Tuesday, November 19, 2013

USAT | Ex-staffer is a Bloomberg layoff casualty

Work life after USA Today is anything but guaranteed.

Elliot Blair Smith, the high-profile reporter who left USAT in 2006 after nine years to become a Bloomberg News investigative and projects reporter, was among dozens laid off today as Bloomberg retrenches, according to blogger Jim Romenesko.

Talking Biz News says Smith’s Bloomberg work includes revealing how former President Bill Clinton combined charity, private business and political fund raising in global travels from Colombia to Kazakhstan; the hidden cause of a mine accident in Canada that tripled worldwide uranium prices; how a pro-nuclear trade group secretly persuaded federal regulators to ignore court precedent in shaping policy to thwart anti-nuclear activists; and the flawed financial models of Wall Street credit raters who risked century-old reputations for fleeting profits."

Smith is a past winner of the prestigous Gerald Loeb Award. Bloomberg is controlled by Michael Bloomberg, the multibillionaire New York City mayor who's finishing his third term in January.

21 comments:

  1. High profile.Really? What mark did he leave at Usa Today?

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    1. Newspapers don't often win Gerald Loeb Awards.

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    2. He won his Loeb Award at the California paper her worked at. Can you cite anything high profile or award winning from his decade at Usa Today?

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    3. I had in mind that at USAT, he was involved in the relatively few big investigative projects the paper did at the time.

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    4. Gosh. This blog does really eat it's own. Burp!

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    5. Yes -- and then they wash it down with a nice chianti.

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    6. you left out the fava beans

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  2. So she left one pit for another and paid the price. She sounds like she's talented so she should land on her feet.

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  3. I dont trust anyone who goes by three names. Or one.

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    1. One of my all-time favorite byline names was the former New York Times reporter Jennifer 8. Lee.

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  4. And the point is...what? Sorry for the guy, don't wish layoffs on anyone - but he was gone from Gannett in '06, so why is this a blog topic here? Unless the point is, media places all around are in tough spots...which we knew. Given his past accomplishments, hope Smith lands somewhere else sooner than later in the field, if that's want he wants. But, again...what?

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    1. Maybe because some people here worked with him, know him, and would be interested in the information.

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  5. This is why I left the newspaper business altogether. This industry is not safe no matter where you are. I am a much happier and more secure person now than I was 4 years ago with Gannett.

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    1. Glad that you are in a happy place now, but people take their chances in almost any industry these days. Nothing is guaranteed.

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  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  7. Bloomberg was one of the only older-guard news organizations in the past five years that had been hiring veteran reporters and editors, thanks primarily to a proven revenue model. People at Bloomberg could feel reasonably secure while their peers were being laid off or squeezed out at AP, Reuters and newspapers. These layoffs serve as a real wake-up call. Journalism is becoming a young person's occupation more than ever.

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  8. Jim - just because I wondered why you didn't find an angle for placing the blame on this to gannett is not a reason to remove my post. I was just bringing the conversation back to Gannett.

    As a journalist, I thought you would protect free speech not censor it.

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    1. 1. Your original comment was nonsensical.

      2. Editing and censorship aren't the same thing. If they were, and newspapers, for example, wanted to avoid being accused of censorship, they would be forced to publish every letter they receive, every quote they gather from news sources, and every frame of every photo they take.

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    2. it just made you mad......

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  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."

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