This blog is mainly about the spectacular train wreck at The Sacramento Bee and its parent company, the McClatchy Company. But I also post about current events, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, politics, anything else that grabs my attention. Take a look around this blog, hope you enjoy it.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Poll question -- should McClatchy's DC bureau be exempt from layoffs and pay cuts?
McClatchy's DC bureau was untouched in previous layoff rounds, losing staff only due to retirement and attrition. Do you think John Walcott and Company should get a free pass again? Here's your chance to express your opinion.
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9 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I don't really know enough about McClatchy's DC bureau to vote. I think it is important that they maintain a presence there to report how the happenings in the capital impact the communities their papers serve.
With that said, I see too many McClatchy bylines on stories that could be easily picked up from A.P.
If they have time to do those stories, they are probably overstaffed, but I think the company and readers would benefit more from a shift in ideology to writing more stories that people can't find from any of a number of national news websites.
A movement is stirring to keep the Seattle Post Intelligencer going. According to a P-I employee website, journalists plan to keep an online version of their paper going for at least a couple of months if the paper stops publishing, which could happen mid-March.
The goal is to get subscribers and philanthropists to fund the online version.
"In the short run, the hope really lies with grant makers, foundations, and individuals who have a large sum of money at their disposal and want to invest it in their community to support journalism that goes two, three, or four layers deep," said Reporter Daniel Lathrop.
The DC bureau is basically worthless and should be radically downsized. Not only is it laughably biased, it's purpose can be served by wire copy (which is more accurate and less biased). If the future is local news, this would seem a prime spot to wield the ax.
The union that represents Hawaii's public schoolteachers says the activities and finances of a subsidiary corporation had been ``grossly mismanaged.''
Member Benefits Corp., which filed for bankruptcy Monday, has been shut down. It had managed the Hawaii State Teachers Association's Voluntary Employees Benefits Association.
The HSTA decided to dissolve the corporation last year after determining the for-profit subsidiary didn't fit within the union's mission.
The union has told it members the mismanagement was discovered by an outside team of attorneys and accountants that was brought in as part of the process of closing the corporation.
The HSTA says the problems included unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.
The problem with the DC folks is that they aren't used properly. No stories from them about what was contained in the "Stimulus Bill" until it was too late. Where was the watchdog?
The Sac Bee uses stories from WaPo and NYT instead of using their DC staff to ferret out the facts until it is too late.
Instead, they rather blame Republicans for all the woes of the world.
I'm not commenting on the rants from the different political leanings here. I'm just looking at this in a business sense. Every single McClatchy paper subscribes to at least one wire service, the AP. Many of the bigger papers have two or three more. The contract for each paper with the AP is tremendous, I heard over $1 million a year. The McClatchy Washington bureau doesn't have the resources of the AP or some of the other wire services. Let's face it. This is a total ego thing at this point. Pruitt will not touch Washington. They are his "band" on the deck as the ship goes under. If you think of how much money it would save it would most probably stun the senses. No building rent, telecommunications fees, over inflated salaries...it would probably save hundreds of jobs throughout the chain. But we all know it will never happen because Pruitt's ego is WAY too big
9 comments:
I don't really know enough about McClatchy's DC bureau to vote. I think it is important that they maintain a presence there to report how the happenings in the capital impact the communities their papers serve.
With that said, I see too many McClatchy bylines on stories that could be easily picked up from A.P.
If they have time to do those stories, they are probably overstaffed, but I think the company and readers would benefit more from a shift in ideology to writing more stories that people can't find from any of a number of national news websites.
Better question? How did MNI’s DC bureau come down on the Edwards Love child Story, as they were rummaging through Palin’s garbage?
John Edwards Mess: Baby's 1st Birthday Picture
John Edwards’ ex-lover, Rielle Hunter, is not writing a book or giving interviews. Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, however, is doing just the opposite.
Answer: DIE MF's
PATHETIC LOSERS
P-I staff asking for donations
By HEATHER BOSCH
A movement is stirring to keep the Seattle Post Intelligencer going.
According to a P-I employee website, journalists plan to keep an online version of their paper going for at least a couple of months if the paper stops publishing, which could happen mid-March.
The goal is to get subscribers and philanthropists to fund the online version.
"In the short run, the hope really lies with grant makers, foundations, and individuals who have a large sum of money at their disposal and want to invest it in their community to support journalism that goes two, three, or four layers deep," said Reporter Daniel Lathrop.
The DC bureau is basically worthless and should be radically downsized. Not only is it laughably biased, it's purpose can be served by wire copy (which is more accurate and less biased). If the future is local news, this would seem a prime spot to wield the ax.
Could this happen to the Guild?
Hawaii: Teachers union unit files for bankruptcy
The union that represents Hawaii's public schoolteachers says the activities and finances of a subsidiary corporation had been ``grossly mismanaged.''
Member Benefits Corp., which filed for bankruptcy Monday, has been shut down. It had managed the Hawaii State Teachers Association's Voluntary Employees Benefits Association.
The HSTA decided to dissolve the corporation last year after determining the for-profit subsidiary didn't fit within the union's mission.
The union has told it members the mismanagement was discovered by an outside team of attorneys and accountants that was brought in as part of the process of closing the corporation.
The HSTA says the problems included unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.
The problem with the DC folks is that they aren't used properly. No stories from them about what was contained in the "Stimulus Bill" until it was too late. Where was the watchdog?
The Sac Bee uses stories from WaPo and NYT instead of using their DC staff to ferret out the facts until it is too late.
Instead, they rather blame Republicans for all the woes of the world.
I'm not commenting on the rants from the different political leanings here. I'm just looking at this in a business sense. Every single McClatchy paper subscribes to at least one wire service, the AP. Many of the bigger papers have two or three more. The contract for each paper with the AP is tremendous, I heard over $1 million a year. The McClatchy Washington bureau doesn't have the resources of the AP or some of the other wire services. Let's face it. This is a total ego thing at this point. Pruitt will not touch Washington. They are his "band" on the deck as the ship goes under. If you think of how much money it would save it would most probably stun the senses. No building rent, telecommunications fees, over inflated salaries...it would probably save hundreds of jobs throughout the chain. But we all know it will never happen because Pruitt's ego is WAY too big
May as well shut all the DC bureaus. Jennifer Loven from AP is the only reporter Obama needs.
The D.C. bureau is a luxury that McClatchy can no longer afford. I can't put it any more clearly than that.
Les Weatherford
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