Palm Beach Newspapers Inc is owned by privately held Cox Enterprises Inc. just announced 300 job cuts across its publishing ventures.
The company is the latest among several U.S. newspaper publishers to announce job cuts for similar reasons. McClatchy Co which publishes the Miami Herald said earlier this month it would cut about 1,400 jobs, or 10 percent of its work force.
Gannett Co Inc., Tribune Co., New York Times Co. and the Washington Post have also announced layoffs and buyouts. The fallout for the Tribune company today saw the resignation of the L.A. Times publisher, David Hiller, as well as the Chicago Tribune’s editor, Ann Marie Lipinski.
Update 7/15/08 -- Announced today -- Atlanta Journal Constitution cuts 200 jobs, the Wall Street Journal lays off 50, the Oregonian closes three metro bureaus, USA Today June ad sales drop 27%
Carrying a large debt, the papers are forced to cut back on editorial staffers and revamp (shorten) its stories and eliminate sections to service that debt.
The withering of the daily paper has been forecast for years as the Internet picks up on readership. Sadly, publishers and editors refusing to accept a shift in the way consumers consume news, stand fast in defiance of this new breed of consumer.
Newspapers won’t go away anytime soon, but they will live in a very different, scaled down environment, more closely tied to their Internet sisters. Many will see the Internet version of their papers assume the editorial lead.
Editorial integrity and in-depth reportage aside, falling on one’s sword proves little in the face of news ‘”on-demand” via the Internet. Embrace the change and help to manage the conversion so that the integrity of the written word remains intact.
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2 comments:
Well said, Paul. Part of the problem is that newspapers have assumed that the format of news in print was handed down along with the tablets on Mt Sinai, and have not until very recently considered whether the way they report is aligned with what readers actually want to know. There's been a presumption that the news, especially the hard news, has the right to tell people what they need to know and how they need to learn it. The AP recently conducted an ethnographic analysis of printed news consumption that's full of interesting observations and lessons (one of many links is this: http://www.experientia.com/blog/ap-using-ethnography-to-rethink-news-in-the-digital-age/).
Neil Gluckin
Neil .. Great to hear from you and thanks for the link to the site ... it's now bookmarked!
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