be surprise, if their was some other person, before Jim came on the blog, that gave Gannett,a hot ass( I mean feet)!
ReplyDelete12:59 maybe Jim did balance the story from the fluff rah rah stuff I'm sure gannett released. But I'm sure you are use to a steady diet of Kool aid.
ReplyDelete12:59 In fact, the Post reporter did interview an analyst, Douglas Arthur, about the company's prospects. Doesn't that count as providing the "balance" you want to see?
ReplyDeleteNo, Jim. You are clearly biased against Gannett, so providing balance would mean a direct quote from someone at Gannett refuting your statement, if possible. Maybe the people at Gannett simply ignore you.
ReplyDeleteSee how that works? Probably not.
2:25 Here's what I told the Post: “If the board wanted big change, they would have looked for someone outside the company. But I think what they wanted was more of the same.”
ReplyDeleteYou are suggesting there's someone in a position of authority at Corporate who would refute that statement. But how?
For example, would Robin Pence say, "Hopkins is incorrect. The board expects big changes and something completely different."
That would run counter to what Marjorie Magner, the new chairman, said in announcing Martore's promotion: "We are very fortunate to have an executive of Gracia’s tenure and caliber in place and ready to lead the ongoing transformation of the company for long-term growth."
I do think the Post should have identified the Blog and Jim as a critic of current management.
ReplyDeleteBut still, quoting Jim was perfectly fine, and his quote was completely intelligent.
Stop the stupid potshots on this one.
The interesting zero-based take on Martore, that she is a female pioneer and success story, of course must make hurting Gannetteers bristle, but that is a legitimate take as well.
It's a hard time to be part of a suffering company with all we've endured and see the analysis be more about the business than the people. But that is business journalism, and that, sadly, is business.
We can only hope that somehow Martore can find a better balance going forward. For now, good for her and her entire life story.
Jim, they could have said: "Jim Hopkins has chosen to run anonymous potshots at our company. He also, at least once, posted a personal attack that he later retracted. His objectivity on this issue has to be in question." That would be an inarguably factual statement.
ReplyDeleteDoes that clear things up for you?
3:09, the stupid potshots come from your side of the aisle. Clean up your mess first.
12:59: It's a tough pill to swallow knowing that people outside of this corporation are reading the blog and see and understand how corporate has literally stolen money from its employees. This company has no integrity and the world knows it. I would like to hear your unbiased view regarding the obscene bonuses the corporate execs got last year off the backs of the employees. Bravo, Jim.
ReplyDelete3:49, my unbiased view is that nothing you said in that post changes the previous statement:
ReplyDeleteJim has held no one to the fire, by the way. Gannett still does what it wants. No below-average, unemployed reporter or his cheering section will change that.
12:59, 3:36, 5:19: You're a pill. (I'm assuming you're the same poster here.) Jim doesn't pretend to be an unbiased party. Nor should he be. In any story like this, a reporter is going to quote cheerleaders and critics. That's how it works. If the reporter would have identified Jim as a critical voice out there, would that have made it all better in your narrow world view?
ReplyDeleteOverall, the story was astonishingly pro-Gracia. Like 3:49 said, this corporation has literally stolen money from its employees, with greedy executives making their personal fortunes by ending thousands of careers. Gracia hasn't simply been a participant in this. She's been an architect and lead profiteer. She demurs to make predictions on layoffs saying she can't control market forces. Well, she can control what she makes directly from the pockets of those she's laying off and putting on furlough, can't she? Take a look at how much was saved through layoffs/furloughs over the last year and look at CD's obscene "disability" payoff ... That dern RIF savings didn't go very far, did it?
5:32, you should learn to read. There's a segment here that shows how Gannett could have responded.
ReplyDeleteBut the company probably knows it's not worth even mentioning Jim Hopkins. He and you are irrelevant.
If anyone's view here is narrow, it's yours, blind follower.
5:19: Granted, Gannett will still do what it wants; therefore, it will always be a horrible company to work for. When your goal is to have unhappy employees who are numb from the mistreatment, your product will suffer and you will lose customers. I know this because I was once a customer and I no longer subscribe to your products.
ReplyDeleteI was directed to this blog by other consumers who are equally as disgusted as I am by the abuse of power at your corporate level. The only below-average employees I see here are the executives at corporate. This has to be the most unimaginative group of leaders I have ever encountered.
"But the company probably knows it's not worth even mentioning Jim Hopkins. He and you are irrelevant."
ReplyDeleteOnce again, Gannett is going to come late to the party. Ignoring Jim and this blog while other media sources are quoting from here is just plain stupid. This is why Gannett continues to FAIL!
Gannett will remain oblivious, as usual.
10:33 here. I only meant that the links were not to the Post story and should have been. And that I was surprised the reporter quoted Jim which to me meant the reporter did find him a credible source "from the other side".
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has read this blog for 3+ years knows it is a mixed bag, given the anonymous postings format. It provides a place for employees to vent, for people outside corporate to see the bigger picture. unfortunately, it's also full of rumors and untruths, at times. You have to weed through the postings to find some truths.
If management ignores the blog why did CD refer to it as "that blasted blog" on one of his stops on the propaganda tour?
ReplyDeleteIt's alright to appreciate Martore's personal story but what makes her qualified? She's been in the Gannett echo chamber for 26 years
ReplyDelete8:39, probably because someone asked a direct question about it.
ReplyDeleteBut the fact you and others keep bringing that back up as some sort of major victory shows why you will always lose. You think snark and 5-cent insults mean you win.
Meanwhile, the company keeps doing what it does. You will not stop it. You will not change it. You will just keep whining, and you will lose.
2:11 I lost and I lost huge. Now I just come here hoping for some satisfaction in watching the company free fall.
ReplyDelete