Tuesday, March 24, 2009
And there's more where this came from ...
I just keeps pouring. Or do I mean flooding? More news from Gannett for those of you who haven't heard yet (though I hardly think that's possible). And it's not like this is totally unexpected. For details see Jim Hopkins here or read this. I have nothing more to add.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Life gets in the way
So, it's been a rrreeealllyyy long time since posted - my apologies. I truly have no excuse other than I was just too weary to post. These days, I fall asleep at the slightest provocation. I kid you not.
A lot has happened in the mean- while. Danielle got engaged and we met her fiance and her in Poughkeepsie (as you know already). But here's a photo of the happy couple and the ring.
The famous Oscar pool was held at the Journal and the winner was ... NOT "Orlando B. de Mille." Actually it was your's truly who won the princely sum of $16 and a beautiful trophy. (I get to keep the trophy for a year!) Check out this photo.
And while most of us are still employed at the same place, we don't know if that place will be the same in the future. Yes 85 Civic Center Plaza is up for sale. The asking price is $5 million. There had been a lot of speculation about it and some of the reporters were even asked about the PoJo building's status. Now we can confirm it's on the market. No buyer yet. Os so they say ... but then I'm usually the last person to know.
But on a more happy note, I did get to celebrate two really happy occasions -- Judith's husband, Doug, celebrated a birthday and Dugan and John Penney had a whole bunch of people over at their new house in Rhinebeck -- and I drove there all by myself. No one died.
Kathy Norton became a grandma and visited the Journal (the two events are NOT related) with her class from Vassar. The students came up with good picks for 1A. And talking of 1A, man, there's just been a glut of news happening around here. Did anyone else notice?
A lot has happened in the mean- while. Danielle got engaged and we met her fiance and her in Poughkeepsie (as you know already). But here's a photo of the happy couple and the ring.
The famous Oscar pool was held at the Journal and the winner was ... NOT "Orlando B. de Mille." Actually it was your's truly who won the princely sum of $16 and a beautiful trophy. (I get to keep the trophy for a year!) Check out this photo.
And while most of us are still employed at the same place, we don't know if that place will be the same in the future. Yes 85 Civic Center Plaza is up for sale. The asking price is $5 million. There had been a lot of speculation about it and some of the reporters were even asked about the PoJo building's status. Now we can confirm it's on the market. No buyer yet. Os so they say ... but then I'm usually the last person to know.
But on a more happy note, I did get to celebrate two really happy occasions -- Judith's husband, Doug, celebrated a birthday and Dugan and John Penney had a whole bunch of people over at their new house in Rhinebeck -- and I drove there all by myself. No one died.
Kathy Norton became a grandma and visited the Journal (the two events are NOT related) with her class from Vassar. The students came up with good picks for 1A. And talking of 1A, man, there's just been a glut of news happening around here. Did anyone else notice?
Ode to journalists
Journalists are people too .. and they're good at their jobs. OK so I'm biased, but here's a real objective viewpoint that brings comfort in turbulent times: (The original e-mail was sent out by Liz Lynch:D)
Ten Reasons You Should Hire a Journalist
Dear Potential Employer:
Please accept this letter of recommendation for the journalist applying for your job opening. I know this is unorthodox -- a generic reference letter. But permit me to explain. Thousands of men and women who made journalism their vocation have lost their jobs. For many, telling a community's stories through words and images is the only career they've known.
They didn't leave their jobs; their jobs left them. Many are still shell-shocked, wondering if potential employers in other fields will place any value on the things they do best.
That's why I write this letter. I don't pretend to know the individual who's applying to you, and certainly, every journalist is unique. But as someone who has spent decades hiring and firing, coaching and mentoring journalists, I know a bit about their skills and values and what they could mean to your organization.
I also know that journalists may not be comfortable appearing to brag about what they do well; self-esteem can get downsized pretty easily these days.
So permit me to make their case to you. Here are 10 reasons you should hire a journalist.
1. Journalists will improve the writing, photography or design in your organization. When journalists volunteer for church, school or civic organizations, they are inevitably asked to work on communications projects. Their writing is clear and succinct; their photography and design skills make whatever they're working on look more polished and professional. They're sticklers about copy editing and will raise the quality of even your internal memos.
2. Journalists deliver on deadline. Their work lives have been defined by deadlines. Blowing a deadline is a cardinal sin in the newsroom culture. Tell them when something is due and you'll get it -- or you'll get a bulletproof reason from a nonetheless-contrite employee.
