Newspapers’ cancer: This guy said it better than I can
Standout reader comment posted the other week on the blog run by some survivors of the Lakeland Ledger here in Central Florida.
Here’s the permalink to the comment in question. It’s a must-read. This anonymous guy puts it perfectly:
Many of the people cut in this latest round of amputations are longtime
employees of the NYT Company. They’ve brought experience, creativity
and excellence to their work — far beyond that deserved by the bullies
in the corner offices — and the decision to target them is not simply
inexplicable; it is suicidal. Many fine people remain at The Ledger,
but so do several mediocrities who will be unable to maintain the
dynamic standards of journalism newspapers are desperate for.
(T)he power brokers and the brainless trust behind The Ledger are
preparing to euthanize it in favor of a Web presence that is nowhere
near able to support itself. … Along the way, they are eliminating many of their most skilled,
seasoned, award-winning workers.
Good stuff from a very good local-news-and-issues blog.
Thanks for the kind comments. I just wanted to clear up a point. I founded Lakeland Local. While I was a reporter and editor mumblemumble years ago, I was never an employee of the Ledger. Two contributors to Lakeland Local are former employees of the Ledger, but both left the newspaper for other jobs long before the layoffs.