I don't often do this, but I could use some proppin' up

[Oeditpus Rex]

I just found out that the newspaper that fired me and six others almost four years ago because we were too old just hired as its seventh editor since then a 27-year-old who was a reporter under me.

He'd left this paper after about three years and gone back to his home state, where he worked for a couple of small papers. And now he's been enticed to come 2,000 miles back to the site of his first professional job — the paper with the smallest circulation among dailies in California.

I bear him no ill will. I just know what's behind this — the paper's owners care nothing about quality journalism and everything about profits. That's why they have an editorial staff all under 30. The new editor, in fact, is older than the rest of the staff by at least four years.

I feel quite obsolete in my chosen profession.

[SeattleGirl]

1. Jeez, that sucks, Oedi.

The continuous fuck-fest that companies have with their profit margins is sucking the life out of this country. Focus ONLY on profit, and anything quality goes out the window.

Come here, my friend. :hug: :hug: :hug: :loveya:

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. Thanks, SG

I just... I'd never been fired before that, and it sucked all the confidence right out of me. And each time they've brought in a new editor or a new city editor (my old job; they've had seven of those, too, since me), I've re-lived that punch in the gut.

:hug:

[SeattleGirl]

12. I know a bit of what you feel.

I've been in my field for 17 years. I have a BA and some graduate courses under my belt, and have trained many a Masters level person how to do this job. Yet, because they have a Masters degree, even without a lot of experience they can get a higher level of work than I can.

I think education is very important, but damnit, so is experience! I can run circles around n00b's who just got out of grad school. But unfortunately, with the way the state Labor & Industries department changed things, my experience has been rendered irrelevant in their eyes. Oh well, I know I have the experience, regardless of what they think.

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. The n00bs are cheaper, y'know

They don't make much to begin with and they're young and often single, so they don't go in much for benefits the company has to partly cover, like medical and 401(k). They're cost-effective, and that's what business values these days.

[SeattleGirl]

21. Oh, I know. And in the meantime, everyone gets screwed except

the CEO's. Gee, must be nice to have a job where you get paid millions and millions of dollars to produce cheap goods (whatever they are, including "news") while kicking Jane and Joe Citizen to the curb.

[Oeditpus Rex]

23. Funny thing is

three of the newspapers these bozos own are loss leaders. The two dailies have the lowest and second-lowest circulation among California dailies, and the weekly (twice-weekly, actually) has the second-lowest among weeklies. And their saturation — that's the term for circulation in relation to number of households in the coverage area — is abysmal; about a fourth that of most papers. The only reason they're in business at all is they're the only sources of local news.

They also own a weekly paper here, but it's free, so its circulation isn't audited.

[Rhythm]

3. You're not obsolete... your former corporate overlords are just cheap and unethical.

And should have been sued for age descrimination when they purged the staff of their more experienced and professional members.

:hug: :pals: :hug:

Frankly, any so-called 'journalistic' entity who would get rid of someone as eloquent and detail oriented as you simply sucks and should be put out of it's misery.
*shakes head at their utter stupidity*

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. Thanks, D

:hug:

We did sue for age discrimination, but that went awry. The judge on the case admitted that he knew nothing about employee law and, of course, he wouldn't recuse himself — kinda hard to do in a county with only two sitting judges — so we were pretty much screwn if we went to trial. Our attorney knew it, and their attorneys certainly knew it, so we ended up in mediation and settled for almost nothing. Basically, they paid a "nuisance fee."

I know it's not me, it's the business — but when they hire a guy whom I taught while I haven't worked for a newspaper since, that's not much consolation.

BTW — how was your trip?

[Rhythm]

9. The trip was a lot of fun...

Aside from being an informative and interesting seminar, we met our State Treasurer, as well as the gal who will most likely be elected Sec. of State next year...

Oktoberain posted pics yesterday afternoon... well, some of them, anyway. I took dozens.
I PMed you the link so you wouldn't miss them once they fell off the front page.

:hug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

10. Cool

Thanks. :)

[Heidi]

4. Oedi,

I've been down that road. You are in no way obsolete, but you are in every way loved and respected. :hug: :loveya:

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. Thanks, Heidi

:hug:

Yeah, you'd know as well as anybody, huh?

I envy you for making a clean break from it. I'll never be able to let go. I was made to be in a newsroom.

[VenusRising]

5. I'm sorry that happened.

It's disgusting that corporations will squeeze out talent, experience, and wisdom all for a measly buck.

I hope something meaningful and worthy of your talents and passions comes along soon.

In the meantime, a :hug: and a...


























Prop



:hide:

[Oeditpus Rex]

8. What? No top hat?

:hug:

[VenusRising]

13. No. It's late and I went for the easy one.

I'm lazy.

:rofl:


:pals::hug::loveya:

[Nicole]

11. That's terrible!

You've probably forgotten more than that guy knows.

With that kind of management, that paper will probably be obsolete before you are.

:hug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. It's been going downhill since The Carnage

Circulation has dropped and the quality has severely dropped. One of the years I was city editor, we were no. 3 in the state in our circulation category, and one year I was sports editor we had the no. 2 sports section. I also won best sports story in the state one year.

I do feel like I've forgotten more than he knows, but he was a pretty good reporter when he worked under me. But good reporters don't necessarily make good editors, especially when their hands are bound by penny-squeezing owners.

Thanks. :hug:

[Inchworm]

16. I read nearly everything you type

the hard core baseball threads you have with you friend... too deep for me :D

:hug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

19. Yeah, deep baseball

My Innermost Thoughts on the Infield Fly Rule. :D

[hfojvt]

17. my cousin better settle down then

he just left a job in Boise to move to Vegas baby, and he's gonna be 40. Not sure if he is still working as a newspaper editor though.

[Oeditpus Rex]

18. If he is, Vegas is a tough town

It has two papers, the Sun and the Review-Journal. I dunno if this is still going on, but for years they were working under a rather contentious joint operating agreement.

[Lyric]

20. ...

:hug: They're idiots. Plain and simple.

[Oeditpus Rex]

22. They're capitalist swine

Same thing.

:hug:

[ThomCat]

24. That is a sure sign of a company that doesn't want to be profitable

and doesn't value it's employees at all. x(

[Connonym]

25. Well let me just say that the quality of the Waukesha Freeman has jumped by leaps and bounds

Since the twerp left here. Our loss is your um loss. :-D Love ya.

[BarenakedLady]

26. That sucks

I'm sorry Oedi

:hug: