tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post690452987778940120..comments2023-11-05T06:26:51.316-05:00Comments on Gannett Blog: Jackson, Miss. | Leslie Hurst, and a wayward heartJim Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-86421919157779458322013-07-22T16:54:37.218-04:002013-07-22T16:54:37.218-04:00If she's not the devil, I don't know who i...If she's not the devil, I don't know who is....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-19902736674478680412013-07-22T16:48:36.235-04:002013-07-22T16:48:36.235-04:00Worked for her for eight of the most god-awful mon...Worked for her for eight of the most god-awful months of my life. She's as charming as a rattlesnake and equally trust-worthy. "Worst of the Worst" is an understatement. By far the poorest communicator I've ever encountered in a top-level job. Her 3 a.m. email rants were notorious. Sadly, she's a perfect fit for the on-going Gannett strategy of cut, consolidate, run scared, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-46834319745256079052011-06-28T17:21:37.524-04:002011-06-28T17:21:37.524-04:003:30, that's how she operates. Once she's...3:30, that's how she operates. Once she's got it out for you, beware. She will stop at nothing until she gets her way. The amazing thing is, people at corporate buy her bullshit, even with her reputation. It is mind boggling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-55068785335101255762011-06-28T15:30:12.381-04:002011-06-28T15:30:12.381-04:00I've worked for some poor managers in my day b...I've worked for some poor managers in my day but I would consider her a WOW publisher. (Worst of the Worst) I will say she is fantastic at cutting people up and cutting people loose. She once started off a budget meeting by trying to figure out how many years it was going to take me to run the paper out of business.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-61397204754114466642011-06-27T21:22:49.072-04:002011-06-27T21:22:49.072-04:00Give it up, 8:38. The original poster at 12:45 had...Give it up, 8:38. The original poster at 12:45 had it right.<br /><br />Also, I have been to the state. It didn't strike me as particularly good or bad.<br /><br />But, again, the numbers show it's one of the poorest and most poorly educated states. Read the numbers and move on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-90638877114135064742011-06-27T20:38:03.035-04:002011-06-27T20:38:03.035-04:006:31 PM Your ignorance is showing. Again, never ...6:31 PM Your ignorance is showing. Again, never disputed that Mississippi is one of the poorest and most uneducated states. But there are lots of people living there who aren't poor and uneducated so you are throwing them all into one basket. That's not logical. I am sure you've never even been to Mississippi or Jackson. The Jackson metro area is predominantly not poor and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-82295731795653229272011-06-27T20:17:28.174-04:002011-06-27T20:17:28.174-04:00To everyone in Jackson, if you work for Hurst, you...To everyone in Jackson, if you work for Hurst, you should unify, go to her office, and tell her to take her 10 goals and put it where the sun don't shine.<br /><br />After all, she's only going to be there for two years anyways. Those goals will go kaput when the next publisher comes in. So why bother wasting the time to implement them? To keep your job? Heck, as we've all seen on Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-36837141480873436802011-06-27T18:31:51.309-04:002011-06-27T18:31:51.309-04:00Your logic is lacking, 6:19. Your claim does not c...Your logic is lacking, 6:19. Your claim does not change the fact that Mississippi is one of the poorest and most uneducated states. Interesting is subjective, but the other qualities have facts behind them<br /><br />You lose. Thanks for playing, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-10545720752285012392011-06-27T18:19:57.530-04:002011-06-27T18:19:57.530-04:005:24 PM Wasn't addressing poverty. Was addres...5:24 PM Wasn't addressing poverty. Was addressing the part about Mississippi being the least educated, least interesting state in the nation. "With so many musical and literary greats it must have something going for it."<br />They were educated there and they were inspired there. <br /><br />But glad to see you can jump to dumb.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-82227495098215352502011-06-27T17:24:57.509-04:002011-06-27T17:24:57.509-04:00"Mississippi is the home/birthplace of many m..."Mississippi is the home/birthplace of many musical and literary greats so it must have something going for it."<br /><br />This could be one of the dumbest things posted here in some time. So no musical or literary great has ever overcome poverty?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-17249105939694486972011-06-27T14:45:52.513-04:002011-06-27T14:45:52.513-04:0012:45 PM Mississippi the state might be poor, bu...12:45 PM Mississippi the state might be poor, but Jackson has plenty of wealthy and upscale hotspots. Mississippi is the home/birthplace of many musical and literary greats so it must have something going for it. <br /><br />And the Clarion-Ledger building is VERY nice by Gannett standards. Looks like an upscale hotel with marble, revolving doors, mahogany, high ceiling, and such. Not a bad gigAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-37721019733784354472011-06-27T13:39:00.279-04:002011-06-27T13:39:00.279-04:00The true irony here is that Hurst's predecesso...The true irony here is that Hurst's predecessor, Bill Hunsberger, was so well thought of because he worked his way up from circulation -- where contact with and responsiveness to customers is all-important. He might disagree with you, but he would at least give you the courtesy of listening. That basic decency served him well.