Comments on: Back in Chicago - just in time for the Chicago Tribune newsroom layoffs http://www.robbmontgomery.com/2008/01/back-in-chicago-just-in-time-for-the-chicago-tribune-newsroom-layoffs/ International Media Consultant Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:40:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Robb Montgomery http://www.robbmontgomery.com/2008/01/back-in-chicago-just-in-time-for-the-chicago-tribune-newsroom-layoffs/#comment-24855 Robb Montgomery Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:49:56 +0000 http://www.robbmontgomery.com/home/2008/newspaper/design/06/back-in-chicago-just-in-time-for-the-chicago-tribune-newsroom-layoffs/#comment-24855 It's a sad tradition (but not entirely unexpected response) that a Chi-Tri editor will attack the reporter instead of the reporting. If defending the status quo in that Chicago newsroom persists, then I would submit that truly nothing fundamental nor visionary has emerged in the leadership since my time there. My advice to all TribCo employees would be to set a Google News alert for the name "Randy Michaels" asap. Here's the 69+ reports you would get today in addition to the one I referenced above that was published by The New York Times. --> http://news.google.com/news?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=%22%20Randy%20Michaels%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn And some excerpts from those other voices . . . EDITOR AND PUBLISHER: "Not to say that they are dummies, but this is a complex business and I don't think they understand that," one reporter said. "Look, I wouldn't walk into Northwestern [Memorial Hospital] and tell the brain surgeon how to do his job." --> http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003813410 Does this anonymous Chicago Tribune reporter really thinks that their job is as complex as brain surgery? Talk. About. Arrogance. (and cowardice) TribCo rewrite boy Phil Rosenthal only hints at the redesign a-coming your way, Chicago Tribune, but fails to mention that the redesign of the L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune will be derived from blueprints first drawn in Orlando. --> http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-fri_rosenthaljun06,0,5851669.column ORLANDO, as has widely reported in other stories . . . Why isn't Phil filling in the blanks like the Journal does? THE WALL STREET JOURNAL "The redesign will start with the Orlando Sentinel this month and later extend to the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune titles like the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun." --> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121270007809749889.html?mod=googlenews_wsj One thing that I have not been able to find via Google (or anywhere else) are the forward-thinking vision statements by the Chicago Tribune's editor-in-chief. Can you point us, Steve, to some public statements that she has made in the last year or two about the new direction she is taking her newsroom? I am having trouble finding any such work done by her. --> http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en&q=ann+marie+lipinski&ie=UTF8&t=1 It’s a sad tradition (but not entirely unexpected response) that a Chi-Tri editor will attack the reporter instead of the reporting. If defending the status quo in that Chicago newsroom persists, then I would submit that truly nothing fundamental nor visionary has emerged in the leadership since my time there.

My advice to all TribCo employees would be to set a Google News alert for the name “Randy Michaels” asap.
Here’s the 69+ reports you would get today in addition to the one I referenced above that was published by The New York Times.

–> http://news.google.com/news?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=%22%20Randy%20Michaels%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn

And some excerpts from those other voices . . .

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER:
“Not to say that they are dummies, but this is a complex business and I don’t think they understand that,” one reporter said. “Look, I wouldn’t walk into Northwestern [Memorial Hospital] and tell the brain surgeon how to do his job.”
–> http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003813410

Does this anonymous Chicago Tribune reporter really thinks that their job is as complex as brain surgery? Talk. About. Arrogance. (and cowardice)

TribCo rewrite boy Phil Rosenthal only hints at the redesign a-coming your way, Chicago Tribune, but fails to mention that the redesign of the L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune will be derived from blueprints first drawn in Orlando.
–> http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-fri_rosenthaljun06,0,5851669.column

ORLANDO, as has widely reported in other stories . . . Why isn’t Phil filling in the blanks like the Journal does?

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
“The redesign will start with the Orlando Sentinel this month and later extend to the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune titles like the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun.”
–> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121270007809749889.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

One thing that I have not been able to find via Google (or anywhere else) are the forward-thinking vision statements by the Chicago Tribune’s editor-in-chief.

Can you point us, Steve, to some public statements that she has made in the last year or two about the new direction she is taking her newsroom?
I am having trouble finding any such work done by her.

–> http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en&q=ann+marie+lipinski&ie=UTF8&t=1

]]> By: Steve Cavendish http://www.robbmontgomery.com/2008/01/back-in-chicago-just-in-time-for-the-chicago-tribune-newsroom-layoffs/#comment-24819 Steve Cavendish Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:38:14 +0000 http://www.robbmontgomery.com/home/2008/newspaper/design/06/back-in-chicago-just-in-time-for-the-chicago-tribune-newsroom-layoffs/#comment-24819 One suspects that since Robb's frame of reference for the Tribune is 10 years old, he has no idea what he's talking about. There's a lot of reasons why that 51 vs 300 number is bad math, owing to differing newsholes, numbers of sections and the fact that as a productivity number it does nothing to account for what those people are contributing to the web in terms of filing multiple versions of stories, blogging and video. And that doesn't even touch the matter of Tribune family wire copy appearing in other papers. Do they get credit for covering Iraq, Myanmar and the NBA finals that appears in other Tribune papers? But I digress . . . No, what's fascinating (or, maybe it's not) is that Robb has taken a troubling and indeed alarming bit of news and used it as a chance to take another cheap slap at the Trib. One suspects that since Robb’s frame of reference for the Tribune is 10 years old, he has no idea what he’s talking about.

There’s a lot of reasons why that 51 vs 300 number is bad math, owing to differing newsholes, numbers of sections and the fact that as a productivity number it does nothing to account for what those people are contributing to the web in terms of filing multiple versions of stories, blogging and video.

And that doesn’t even touch the matter of Tribune family wire copy appearing in other papers. Do they get credit for covering Iraq, Myanmar and the NBA finals that appears in other Tribune papers? But I digress . . .

No, what’s fascinating (or, maybe it’s not) is that Robb has taken a troubling and indeed alarming bit of news and used it as a chance to take another cheap slap at the Trib.

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