The D&C - What’s next
Utica Observer-Dispatch (paper edition) here we come. Which is too bad. Rochester used to support 2 separate newspapers not all that long ago.
As btp said the D&C fired 34 people. Laid off if you prefer but involuntarily eliminated 34 positions. There were 59 positions some of which were unfilled and the remainder left voluntarily. Here are some additional details.
WXXI NEWS (2008-12-03) In the midst of lay-offs at the Democrat and Chronicle, the paper could be changing the format of some of its sections. A staff source at the paper says it will be eliminating the “Speaking Out” editorial page, which would reduce the opinion section to one page. The source says the paper is also planning to merge the business and metro sections, and possibly reduce the sports section.
So the Speaking out page is gone so the editorial page will be reduced to a single page. Does this mean they are getting rid of the thumbs up/thumbs down section too?
A spokesperson for the Democrat and Chronicle says the paper is still working on the new format, and the paper has no comment on the new design. He says a formal announcement will be made within a couple of weeks.
The paper announced yesterday it was eliminating 59 positions, 34 of them involuntary. Sources at the paper say 12 jobs are being cut or phased out in the newsroom.
12 newsroom jobs. So more non-coverage of local events. I’m not blaming the reporters but Rochester isn’t shrinking - the newsroom is - so an already thin staff will be spread even thinner. I suppose there will be more reliance on D&C blogs and the free labor that powers them.
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I’m a local college student — a journalism major and an editor of a college newspaper. While the college newspaper continues to thrive, with students more than willing to pick up the hard copy, the Internet is swallowing the newspaper industry, with hardly anyone caring about the impending journalistic crisis. When is enough, enough? There’s something about holding a newspaper in your hands, it almost makes the news more real. Anyone can post on the Internet, but it definitely takes a special group to make a newspaper. With all of the citizen journalism going on with blogs filled with complete crap (this one is clearly an exception — it’s one of three blogs I read), journalism is going to morph into gossip. Where are all the traditionalists wanting that paper in their hands? While the newspaper won’t entirely collapse, I’m sure it’s just started on it’s downfall … which will mean real news is going to take a turn too. The TV and radio stations will have noone to pull their news from. This is too bad. With the elimination of these local jobs, it looks like I’ll definitely be moving out of state next year when I graduate.