Thursday, August 22, 2013

Asheville | In layoffs, GCI 'cares nothing for talent'

Blogger Leslie Boyd does an excellent job profiling six Asheville Citizen-Times newsroom staffers just laid-off. In a post about the North Carolina daily, she writes:

Actually, I was surprised to hear about all the decisions. These are six really talented people who have always performed well. They have been loyal, hard-working, good employees.

Without these people, there will be fewer stories on the Citizen-Times website, fewer stories in the paper, more mistakes, less truth.

Perhaps that’s what Gannett wants. This huge corporation cares nothing for talent, for loyalty, for the value of people who work for them, or for informing people of the truth.

Is your site here?
An estimated 330 jobs have now been eliminated at 53 of about 80 newspapers since the current round of layoffs began July 29, according to the latest reports from Gannett Blog readers.

Please check this read-only spreadsheet, then post your site's current information in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

22 comments:

  1. Blogging from my iPhone is the pits. I can't wait for the arrival of my new laptop.

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  2. You need to add the Editor of The Times in Shreveport. Although she resigned, we all know what really happened.

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    Replies
    1. I don't know what happened, but as one of her former peons, lemme guess:
      In way over her head from the git-go?
      (I know, that's the typical answer.)

      Delete
  3. One of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's politics reporters, assigned to Buffalo to cover POTUS' speech on education, was apparently cut mid-speech. She tweeted about 20 minutes ago that she'd been laid off.

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    1. What shameless, disgusting bosses she has. They will be patted on the head and get a bonus for carrying out orders.

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    2. Karen Manguson will just have an extra glass of wine tonight (she's a connoisseur you know), and all will feel fine in the morning.

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    3. Wow, have to say that Jessica is handling this like a pro. Hope I have her strength when my time comes.

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  4. Wow! Spoken from the heart. When you read her full blog, you realize just how heartless Gannet really is....it's impossible to listen to the corporate babble anymore when you read stuff like this. No wonder Gannett is so hated by the world. Would it have really killed them to allow someone 2 years from retirement, who lost his son, to stay on and have health care? Shame on you Gannett.

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    Replies
    1. Could you provide a link?

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    2. Here it is: https://twitter.com/JessicaAlaimo

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    3. 6:10 here. Link above is to Twitter account of Rochester D&C staffer laid off during mid-story.

      Here's link to Asheville bloger:
      http://lettersfromtheleft.com/2013/08/21/youll-find-less-news-in-our-local-paper/

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  5. Are there any minority editors left in Gannett besides HT at APP? Martore/Dickey reign seems to have cut or driven out all of that talent. So much for diversity in the GCI management ranks.

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    1. African-American top editors in Jackson (including the managing editor), Louisville, Montgomery and now Shreveport have retired or left Gannett in recent years. The former editor in Salem was one of the few top Asian-American editors. Something is amiss for a company that prided itself on diversity leadership.

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    2. These cuts seem to have taken a heavy toll on minorities. Jim, maybe you should make that part of your survey.

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    3. I think just the opposite is true. Many minorities (at least on the reporting level) are safe because of race, no matter their abilities. At a time when every person counts in a newsroom, this is a disservice to readers and communities. Gannett has never understood that diversity -- which is crucial in a newsroom -- goes beyond race.

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  6. Are there any minority publishers? OC members?

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    Replies
    1. Tom Claybaugh in Salisbury is a minority.

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    2. yeah, claubaugh's smart and works for idiots. that certainly makes him a minority!

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  7. Here's the remainder of the blog post after where it cuts off here:

    Newspapers used to be a better way to get information than television; they could go into depth and analyze the issues. That’s not true anymore. There are so few people in newsrooms anymore that no one has time to investigate anything, and that’s how big business wants it.

    Newspapers are killing themselves. The Citizen-Times is profitable — for now; Gannett is profitable. But they continue to make decisions that leave people less informed, when information is supposed to be what they sell.

    All six of these people who were canned today will lose their insurance unless they can afford COBRA. Fortunately for all of us, the Affordable Care Act takes effect in January, so my husband, who has had bypass surgery, and I, with my asthma, will be able to get health insurance.

    Shame on Gannett.

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  8. Re: Asheville. A magnet for highly educated artists, GLBT retirees and tourists. Significant cultural attractions like the Biltmore House and a walk-able downtown. They know crap when they see it and most will be happy to pay for a real newspaper like the NYT online. Stupid, stupid Gannett.

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  9. How old is everyone, peeps without a job recently? Wondering.

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