3. Journalists are multitaskers. In recent years, journalists have been required to do more with less. Reporters and photographers took up videography, editing and blogging. They file stories for print, broadcast and online, some while also tweeting. (If you don't know what tweeting is, ask during the interview. Don't worry. It does not involve stomach upset.)
4. Journalists are quick studies. Imagine a job in which you have to learn things every day, then turn around and teach those things to others. That's exactly how I've described the challenge and absolute joy of journalism at student career fairs. That skill set demands that journalists take in and process information with extraordinary efficiency and clarity, a benefit in any line of work.
5. Journalists are critical thinkers. They've been trained that "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." Journalists know that asking why and why not, looking at multiple perspectives, digging beneath the surface, challenging conventional wisdom, discerning patterns, finding context and thinking about "what's next" improves any story. Just as it improves job performance in most any field.
6. Journalists get answers faster than most. Even in social situations, you'll find friends rely on their journalist buddies to gather information. Scout the restaurant. Get the background on the car I'm thinking of buying. Vet the new school superintendent. Help me find the best doctor for my condition. Journalists know how to do research -- fast.
7. Journalists know how to use the Web. Your organization may or may not have embraced all of its online opportunities, but journalists know firsthand why the Internet matters. Sure, some news folks adopted an online mindset more slowly than others, but now many are well-equipped to help you execute online strategies -- blogging, creating video and audio, connecting through social networks. They've been brought up to speed in the past several years as their newsrooms expanded their horizons.
8. Journalists have a great work ethic. If you've ever complained that your team has a 9-to-5 approach to the job, hire a journalist. Some may think they're crazy, but they've often followed stories, not schedules. They've dropped everything for breaking news. They've gotten up in the middle of the night to catch a perfect picture of the moon or listen to a source who could talk only in darkness. They took on the work of laid-off colleagues while still doing their own, for as long as they could. And they still have energy.
9. Journalists have a solid moral compass. Imagine signing on to a job where you promise not to accept gifts that others could, must take pains to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest, should keep your opinions to yourself, are expected to question authority while respecting the law and to recognize that your work carries the opportunity every day to do good or harm.
Journalists didn't just sign some statement saying they'll comply with the organization's policies, file it and forget it; they chose a profession that embraces a code of ethics and wrestles with its obligations daily. You might think they've fallen short over the years. But if you want to ask a great job interview question, ask journalists about some of the ethical minefields they've successfully walked and how they made it through while minimizing harm.
10. Journalists are loyal. That's why they're hurting right now. The journalists you may hire have been faithful to their vocation, even when the going got more than tough. They've adapted, learned new skills, added duties, taken pay cuts and furloughs, mourned the loss of colleagues and coverage, and kept on doing work that mattered. What does that mean to you? Speaking as a management coach, I say it means this: hiring journalists presents you a terrific opportunity. Give them a job they believe in and they'll work like hell to help you succeed.
Sincerely,
Jill Geisler
Group Leader, Leadership and Management Programs
The Poynter Institute
Ten Reasons You Should Hire a Journalist
Dear Potential Employer:
Please accept this letter of recommendation for the journalist applying for your job opening. I know this is unorthodox -- a generic reference letter. But permit me to explain. Thousands of men and women who made journalism their vocation have lost their jobs. For many, telling a community's stories through words and images is the only career they've known.
They didn't leave their jobs; their jobs left them. Many are still shell-shocked, wondering if potential employers in other fields will place any value on the things they do best.
That's why I write this letter. I don't pretend to know the individual who's applying to you, and certainly, every journalist is unique. But as someone who has spent decades hiring and firing, coaching and mentoring journalists, I know a bit about their skills and values and what they could mean to your organization.
I also know that journalists may not be comfortable appearing to brag about what they do well; self-esteem can get downsized pretty easily these days.
So permit me to make their case to you. Here are 10 reasons you should hire a journalist.
1. Journalists will improve the writing, photography or design in your organization. When journalists volunteer for church, school or civic organizations, they are inevitably asked to work on communications projects. Their writing is clear and succinct; their photography and design skills make whatever they're working on look more polished and professional. They're sticklers about copy editing and will raise the quality of even your internal memos.
2. Journalists deliver on deadline. Their work lives have been defined by deadlines. Blowing a deadline is a cardinal sin in the newsroom culture. Tell them when something is due and you'll get it -- or you'll get a bulletproof reason from a nonetheless-contrite employee.