<br /> <br />Also: I lived and worked in both Jackson and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-3936843260069011442011-06-27T13:32:32.379-04:002011-06-27T13:32:32.379-04:0012:45 Yes, you are right, and that job was earmark...12:45 Yes, you are right, and that job was earmarked for Don Hudson, who was the capable and liked managing editor of the Clarion-Journal for a decade until he was laid off in 2009. The next year, Hurst is named to head the Courier-Journal. BTW, Hudson was black and Hurst is white, and Gannett insists _ repeatedly _ that it doesn't discriminate in hiring and firing policies. Coincidence? I Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-73090758478800477992011-06-27T12:45:05.277-04:002011-06-27T12:45:05.277-04:00She's in Jackson, Mississippi, for God's s...She's in Jackson, Mississippi, for God's sake. One of the poorest, least educated, least interesting states in the nation. It might represent an "upgrade" from Lafayette, La., but can best be likened to a transfer from the rat-infested wing of the penitentiary to one infested only by roaches. Anyone with any talent and potential would refuse assignment to Gannett's dreary Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-91307891220345844412011-06-27T08:39:54.020-04:002011-06-27T08:39:54.020-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-25510549750388102612011-06-26T20:36:14.972-04:002011-06-26T20:36:14.972-04:00Yes Leslie was sent to Lansing when the Statesman ...Yes Leslie was sent to Lansing when the Statesman was sold in 2005.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-77253442895485817952011-06-26T20:32:35.801-04:002011-06-26T20:32:35.801-04:00Wasn't hurst kept with Gannett when Statesman ...Wasn't hurst kept with Gannett when Statesman was sold to Knight Ridder?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-63470530644951458242011-06-26T20:16:30.504-04:002011-06-26T20:16:30.504-04:00I agree with 6:55 p.m. Bill Hunsberger was the bes...I agree with 6:55 p.m. Bill Hunsberger was the best publisher The Clarion-Ledger had known and he was a huge part of the community; both in business and personal. NO other publisher at that paper had or has come close to Bill Hunsberger.<br />On another note, Hurst is more than a publisher. She is corporate. Her title is Vice President of Gannett's South Group.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-28029610248076051012011-06-26T18:55:55.407-04:002011-06-26T18:55:55.407-04:00Soon after she landed in Jackson, GCI summoned Ms....Soon after she landed in Jackson, GCI summoned Ms. Hurst in private plane to the Crystal Palace, where she was told to play nice in Jackson. Or else ... <br /><br />Bill Hunsberger is the best publisher The Clarion-Ledger ever had; he truly and sincerely was connected to Metro Jackson on all levels. The Community Room at The Clarion-Ledger is named in his honor.<br /><br />Of those that followed Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-62545803451805328252011-06-26T18:10:09.215-04:002011-06-26T18:10:09.215-04:00Yeah, she got her hands slapped a little and sent ...Yeah, she got her hands slapped a little and sent to Lafayette, LA to pay for her misteps in Lansing (overruled editorial board on a political endorsement). http://www.michiganliberal.com/diary/7344/<br /><br />Apparently she redeemed herself in Lafayette by being the hatchet publisher so Gannett moved her to Jackson, MS -- a bigger and better market. It's true that she is paranoid and has Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-22474552978715653262011-06-26T17:03:30.909-04:002011-06-26T17:03:30.909-04:004:19 Jackson clearly was a step up, and so a posit...4:19 Jackson clearly was a step up, and so a positive message.Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-29384965771012783622011-06-26T16:22:39.832-04:002011-06-26T16:22:39.832-04:00I don't mind publishers being criticized (it c...I don't mind publishers being criticized (it comes with the territory), but here and in another thread the accusations being made against Hurst seem wildly over the top.<br /><br />If indeed she refuses to talk to readers and has said so loudly, she should be fired. But I have a hard time believing she'd say so publicly.<br /><br />How about sticking to the facts and not go on absurd Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-4661872444867331552011-06-26T16:19:26.006-04:002011-06-26T16:19:26.006-04:00Any other manager in the corporate world would hav...Any other manager in the corporate world would have up-and-moved-on after assignments in such backwaters as Hattiesburg, Huntington and Lafayette. If she doesn't get it that the company doesn't think much of her, Gannett should cut her loose. If my career was as undistinguished as hers, I would have gone into another field.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-54696705141654892572011-06-26T14:53:08.320-04:002011-06-26T14:53:08.320-04:00This person needs to be criticized. I was going to...This person needs to be criticized. I was going to send her a nasty e-mail, but I doubt she would read it.<br /><br />Good job, Jim. I still think you are an idiot, as are others here. But this type of person should be blasted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-35780990726581638842011-06-26T11:16:56.095-04:002011-06-26T11:16:56.095-04:00Hurst is a heartless right-wingnut who imposes her...Hurst is a heartless right-wingnut who imposes her crazy views on newspaper editorials whereever she goes. No surprise to find a publisher is a Republican, but she's right of Atilla the Hun and not afraid of telling people that. That's why even business leaders shun her company, and you can easily guess their political views.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com