For decades, Gannett has been an industry leader in hiring more minorities, and showcasing diversity in its editorial content. Indeed, in the company's Annual Report to shareholders this year, Corporate wrote:
"A key initiative for the company is its leadership and diversity program that focuses on finding, developing and retaining the best and the brightest employees, as well as a diverse workforce that reflects the fabric of the communities Gannett serves."
But now more than ever, that role is threatened with the very recent departures of several high-profile editors -- plus the loss of the lone black member of the company's board of directors, leaving that powerful governing group looking whiter than ever.
In Binghamton, N.Y., several readers tell me Executive Editor Calvin Stovall was among those exiting in a round of job cuts this week. (I've asked Stovall for a comment.) That followed the news African-American top editors in Shreveport, La., and Louisville, Ky., had also left their jobs. And their exits were preceded by that of the African-American editor in Montgomery, Ala., in January.
[Updated Sept. 19. In Binghamton, Neill Borowski replaced Stovall.]
In an e-mail yesterday, a reader told me: "It's become increasingly clear that Gannett's once-cherished values (namely diversity) have taken a back seat to the bottom line. That's fine, but let's hope these layoffs are met with a proportional dial down of Gannett's touting of its values."
Anything less would be hypocritical from a company where the 12 most senior executives look just as white as the board of directors.
"A key initiative for the company is its leadership and diversity program that focuses on finding, developing and retaining the best and the brightest employees, as well as a diverse workforce that reflects the fabric of the communities Gannett serves."
But now more than ever, that role is threatened with the very recent departures of several high-profile editors -- plus the loss of the lone black member of the company's board of directors, leaving that powerful governing group looking whiter than ever.
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| Stovall |
[Updated Sept. 19. In Binghamton, Neill Borowski replaced Stovall.]
In an e-mail yesterday, a reader told me: "It's become increasingly clear that Gannett's once-cherished values (namely diversity) have taken a back seat to the bottom line. That's fine, but let's hope these layoffs are met with a proportional dial down of Gannett's touting of its values."
Anything less would be hypocritical from a company where the 12 most senior executives look just as white as the board of directors.
"Diversity" should include not just race, ethnicity and gender, but age. There is no bigger group under attack at Gannett than older employees. More often than not, they are the first ones to be laid off. And it is rare that anyone over 50 is ever even interviewed for a job here let alone hired.
ReplyDeleteI am convinced that as a result of the recession, agism has quickly risen as one of the worse forms of discrimination in the workplace. Gannett is one of the worst offenders.
As for hiring the "brightest," that train left the station a long time ago. Gannett's rep is terrible in the J-schools and other places where the best and brightest are recruited. Gannett infamously thrown thousands overboard during the recession -- often needlessly -- thereby ruining its rep even more. Why would anyone smart and loyal want to work at a place that treated its workforce so poorly in tough times?
My advice: If you have options, and are an intelligent, ethical person, work elsewhere. Gannett is a dead end, void of integrity, honesty and all the things that make a job worth doing.
LOL. J-schools? You're worried about "reputation" in J-schools? Do you have the slightest idea what's going on?! Does anybody seeking employment as a journalist in the 21st century have "options"? What planet would that be on?
Delete11:21, I agree with you. Many of those laid off at the APP in this latest round would fall in that protected over age 40 group (HR's definition, not mine.)A quick count shows that at least 6 of the 12 people laid off in the info center were over age 40. If it walks like a duck...
DeleteFour years ago, the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger had the first black executive editor in the paper's history and also had a black managing editor, black assistant managing editor, black metro editor and black business editor. None of them are there now. Additionally, one of the copy editors and the digital editor who were laid off in the latest round of cuts are black. They all left for various reasons (only the ME, copy editor and digital editor were laid off), but that newsroom has lost nearly all of its diversity -- in a city that is 70-percent African-American and a state that is nearly 40-percent black. The EE is white. the metro editor is white and the lone remaining AME is white.
ReplyDeleteOut of curiosity, what was the effect on African-American readership of having members of that community in key editor positions? Broader readership was at least part of the economic rationale for focusing on diversity, although existing readers also benefit if you assume more accurate reporting.
DeleteI worked at a paper where the editor got a bonus for hiring a person of color. But as soon as some of the new hires figured out the job conditions, they had the mother wit to get out of the newsroom. I used to wonder whether the editor had to give back the bonus.
ReplyDeleteYup, same thing at the paper I worked at in Wisconsin.
DeleteInteresting comment about the ageism in the Gannett workplace. Especially funny, considering that the only people who still ready Gannett's pathetic products are all over 50!
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ReplyDeleteAlong those same lines, I remember an incident when another late, not-very-lamented EE heard that a fellow he'd hired several months earlier actually was one-quarter Native American. The EE did everything but turn cartwheels as he reported this to his corporate minders. Of course, this was back in the day when hiring of "minorities" was emphasized and rewarded.
DeleteIf you're going to accuse someone by name of lying, you need to substantiate it.
DeleteSorry, Jim -- can't substantiate it without a Ouija board or a trip to Hell to interview the malefactor. It did happen, though; everyone in the newsroom knew it.
DeleteThis is what's known as rightsizing. Many of these people were hired only because of race. They were not qualified and never should have been hired.
ReplyDeleteI would agree 100% 2:23. But would also add gender to the statement.
DeleteThis such a bull---- comment. "Many"??? Might as well say "all" because there've never been enough minorities in executive positions to use the word "many" in describing them. The few I was lucky enough to meet were exceedingly competent and could have been leaders anywhere they were employed. But thanks for comfirming the kind of racism that continues to plague the various ranks of this company. Jerk!
DeleteSo Gannett is getting rid of minorities and older, higher salaried employees. This comes as a surprise? Hiring and retinment ougghtnto be based on skills and talent level. The hypocrites that run this comoany have never gotten that. Now, hey just hire third rate workers and cheap kids who know nothing. It shows in The product, but nobody cares. I give it a couple years before print is totally dismantled and they get by with 25% of the staff they have now.
ReplyDeleteI am sure, however, that the size of the Senior Leadership Team will only grow.
For the record NO ONE ever received a bonus for simply hiring a minority employee. Diversity was one element in the annual bonus MBO program. But you folks make it sound like Editors hired someone of color and went to payroll and collected a bonus. You so called journalists don't appear to concerned about the truth.
ReplyDeleteAnd the MBO was not based on hires, but on a snapshot of demographics in top 4 job categories compared to census data for the market.
DeleteYou mean, 12:36, how the newsroom's demographics compared to the market's demos in four categories: African-American, Asian, Hispanic and Native American?
ReplyDeleteIn other words, the more the newsroom matched -- or even exceeded -- those demographics, the better the news executive's performance for the purposes of determining annual pay.
Previously, Gannett had a black male headhunter who whose job was to recruit new hires and help transfer employees from smaller papers to USA Today and other larger Gannett papers. What happened to him? The company reeks of racist attitudes. At most of its papers, the weekend staff was all black. Pitiful.
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