3. Journalists are multitaskers. In recent years, journalists have been required to do more with less. Reporters and photographers took up videography, editing and blogging. They file stories for print, broadcast and online, some while also tweeting. (If you don't know what tweeting is, ask during the interview. Don't worry. It does not involve stomach upset.)
4. Journalists are quick studies. Imagine a job in which you have to learn things every day, then turn around and teach those things to others. That's exactly how I've described the challenge and absolute joy of journalism at student career fairs. That skill set demands that journalists take in and process information with extraordinary efficiency and clarity, a benefit in any line of work.
5. Journalists are critical thinkers. They've been trained that "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." Journalists know that asking why and why not, looking at multiple perspectives, digging beneath the surface, challenging conventional wisdom, discerning patterns, finding context and thinking about "what's next" improves any story. Just as it improves job performance in most any field.
6. Journalists get answers faster than most. Even in social situations, you'll find friends rely on their journalist buddies to gather information. Scout the restaurant. Get the background on the car I'm thinking of buying. Vet the new school superintendent. Help me find the best doctor for my condition. Journalists know how to do research -- fast.
7. Journalists know how to use the Web. Your organization may or may not have embraced all of its online opportunities, but journalists know firsthand why the Internet matters. Sure, some news folks adopted an online mindset more slowly than others, but now many are well-equipped to help you execute online strategies -- blogging, creating video and audio, connecting through social networks. They've been brought up to speed in the past several years as their newsrooms expanded their horizons.
8. Journalists have a great work ethic. If you've ever complained that your team has a 9-to-5 approach to the job, hire a journalist. Some may think they're crazy, but they've often followed stories, not schedules. They've dropped everything for breaking news. They've gotten up in the middle of the night to catch a perfect picture of the moon or listen to a source who could talk only in darkness. They took on the work of laid-off colleagues while still doing their own, for as long as they could. And they still have energy.
9. Journalists have a solid moral compass. Imagine signing on to a job where you promise not to accept gifts that others could, must take pains to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest, should keep your opinions to yourself, are expected to question authority while respecting the law and to recognize that your work carries the opportunity every day to do good or harm.
Journalists didn't just sign some statement saying they'll comply with the organization's policies, file it and forget it; they chose a profession that embraces a code of ethics and wrestles with its obligations daily. You might think they've fallen short over the years. But if you want to ask a great job interview question, ask journalists about some of the ethical minefields they've successfully walked and how they made it through while minimizing harm.
10. Journalists are loyal. That's why they're hurting right now. The journalists you may hire have been faithful to their vocation, even when the going got more than tough. They've adapted, learned new skills, added duties, taken pay cuts and furloughs, mourned the loss of colleagues and coverage, and kept on doing work that mattered. What does that mean to you? Speaking as a management coach, I say it means this: hiring journalists presents you a terrific opportunity. Give them a job they believe in and they'll work like hell to help you succeed.
Sincerely,
Jill Geisler
Group Leader, Leadership and Management Programs
The Poynter Institute
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Kleban makes Journal
All the avid PoJo readers obviously didn't miss this, but for those of you who did, here's a tidbit: Former Managing Editor Richard L. Kleban made the paper's business section under "What's new in the business scene." And yes, they did mention his years of service at PoJo. Check it out online here. If you ask me, Kleban's looking real happy!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Moving on
Some good news in this time of gloom:
Monday, February 2, 2009
Alumni reunion
So some of us gathered at the Coyote Grill - it's getting to be quite popular with the alumni - to toast Danielle Bermingham and her fiance Niels Hayden on a cold winter afternoon.
Yes, our girl is engaged. The ring is from Tiffany's and is absolutely dazzling. Surprisingly it's got nothing to do with her fave "Hello Kitty" though her credit card does (and it's pink, too).
Danielle, now a brunette (personally, I loved the redhead), was glowing and happy to see us all (or at least that's what she said). The marriage is set for October, in Hawaii and just the two of them.
A short post - for nostalgia
Folks:
Now I know I usually don't go around recommending articles from your erstwhile employer, but after reading these I felt compelled to share. (I suffer, you suffer.)
This one has something many of you will find familiar.
And this one is a commuting column that has me scratching my head.
Hint Alice, you seriously need to churn out some more columns. And be sure to get the names of people you quote. ;D
Now I know I usually don't go around recommending articles from your erstwhile employer, but after reading these I felt compelled to share. (I suffer, you suffer.)
This one has something many of you will find familiar.
And this one is a commuting column that has me scratching my head.
Hint Alice, you seriously need to churn out some more columns. And be sure to get the names of people you quote. ;D
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